7 Reasons to Look for a Job While You Love the One You Have

7 Reasons to Look for a Job While You Love the One You Have7 Reasons to Look for a Job While You Love the One You HaveMost people wait until theyre miserable, desperate, or unemployed to departure looking for a new job. But as it turns out, it might be smart to look for a job while youre in a position you love. That might sound odd, but there are a few good reasons for doing this.Heres why you might want to look for a job, while you still love the one you have1. You can be more objective and have higher standards.When youre desperate for a new job because the one you have is terrible, any ol gig can start to look good. Once you start feeling slightly desperate, jobs that dont match your criteria (e.g., they dont offer work flexibility or arent in your intended career field) might not matter so much now- but will later on. Having a job that you already love allows you to job search more objectively- and more importantly, more selectively- to find a position that will truly be a fit fo r you.2. You can look more leisurely. Lets say that you have a huge fight with your boss and in a moment of bravado/stupidity, you quit your job on the spot. Looking for another job that checks all the boxes can be tough, especially so if youre doing it under duress. Being able to take your time to look for a job, picking and choosing which jobs to apply for at ease, can not only strengthen your own job searching skills for when the time comes to actually look for a new position.3. You can get a sense of what types of jobs are really out there. Time truly flies, and a job that you thought you would only be in for a year can suddenly become two or three years. Looking for a job while you love the one you have can give you some insight into the current job market and help you assess what types of jobs are out there. You can also learn what potential new skills, education, and experience employers and recruiters are looking for right now. That way, youll be prepared if and when you do decide to search for a job.4. You can negotiate better. Salary can sometimes be a sticking point when it comes to accepting or turning down a job. While you can use a salary calculator to estimate how much employers are paying for jobs in your field, nothing beats real-life experience in finding out what your exact set of skills and experience means to a potential employer, in dollars and cents. Being employed can help you to negotiate salary better since youll already know what other employers are paying- and more importantly, youll know your own worth. Since youre employed, you have nothing to lose by asking for a higher salary or better benefits- and if a potential employer knows that youre exploring new opportunities, he might make offer you a better deal to get you to leave your current job.5. You can improve your interviewing/job search skills. Job searching can take some finesse, and if youve been out of the job market for a while, your own job search skills or interviewing s kills might be a little rusty. Starting a job search (even if you love the job you have right now) can oil out the kinks you might initially experience and also help you to polish your interviewing skills as you meet with various employers.6. You can boost your network. In todays job market, its never a bad thing to know a lot of people. Having a rich, robust network can help you connect with people who might be able to give you some solid job leads. You never know when you might need to reach out to a contact for help in looking for a real job.7. You can be better prepared for the future. Sure, you love the job you currently have. But what if the company suddenly downsizes- and you lose your position? Thats where doing some pre-job searching can put you ahead of the competition. You might have already done some interviews and established new connections that could lead you to a real job interview- and a real job offer sooner rather than later.Start Looking for a New Job