Tesla Motors Inc. Vice President of Production, Greg Reichow, and Vice President of Manufacturing, Josh Ensign have both left the company ahead of the announcement from Elon Musk that they would be ensuring 500,000 vehicles would be sold by 2018. This would mark five vice presidents that have exited the company in the space of three months. One of the former VPs was just scooped by Apple Inc. in a move that makes the critics wonder if an electric iVehicle could be making its way to the market by 2017.
Apple Inc. also lost an employee to another big company this year. Danny Coster, the industrial designer for Apple joined GoPro. Seemingly, engineers are always looking for a company that will offer them the best work environment, the best pay and the most likely, the most open space for innovation. These are engineers who would probably prefer to keep their job hunting efforts on the down low, so that, the companies who currently employ them don't get wind of their desire to resign. This can be a very hard task for some. Imagine an engineer gets found out for wanting to jump ship and gets fired from his job but hasn't secured a job in the company he was thinking of sending his curriculum vitae to. It's a stress-inducing prospect for any person.
Steve Mackay, the Dean of Engineering at the Engineering Institute of Technology highlights this problem in the 32nd episode of the Engineering News Network. He highlights certain scenarios that would lead an engineer to search for other means of employment. He says: "You're perhaps an engineer or a technician, you've been in the same company for many years, you think there's a purge coming. The price of whatever you're selling is going through the roof or the competitors are pouring in and you're worried about the future. But you need to be very careful about your job search."
In the video, Mackay gives tips on keeping your job search confidential so your current employer doesn't pick up on the fact that you are wanting to jump ship. We will paraphrase some of them here:
- Network with trusted peers
- Big brother is watching: Companies have access to internet activity, sites you're visiting.
- Phone confidentiality: Make sure there is no one listening in
- Only work with professional executive search firms. Make sure you emphasise that you are a confidential candidate.
- Social networking sites: Employers can see what you are putting online on a public domain
- Exhibitions and conferences: An exhibition stand could give you a lot of information about a potential job
Career Directors also published a list of things to look out for when attempting to secure other employment without the current employer making a snap judgement and firing you for wanting to leave the company:
- Keep your own confidence
- Tell recruiters your search is confidential - Which Mackay highlights as well
- Ask your prospective employer to keep your job search in confidence
- Develop a confidential version of your resume
- Maintain or expand your efforts and work style while you conduct your job search
- Conduct your search from home
- And most interestingly, if your boss confronts you about your job search, own up to it
Source: Career Directors
