Getting cover during career change

Q: I want to apply for a job I’ve seen advertised – but I don’t want to show my face yet. My company have a connection with the company advertising the job, and I’m afraid word would get back. Is it off limits, or are there other ways around it? (DD, email)

A: Your caution is probably well placed. People talk. Sometimes we (i.e. Sli Nua Careers) make ‘blind’ approaches for candidates whereby we send the target company a summary of the candidate experience and suitability, without even revealing gender.

All we ask the company to do is to show a real interest before we can introduce the client. It doesn’t rule out the possibility of someone talking at that stage, but at least it ensures that the candidate’s name only goes to companies who have shown a genuine interest. You could very easily get a friend to make this blind approach for you. It won’t work every time, but it will give you some cover.