Paranoid? Tips on how to search for a job quietly

I want to start a job search, but my current employer is pretty paranoid about people leaving. How do I conduct a good job search quietly?
Confidentiality is always a concern when you are gainfully employed. Before you start an active job search, there are a few Do’s and Don’t s that we can share to help:

DON”T:---Post your resume on job boards—I don’t care how confidential they say they are, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who is who at their company if they choose to look

---Tell your co-workers—The conversation around the water cooler can be dangerous because it often spreads. It is best to keep your mouth shut on your search around the office, even amongst friends early on.

--Wear your new suit to work and then announce you are going out to lunch or have to leave early for a dental appointment. If you need to dress for an afternoon interview, keep your clothes in the car and change somewhere along the way.

--Conduct phone interviews or send out your resume from your office. A lot of people do, but if you are trying to search quietly, you don’t need the IT department seeing your outgoing email and/or your peers walking by your office and over hearing your conversations.

--Check out of your current job mentally. Stay engaged with what you are doing because as soon as you check out, your behavior becomes suspect and worse, can end up costing you your job and/or future references goodwill.

Do’s in your job search:
--Add to your resume and any interviewing correspondence, “ Do not contact my current employer”. Although this seems obvious, some people in the interviewing process, may forget you are still employed

--Use Recruiters and trusted advisors to help you—they can be your eyes and ears while you are still being productive in your current role.

--Be careful about modifying your routine and interviewing. For instance, if you are flying out of town on an interview, tell co-workers you are flying out to see family—If you are seen at the airport (this happens quite often, by the way) no one will question it.

--Plan ahead and bank your vacation time. You want to make sure you have enough time off to really evaluate your options so invest in your future and bank some vacation days for your interviews.

Keep in mind that your employer today will need to be a reference down the road so do yourself a favor and work diligently while you look toward the future.