Looking for a New Finance Role While Working Full Time
Looking for a new finance role while working full time is hard. Month end does not move for interviews. Your manager notices when you take a long lunch. Recruiters call during the budget review. And you need to keep your search confidential.
Most Finance Managers and Financial Controllers look for their next role while still employed. Done well, it puts you in a stronger position, because you are negotiating from security rather than urgency. This article explains how to run a finance job search while working full time.
Why searching while employed is an advantage
You are under less financial pressure
You can be selective about roles
Employers sometimes see employed candidates as lower risk
You negotiate from a stronger position
The challenge is time and confidentiality, not the market’s view of you.
Plan around your finance calendar
Finance roles have predictable peaks. Month end, quarter end, year end, audit and budget season. Plan your search around them.
Schedule interviews outside your busiest days where you can. Let recruiters know when you are least available. If an interview must fall during month end, plan your work around it and be ready to catch up.
Keep it confidential
Protect your current role. Some practical steps:
Use your personal email and phone for your search
Do not search or apply on work devices or networks
Use LinkedIn’s recruiter-only Open to Work setting rather than the public banner
Turn off LinkedIn notifications to your network before updating your profile
Tell recruiters your search is confidential and ask them not to approach your employer
Be careful who you tell at work
For more on LinkedIn privacy, see updating LinkedIn without notifying your network.
Managing interview time
Ask for early morning, late afternoon or lunchtime interviews. Many employers are happy to accommodate employed candidates, especially for first interviews by video.
Use annual leave for longer interviews or second rounds. Avoid inventing reasons for absence. A simple “I have a personal appointment” is usually enough.
Use recruiters well
Specialist recruiters can save you time by screening roles and handling logistics. Choose two or three you trust, be clear about what you want and ask them to only put you forward for roles you have approved.
Keep a simple record of which roles you have been put forward for, to avoid duplicate submissions.
Be selective
With limited time, focus on quality. Apply only for roles that genuinely fit your target. Ten well-chosen applications are far better than 50 rushed ones.
Stay professional at work
Keep performing well in your current role. Your reputation and references depend on it. Avoid mentally checking out, even if you are keen to leave.
If your manager finds out, be honest and calm. Many managers understand that people move on. Focus on continuing to do a good job while you are there.
References
You may not want to use your current manager as a referee until an offer is made. Most employers understand this. Offer former managers or senior colleagues instead, and agree that your current manager can be contacted after a conditional offer.
Resigning well
When you accept an offer, resign professionally. Tell your manager in person, give proper notice and offer a thorough handover. Leaving well protects your reputation in what are often small finance communities. For more, see counteroffers and resigning well.
Handling a recruiter call at work
Recruiters often call during the workday. If you cannot talk, it is fine to say, “Thanks for calling. Can I call you back at lunchtime or after five?” Most recruiters are used to this. Step outside or into a private room for longer conversations.
Video interviews help
Many first interviews now happen by video. That makes it easier to fit them into a working day. Make sure you have a quiet, private space, a reliable connection and a professional background. For more, see video interviews.
Keeping your energy up
Searching while working full time can be tiring. Evenings and weekends fill up with applications and preparation. Pace yourself. Set a realistic weekly goal, such as two quality applications and two networking conversations, and protect some time to rest.
When your manager asks directly
Sometimes a manager senses something and asks whether you are looking. Decide in advance how you would answer. If you have a good relationship, honesty may lead to a useful conversation about your future in the business. If not, a simple “I am always open to conversations about my career, but I am fully committed to my work here” is professional and true.
Counteroffers
If your employer finds out and makes a counteroffer, think carefully. Counteroffers often fix pay but not the reasons you wanted to leave. Many people who accept them leave within a year or two anyway.
A realistic timeline
Searching while employed often takes longer than searching full time, because you have less time and are more selective. That is fine. A few extra weeks to find the right role is far better than moving quickly into the wrong one. For more on timing, see how long a Finance Manager job search takes.
A worked example
Michelle is Financial Controller at a $55 million agribusiness in Christchurch. She wants a Head of Finance role, ideally in a larger organisation. She works 50 hours a week and has two school-age children.
Here is how she runs a 12-week search around her job.
Weeks 1 to 2: Updates her resume and LinkedIn at weekends, with network notifications turned off. Writes a short target list of 20 organisations.
Week 3: Calls two specialist recruiters from her personal phone at lunchtime. She tells them her target role, salary range and that the search is confidential.
Weeks 4 to 8: Applies for four roles and has two coffee meetings a week with former colleagues, booked before 8am.
Weeks 6 to 10: Has three first interviews by video, all at 7.30am or after 5pm. Takes one day of annual leave for a second interview in person.
Week 11: Receives an offer and asks for a week to consider it.
Week 12: Accepts and resigns in person, offering an eight-week handover.
She never searched on a work laptop, never missed a month end deadline and never told a colleague. When she resigned, her CEO was surprised but gave her a strong reference.
A weekly search plan
If you are working 45 to 55 hours a week, a small, steady routine works better than bursts of activity.
Monday evening (30 minutes): Review new roles and recruiter messages. Choose no more than two to act on.
Wednesday lunchtime (30 minutes): Return recruiter calls or book a networking catch-up.
Thursday evening (60 minutes): Write or adjust one application and cover letter.
Weekend (60 minutes): Prepare for any interview that week, including your stories and questions.
That is three hours a week. It is enough to run a serious search without burning out.
Sample scripts
Asking for an interview time that suits you
“Thank you for the invitation. I am keen to meet. I am in my month end until the 6th, so could we look at the 7th or later? I can do before 8.30am or after 4.30pm on most days.”
Telling a recruiter your search is confidential
“I am happy in my role but open to the right Head of Finance opportunity. Please do not send my details anywhere without checking with me first, and please do not contact my current employer.”
Asking a new employer to delay a reference
“I would prefer my current manager is contacted only once there is a conditional offer. I can give you two former managers now, including my previous CFO.”
What hiring managers think
Most hiring managers were once employed candidates too. They know you cannot drop everything for a 10am interview in month end. What they notice is how you handle it. A candidate who explains their constraints clearly and still makes the process easy shows the same planning they will bring to the role.
What they do not like is last-minute cancellations. If you commit to a time, keep it. If a genuine clash arises, tell them as early as you can and offer two new options.
Smaller markets need extra care
In smaller cities such as Hobart, Darwin, Christchurch or Wellington, the finance community is close. Recruiters, auditors and CFOs often know each other. A confidential search is still possible, but word can travel faster.
Use fewer recruiters, be clear with each one about confidentiality and think carefully before approaching direct contacts who work closely with your current employer. In a small market, how you search matters as much as where you land.
Common mistakes
Searching on work devices
Using the public Open to Work banner while employed
Booking interviews during month end without planning
Letting work performance drop
Applying for too many roles
Your next step
Set up your search properly this week. Personal email, updated resume, recruiter-only Open to Work and two recruiters you trust. Then plan your availability around your finance calendar.
If you want your resume and LinkedIn ready for a confidential search, my Gold package covers your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn and positioning strategy.
If you want help planning your search, book a complimentary Clarity Session.
