As a career coach at Harvard Business School, Matt Spielman (MBA Class of 1999) has heard the groans of frustrated professionals who are unhappy in their current jobs and faced with an urgent question: should they leave immediately or wait until they've secured their next position?

Like Tarzan swinging through the jungle canopy, we are naturally inclined to cling onto the vine we have until we've secured the next vine we need. The virtues of a sustained income cannot be denied, and most professionals have no desire to burn bridges and, more importantly, wish to perform at their best, regardless of context.

Yet Spielman believes we're asking the wrong question. "We need to reframe the situation," he says. "The real question is, do you have the time, energy and mindshare to go about your search process while performing up to your desired level in your current job?"

With all their education and experience, MBAs might seem ideally prepared to address the question. But for all the advantages of advanced skills, knowledge and networking opportunities, they are also unusually susceptible to passivity in the very area that requires their most active engagement: determining their path ahead.

"Many HBS alumni I work with are contacted by recruiters multiple times a month," Spielman says. "It's too easy to be passive, to hang back and see what opportunities present themselves, then leap for one that looks tempting."

The real goal, Spielman insists, is not the next "vine" or job, but "an informed, intentional decision aligned with the goals you want and the impact you'd like to have."

Pursuing an intentional process

Like the other HBS Career Coaches, Spielman guides alumni through stages that transform the search from a reactive to a proactive, intentional process consistent with their values and ambitions, including:

Time for internal and external reflection

Naturally, the search begins with the person – what you want, what you value. "Begin with where you are right now," Spielman advises. "What's missing from your current role? What do you enjoy that's not there? What alternatives would energize you?"

But no one can rest on internal reflection alone. "You need an interactive element because the mind needs external input and information. Your two-dimensional ideas take on an extra, third dimension when you test them with others," says Spielman. "Meeting people intentionally gives you a scalpel you can apply to your thesis: what you think you want to do, and the steps you need to take to get there."

Energy to fuel your flames

Too often, the default assumption is that the job search can be largely confined to your "off hours" when you are not working. But do the math. When you include your commute, your personal and/or family obligations, and other commitments, do you really have any energy left for a project as intense as determining your next step forward? If not, your preferred decision may be to make your job search your next fulltime job. Of course, that may not be feasible for a variety of reasons but it's something to consider.

Mindshare that gives your search its due

In addition to time and energy, an intentional job search naturally absorbs your attention. Most of us are aware of the productivity deficit incurred by the frequent switching of our attention from one thing to another and back again. Same with the job search. Can you give it the uninterrupted mindshare it deserves?

But isn't there a stigma to being unemployed?

"If you can't do all three things – time, energy, and mindshare – then it may be better not to be in a job than to do a half-hearted effort in your search," says Spielman.

The logic behind Spielman's point is strong, but the emotional resistance to it is often stronger. Many people believe that not being employed is a dangerous red flag that turns off and turns away prospective employers.

Spielman has heard this many times before but he insists there may not be real cause for alarm. "Think about it – what are employers really looking for? Talent. They want somebody who knows what they're looking for, why they're looking for it, and how they can contribute to the employer." If you're not sure whether you should leave your current role for a dedicated job search, talking your particular situation over with a Career Coach can be helpful.

Yes, an intentional search is hard work. But the results are often worth it. "Speaking with conviction in an interview about what you want and why – in a way that reflects the work you've done to get to this point – is the ideal scenario," concludes Spielman. "In the end, the new employer is looking for a person who can benefit the team, group, and company."

By Jonathan Kranz and Matt Spielman - January 23, 2019