Searching while employed
Also called confidential job search, passive candidate.
Running a job search without your current employer finding out — which mostly comes down to controlling signals rather than keeping secrets.
The leaks are predictable: a LinkedIn profile updated in a burst, an "Open to Work" setting configured to be public rather than recruiter-only, references from your current company, interviews scheduled during hours you're normally visible, and a recruiter contacting someone who knows your manager.
Each has a straightforward fix. Update your profile gradually and turn off activity broadcasts before you do. Use the recruiters-only visibility setting, which excludes people whose accounts are associated with your employer. Use former colleagues as references until the final stage, and tell recruiters explicitly that your search is confidential — they handle this constantly.
The compensating advantage is real: you're negotiating from a position where walking away costs you nothing, and interviewers read that differently than they read urgency. It's the reason searching while employed produces better outcomes even though it's slower.
Notice period
The time you're contractually required to keep working after resigning — two weeks by convention in the US, one to three months by contract in much of Europe.
Pipeline
All the opportunities you have in progress at once, seen as a funnel from application through offer.
Competing offer
A second live offer, which is the strongest and most honest source of leverage in a compensation conversation.