Most engineers who change jobs do it while they still have one. That is sensible. You negotiate from a stronger position. You can take your time. You only move for the right role.
It also comes with a worry: what if your current employer sees you looking?
This guide covers how to explore the market quietly on Katara. It explains which search status fits your situation and when to hide your profile completely.
Start with the setting most people miss
If your only concern is your current employer, you probably don't need to hide from everyone.
Katara has a Hidden companies setting. Add your employer and recruiters from that company can't find your profile or message you. Every other team can still reach you.
Set it up before you do anything else:
- Open Settings.
- Go to Hidden companies.
- Add your current employer. Add any sister companies or clients you work closely with too.
This is the right choice for most people. You stay visible to the teams you might want to join and invisible to the one you are leaving.
Pick the status that matches how keen you are
Your search status tells hiring teams how ready you are to move. You can change it at any time.
| Status | What it says | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Available now | You could start right away | Between roles or serving a short notice period |
| Actively looking | You want to hear from teams | Committed to moving in the next few months |
| Open to opportunities | You'd listen to the right offer | Happy where you are but curious |
| Not looking | Please only reach out for a strong match | Settled but keeping your profile live |
| Invisible | Nobody can find you | Pausing completely |
If you're employed and exploring, start with Open to opportunities. Teams can still find you. The status also sets the tone. Teams know you're not desperate, so their messages tend to be better considered.
Move to Actively looking once you've decided to leave. To be specific about timing, set an Available from date under Work preferences. Teams can then plan around your notice period.
When to go invisible
Choose Invisible when you want to stop being found altogether. For example:
- You've accepted an offer and want the messages to stop.
- You're about to start a new role and don't want your new team to see an active profile.
- You need a break from the market for a while.
When you go invisible you drop out of recruiter search. Recruiters can no longer open your profile. Anything already in motion keeps going. Applications you've made, interviews you've booked and offers you've received all stay where they are.
Going invisible doesn't delete anything. Switch back to any other status and your profile reappears as it was.
Habits that keep your search private
The settings do most of the work. A few habits do the rest.
- Keep the search off work equipment. Use your own laptop and phone. A company device or network may be monitored.
- Schedule interviews around your day. Early mornings, lunch breaks and late afternoons are easier to explain than a two-hour gap. If you connect a calendar to book interviews, use your personal one.
- Be careful with public signals. A sudden flurry of profile updates elsewhere can say more than you meant to. So can new connections with recruiters or an "open to work" badge.
- Don't share confidential work. Talk about what you built and how you built it. Leave out your employer's numbers, customers and plans. Good teams respect that line. It also tells them you'll respect theirs.
- Read who has looked at you. Your dashboard shows Who viewed your profile. A recruiter's name appears once you've started a conversation with them. Then you know who you're dealing with.
When an offer comes in
If you share your salary expectation on your profile, recruiters see it while they write to you. The teams that get in touch already know what you're looking for. You can also see how often each recruiter replies to the conversations they start. That helps you tell a serious team from a mass mailer.
If a role is worth your time, take the conversation as far as you like before you tell anyone at work. Only resign once you've signed.
When you do accept, switch your status to Not looking or Invisible so the messages stop. Remove anything from your profile you'd rather your new team didn't see on day one.
Summary
- Add your current employer to Hidden companies.
- Start with Open to opportunities. Move to Actively looking when you're ready.
- Use Invisible to pause completely. Anything in progress carries on.
- Keep the search on your own devices and your own time.
For the detail behind each setting, see Choosing your search status and What happens when you go invisible in the help centre.
Ready to look around quietly? Create your profile. It's free for engineers. Verified teams come to you.