I am obviously going to be applying directly but I wanted to tell my LinkedIn network that I was at least open to new roles to see if anyone had anything. The problem is if I post anything, it'll be seen by my manager. We're connected on LinkedIn and Twitter so if I post anything overtly about searching, hell know and may cause issues I don't want yet.
Any advice on how to go about this? I don't care if my manager knows I'm unhappy, we've talked about it at length. I'm just not wanting everyone to know I've got one foot out the door in case there isn't anything better at this time.
Instead, do outreach. Think of former co-workers you'd like to work with again. Or think of 10 companies you'd like to work at, and see if you know anyone there.
Reach out to these folks and say you're looking to explore your options, but want to be discreet. Have coffee. Ask questions about the problems they are working on. Send them a copy of your resume if you think it'd be a fun move and they agree it makes sense. (Make sure you update your resume for this purpose.)