Should you tell your current employer about an interview with another company?

Rumblr33

I am dealing with this question now. I really like the current organization I am working for but I have an interview for an IT Audit position with an accounting firm. My current employer is in the Retail sector and the benefits are great plus an awesome discount in the store. My interview is on Monday and I don't want to blindside my boss with a two week notice if I decide to take the IT Audit position. There are definitely pros and cons for both positions and I am getting side projects with my current employer to be groomed for other positions in the business.

Any advice from people that have dealt with a situation like this would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.

dave330i

No. You don't inform your current employer until you have an offer letter.

Chitownjedi

How is it blindsiding your boss by giving him a 2 week notice once you found another position? This is business. The two week notice is the standard "unwritten" (courtesy) amount of time , you have no obligation to mention you are looking for a better position or a position that moves you down your career path. Non what so ever.

It's business and nothing personal.

Once you have an offer letter and a start date, give your two week notice once you confirm all those things and make your move. You performed your job for them when your were there, you owe them nothing more than that. Just stay professional and respectful through out your two weeks, and don't worry about it.

cyberguypr

I only have one question for you. What possible valid reason would you have to inform him of your intention to interview and move on? This is not the time to play "I wan to be a nice guy with my boss". This is a professional move, nothing personal. All bosses should expect employees to resign and move on, especially nowadays where people rarely stay put forever. It is well known that in many cases the fact that you are interviewing seen as "not being a team player" or some other sign of absence of lack of loyalty. He may understand and be supportive, but he may said "please pick up your things and leave right now". My point is, why risk it until you have something concrete lined up?

markulous

No way. While I'm sure there are exceptions, I would not recommend telling them you're interviewing somewhere else. There's just no good that can come of it.

scaredoftests

NO, NO, and NO. Some bosses could make life hard for you.

cshkuru

Wait until you have a firm offer then if you really like the company give them a chance to counter-offer. Baically a modified version of the golden rule applies - Treat them like you think they would treat you. If they are the type of place that would lay you off with no warning (not fire for cause, layoff) then you don't owe them much loyalty. If they treat you right then you should make an effort to do the same thing.

NetworkNewb

By telling your current company about an interview you're just telling your them that you don't want to work for them anymore and are looking for something better.

I'd recommend not doing that. Its just business, 2 weeks is enough time for them. If your boss cares about you at all he will understand the move will be good for you. But do not tell your current company until you have a offer signed and start date set at a different company.

jeremywatts2005

I never tell a current employer anything about my interviews. Even when I have an offer in hand I do not say a thing to my current employer until the background check and all the contingencies of the offer are met. Background checks can take extended amounts of time depending on the group and how extensive it is. Also the drug screens sometimes come back slow and finally the dreaded rescinding of the offer by the new employer.

Trust me it can happen. It has gotten so bad with new positions I seldom even give a two week notice when leaving my current position. I usually give a week or less because of all the back end paperwork and the need for me to start quickly. The current employer usually has no loyalty to you and would fire you at a drop of a hat with no notice if it was necessary. Just build friends in your old company to use as references this offsets a bad reference. The good ole' days of loyalty in companies is for the most part gone.

That is why I went to my new company. The old one made an offer verbally and then a few hours later changed it. Then changed it again and then made a counter offer and then rescinded that. Lucky for me I never call off a new job till I give everything a few days. Companies are just not trustworthy and if getting you cheap or rid of you is in their best interest they will do it. So do what is in you and your families best interest.

pramin

Why would tell your boss or anyone else at your current job.

Do you think your boss will give you notice if he/she has to let you go? I'd guess most likely not.

scaredoftests

pramin wrote: »

Why would tell your boss or anyone else at your current job.

Do you think your boss will give you notice if he/she has to let you go? I'd guess most likely not.

That would be a big no.

nascar_paul

jeremywatts2005 wrote: »

I never tell a current employer anything about my interviews. Even when I have an offer in hand I do not say a thing to my current employer until the background check and all the contingencies of the offer are met. Background checks can take extended amounts of time depending on the group and how extensive it is. Also the drug screens sometimes come back slow and finally the dreaded rescinding of the offer by the new employer.

Trust me it can happen. It has gotten so bad with new positions I seldom even give a two week notice when leaving my current position. I usually give a week or less because of all the back end paperwork and the need for me to start quickly. The current employer usually has no loyalty to you and would fire you at a drop of a hat with no notice if it was necessary. Just build friends in your old company to use as references this offsets a bad reference. The good ole' days of loyalty in companies is for the most part gone.

That is why I went to my new company. The old one made an offer verbally and then a few hours later changed it. Then changed it again and then made a counter offer and then rescinded that. Lucky for me I never call off a new job till I give everything a few days. Companies are just not trustworthy and if getting you cheap or rid of you is in their best interest they will do it. So do what is in you and your families best interest.

It can get rough out there, but it's nothing now. I think that it's always been the same.
The only thing that I disagree with is that ALL personnel decisions are by their very nature EXTREMELY personal, but that's the nature of life, so it's cool. Everyone is individually working in their own best interest and some do it by representing the interests of the organization that employees them, so I see myself as a representative of ME, INC. At the end of the day, it's my job to protect my own and my family's interests.
Think about it: if you're really close with your co-workers and you respect management, then they SHOULD want your happiness and growth more then your sweat, but they've also got families and responsibility too.

Rumblr33

I guess I am loyal to a fault. My current supervisor is doing everything in her power to find me another position but I don't feel like I should wait.
I understand the "courtesy" of the two week notice and I don't want to burn any bridges as my current company is a company that I would be willing to come back and work for. I live in Maine and IT in this state is very slowly progressing. There are like 10 major companies that employ IT professionals and these professionals bounce between companies. So all of you are correct, should have no loyalty to the company but loyalty to my coworkers as they can be used as references and such. I'll wait and see what the new company is offering and I will go from there. Thank you all.

scaredoftests

You will not burn a bridge. Take the personal feelings out of it, trust me.

Repo Man

Depends on your relationship with your boss. I received a 20K raise before mentioning I had an interview. As with most jobs it will depend how much they value you

dave0212

Repo Man wrote: »

Depends on your relationship with your boss. I received a 20K raise before mentioning I had an interview. As with most jobs it will depend how much they value you

completely agree, it is all situation dependent, I have told bosses before but usually only if I have a good relationship with them i.e. We are in the pub socially on a regular basis

The Silent Assassin

As a whole, it depends on your relationship with your organization. If you are in a system where they actually encourage individual progression I do not see a big deal letting your direct manager know that you would need a day off to interview for a job. BUT keep in mind that you are having a business conversation and your manager's first priority should be to protect the company first then handle personal issues such as career advancement so they might not react well to that news.

I have been on many interviews and each time I have told my direct manager about it but that is because my manager is my best friend. We got such a good friendship he let me live with him and his girlfriend for a month when I needed to find a place to move. Sometimes will tell me that he wished I hadn't informed him that I was trying to leave but is OK with me trying to advance.

So, again, be careful who you tell and what you tell.

markulous

Rumblr33 wrote: »

I guess I am loyal to a fault. My current supervisor is doing everything in her power to find me another position but I don't feel like I should wait.
I understand the "courtesy" of the two week notice and I don't want to burn any bridges as my current company is a company that I would be willing to come back and work for. I live in Maine and IT in this state is very slowly progressing. There are like 10 major companies that employ IT professionals and these professionals bounce between companies. So all of you are correct, should have no loyalty to the company but loyalty to my coworkers as they can be used as references and such. I'll wait and see what the new company is offering and I will go from there. Thank you all.

You're not going to burn a bridge. You didn't sign a contract stating that you can't find another job. If your boss is as good as you think he is, he'll understand and give you a good recommendation. If he's going to get butthurt over you leaving and give you a bad reference, then you really shouldn't be doing any favors with him to begin with. Just put in 2 weeks when you have a start date and everything will be fine.

RoyalRaven

NO.

Ideal situation:
- Interview and keep quiet as much as possible, but keep doing your daily work.
- Give two weeks notice if possible.
- Close current job on good terms.
- Move forward.

Your goal should be a clean exit if you have greener pastures. Don't worry about surprising or blindsiding them with your notice when the time comes. This is business. I say two weeks is still fair and acceptable, not more, not less unless circumstances require it. It gives both sides to close loose ends.

If you've done this well, they wont know anything until you've handed them the notice.

Loyalty doesn't amount to too much anyway, I was at a place for roughly 11 years and expected to see something of a farewell send-off or something to say goodbye to the staff, since I did see most employees who left on good terms go through that. Come to find out, most people didn't even know I left until I was long gone.

End result = take care of yourself and do whats in your best interest..others many not care so much.

Levithan

Absolutely NO!

Im sorry but I can't even understand how anyone would think this is a good idea?! Especially when something is never 100% certain!

I would say perhaps you could MAYBE say something to your most closest co-worker friend, but make sure they are on the same page as you, and aren't going to go blabber to the rest of the Office.

BradleyHU

why is this even a question? i mean, this is beyond dumb to do...

some of ya'll are living in a fantasy world, and not the real world. 2 weeks notice is not blindsiding anyone. And the days of loyalty to a company are long over & done. Companies aren't even loyal to their employees.

srabiee

My former employer made it a point to terminate employees on the spot the moment they submitted their 2-week notice. Furthermore, they would preemptively terminate employees who they found out were actively interviewing elsewhere. Yes it's bad form, but this sort of thing happens.

Tread lightly and always cover your ass. That's my advice.

Mooseboost

I would never do it. If something flies south with the interview you and your company decides they don't want someone who is looking to jump ship.. You may be floating dead in the water.

kurosaki00

You can give them a 3 weeks notice if your new job permits.
Is this your first job? It's not normal for someone tell their employers hey I want out, Im looking for something else!
I'm sorry but that is very naive of you.
Once you get a signed offer, proceed to give your notice.

VinnyCisco

They wouldn't tell you if they were interviewing someone to replace you. Just think of it that way. It is all business. Never tell your current employer about interviews. Ever.

BradleyHU

kurosaki00 wrote: »

You can give them a 3 weeks notice if your new job permits.
Is this your first job? It's not normal for someone tell their employers hey I want out, Im looking for something else!
I'm sorry but that is very naive of you.
Once you get a signed offer, proceed to give your notice.

actually, once your paperwork & background/drug checks clear, then give notice...

kurosaki00

BradleyHU wrote: »

actually, once your paperwork & background/drug checks clear, then give notice...

Right off college I missed an opportunity to work with a network hardware vendor because they couldn't figure out how to pay me through the recruiting company.
They were based in Mexico and the local recruiting company couldn't reach terms with them.
This was after I got my bg check in, even had a dinner with the network manager and talked about projects and stuff.

So yeah... when it's on INK, go ahead.

Jasiono

I wouldn't. It's how it works.
Most of the time companies don't even tell their employees that they are getting canned. It's a two way street there.

In all honesty, until you have an offer letter, I wouldn't say anything. Main reason is that the current company could let you go for applying elsewhere, or make the rest of your time with them living hell.

My previous supervisor at the company I worked with previously was very close to me and she urged me to apply elsewhere because she knew I was being screwed over with every opportunity there, and she supported me in applying elsewhere.

I ramble, sorry.

DeezyFF

Only after the company has given you an offer. If your current company wants to keep you they will counter offer, otherwise you move on to bigger and better things.

Personally I have never taken a counter.

Anonymouse

I've told an employer once that I was looking for work. It was because I was moving out of area and I thought it was the best way to explain why I have to take half a day off of work once a week or so. They were gracious that I informed them and my manager gave me a good reference since she knew I was looking for work. If I'm just looking to jump ship to a better job then no I would not tell them until I have my job offer. Would they give you notice that they are interviewing someone to replace you?

renacido

dave330i wrote: »

No. You don't inform your current employer until you have an offer letter.

^^^ What he said. ^^^