Telling your boss about an interview?

I really don't want to tell my boss I'm getting an interview with another company but I have had other co-workers that left and they told me their new jobs called the boss to verify employment and ask him some questions before they were hired. I don't want it to be a surprise to him either so I guess it would be best to tell him about it, what has been your experiences with this?

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Non-Profit Techie

Um NO! I would never do that. Most places respect that you are working somewhere and would never call the current work place. I would never tell my current employer about job seeking.

networker050184

Is there room for advancement in your current situation? I'd talk to your boss and tell him/her you would like to advance your career and that you are currently looking for a more challenging oppourtunity. If you are a valuable employee they will want to keep you and you may get what you are looking for at your current position. If there is no room or they don't want to advance you then you will need to find a new job. Your boss would probably have more respect for you if you were honest up front rather than a new company calling out of the blue. I know I would if I was your boss.

Cherper

I always take time off for interviews. Usually not a problem. I don't tell my boss why I need the time off.

As for a company calling your current employer, I always stipulate that they cannot contact them until an offer of employment has been made. I have never had a problem with a company going against that. Most will respect that as they understand that if they call your boss for a reference, it could cause problems for you.

itdaddy

rule #1 lie lie lie!

take the interview lie about taking the day off; get your offer and the bargin with your boss
say you have been offered a job and this is what they will pay or if it is a better move just take it

it is a dog eat dog world! you must take care of #1 but definitely leave on a good note if you can possibly control it!

but bargin when yuo have the chips in your favior

but never every tell your boss you have something in the works!

147

I would not tell my boss I was looking for another job- EVER. Any opportunities that you thought you had at that job will dry up when your supervisor thinks you're a short-timer.

On the other hand, I disagree that you should NEVER tell your boss about other job offers. Mark your application with "Do not contact current employer" and explain, honestly, why. This will almost never get you bumped from an interview for a position you're qualified for. Then, during the interview, let the interviewer know that they can contact your current employer ONLY if you are moved into the pool of serious potential candidates.

If you do get into that pool, you're going to need to decide what your relationship with your boss is like. If its good, you should WANT your supervisor to know that the phone call should be coming. (Again- don't say you've been LOOKING, but that you casually came across something potentially better). That 5-minute face-to-face with a good supervisor can mean the difference between a good reference and a fantastic reference.

If, on the other hand, your relationship isn't exactly stellar, I would recommend letting the phone call come in cold. If you give him time to think about it, he'll probably just word your demise much more carefully- surprise him, and the self-preservation instinct should help keep any negative comments in check.

Most places respect that you are working somewhere and would never call the current work place.

Sorry, but I have to disagree. Potential employers want to contact your current employers- always. The only source of honest background information on potential employees comes from previous supervisors. I respect someone's request not to contact the current employer- up to a point. I will never hire someone who absolutely refuses to give me permission to contact them when the decision is about to be made.

borumas

Thanks guys, I will not tell him until after the interview and only if I'm getting the position, he will be off the week of the interview so they won't be able to contact him until after they have interviewed me. Thanks for the input.

Netstudent

Good luck man....I will probably be in the same position soon. I have no intentions of saying anything untill another position is in writing. Then I will probably give a 3 week notice, not a 2. In the IT world I think there is always something going on and if you have been working there for a while, you have learned their system. 2 weeks just isn't enough time to pack up and leave them behind. A lot of this depends on the size of the IT dept. and how dynamic the environment is too. I work in a small dept and we do a lot, so I couldn't see myself saying, "in 2 weeks I'm out" I care about the Co. I work for and I would want to make sure they have an adequate replacement.

IT_Admin

Hope it goes well...

Never tell your boss that you are looking. Try to use any personal/sick days if you can. Also try to schedule interviews after work hours if possible.

D-boy

Cherper wrote:

As for a company calling your current employer, I always stipulate that they cannot contact them until an offer of employment has been made.

I second that!

cacharo

What are some of your thoughts about giving out the number to HR for employment verification if the HR dept is not in the state you work in? For some of you managers out there, do you find out about this?

jbaello

itdaddy wrote:

rule #1 lie lie lie!

take the interview lie about taking the day off; get your offer and the bargin with your boss
say you have been offered a job and this is what they will pay or if it is a better move just take it

it is a dog eat dog world! you must take care of #1 but definitely leave on a good note if you can possibly control it!

but bargin when yuo have the chips in your favior

but never every tell your boss you have something in the works!

I agree with this, sounds sad but this is just the way it is.

sprkymrk

jbaello wrote:

itdaddy wrote:

rule #1 lie lie lie!

take the interview lie about taking the day off; get your offer and the bargin with your boss
say you have been offered a job and this is what they will pay or if it is a better move just take it

it is a dog eat dog world! you must take care of #1 but definitely leave on a good note if you can possibly control it!

but bargin when yuo have the chips in your favior

but never every tell your boss you have something in the works!

I agree with this, sounds sad but this is just the way it is.

If you have vacation or personal days coming you do not have to specify a reason. No reason to lie, just be vague or state that you need a personal day to take care of some business. It's never a good policy to lie.

dynamik

I'm going to partially disagree and say that it depends on your situation. I work for a smaller business (~30 employees), and I treat the owner like a friend. We both know that it's only a matter of time before I go on to bigger and better things. I'll stay as long as I can gain hands-on experience doing things such as implementing Exchange.

However, there will be a time in the near future where I have done all the I can/all that they require, and it will be time for me to go. When that point comes, I intend on telling the owner before I even start looking for another job. It is going to be difficult for them to replace me (I'm not bragging about my IT knowledge, I've been with the business a long time and have numerous other responsibilities), and I don't want to leave them short-handed. I also don't want to burn any bridges. Like I said, it depends on your situation.

Schluep

jbaello wrote:

itdaddy wrote:

rule #1 lie lie lie!

take the interview lie about taking the day off; get your offer and the bargin with your boss
say you have been offered a job and this is what they will pay or if it is a better move just take it

it is a dog eat dog world! you must take care of #1 but definitely leave on a good note if you can possibly control it!

but bargin when yuo have the chips in your favior

but never every tell your boss you have something in the works!

I agree with this, sounds sad but this is just the way it is.

Lying is never the right thing to do, regardless of any benefit you may seem to gain by doing so. I can't tell you the number of people that have lost business deals, contracts, sales, or jobs simply because they were untruthful.

Even if you won't stop for an ethical reason, it will likely come back to bite you. For example, if you lie about why you needed the day off and were offered the job your prospective company would be calling for a reference the day after you lied to your current employer, and you could find yourself losing your current job offer while jeopardizing your current position as well.

As sprkymrk said, you should not have to specify a reason for a vacation/personal day. Most companies do reqire you to be sick or visiting a doctor to use sick time however, so do not attempt to use sick time to do so and you will be fine.

As for telling your current employer that you are looking, every situation is different. I know a company that helped several of their employees find new jobs after working their many years. The employees benefitted by getting a better position with higher pay, and the company benefitted by bringing in new workers at a much lower pay. If you are highly valuable to a company they may be willing to pay you more to keep you there if they know you are looking or have another offer. Otherwise, they could be looking to replace you as soon as they find out you are looking. Not all situations are the same, but you will be the one that needs to feel it out. By nature of you making this thread I can guess you don't want to say anything earlier than you need to so I would take the suggestion of many above and ask that they not contact your present employer until an offer has been made.

TechJunky

I have always put down my current workplace and state that after an interview we can discuss contacting my current employer. If they dont like you in the interview, no sense in causing a riff at your current employer.

Inc

I was working as 1st level helpdesk specialist and for a while we (both, 1st and 2nd level) were fed with opportunity promises (soon TM) to start working hands on with Cisco equipment.

It went on and on for about a year and most of us got fed up with the situation. One guy had already left and second one was getting ready (interviewing and looking around).

I had stated to my boss approximately 6 months in advance that if situation will not change, it will force me to look for a new job. These were hard times right after corporative merger with another company and many elders were taking off also, so no surprise. I was made a very lucrative offer for IBM sysadmin position which was countered by current employer with another one, not so lucrative, but nevertheless better situated than before. A bit saddening was that only my decisive actions triggered changes.

Anyways, I would warn three times (discreetly, without loud words) - no reaction - active job search mode on.

I would allow to call my current employer only after:

1. I had signed contract with new employer
2. I had informed my boss and handed in letter of resignation

Keep in mind that Contract only ensures, you will have this opportunity and doesn't oblige them not to let you go a week later.

Good luck

itdaddy

Schluep

Nice avatar.............man! you have to lie!! just like getting a haircut from a girl who is new to the field of haircutting...when she cuts your hair and does a crappy job, you cannot tell me when she says how do you like it?? you says looks fine or looks great! you freaking lie

I am not a lier per se! I do not like lying but when my boss who is an evil man
keeps asking personal questions against manager regualtions; you are darm right i will lie
it is none of his buisness when i take a day off and what i do on my own freaking time
you have never worked a bad person; I have! you have to to survive! i do not agree.

I use to be like you man! until i just kept getting ran over...when I am boss I will be opened mined but when yuo have a family to feed you have to fight! and somethings keeping the truth on your sleeves is stupid!

We do not live in heaven yet man! even people in the Bible lied to hide certain people from the armies! does that make them less a saint no! just makes them smart!

lie llie lie
it is none o ftheir busienss!

Schluep

itdaddy wrote:

Schluep

Nice avatar.............man! you have to lie!! just like getting a haircut from a girl who is new to the field of haircutting...when she cuts your hair and does a crappy job, you cannot tell me when she says how do you like it?? you says looks fine or looks great! you freaking lie

I am not a lier per se! I do not like lying but when my boss who is an evil man
keeps asking personal questions against manager regualtions; you are darm right i will lie
it is none of his buisness when i take a day off and what i do on my own freaking time
you have never worked a bad person; I have! you have to to survive! i do not agree.

I use to be like you man! until i just kept getting ran over...when I am boss I will be opened mined but when yuo have a family to feed you have to fight! and somethings keeping the truth on your sleeves is stupid!

We do not live in heaven yet man! even people in the Bible lied to hide certain people from the armies! does that make them less a saint no! just makes them smart!

lie llie lie
it is none o ftheir busienss!

Thanks for the compliment to my avatar. I love my Country very much and am proud to display that.

Just because you are honest does not mean you get "ran over". For example, with the haircut you could say "Can please take a little more off on this side and even it out in front." There is no need to lie and live with a haircut that you do not like. Last month I got a haircut while I was out of town and had some time to spare until my next meeting. I had her fix a few things up 3 more times until I was comfortable with it and gave her a nice tip for her effort and the time she spent making it right.

As for the manager, if what he is doing is against company policy then simply don't tell him why you are taking the vacation. If he presses you mention what the policy states and tell him you would prefer to keep it private.

If someone asks you something that is "none of their business" as you mentioned there is nothing wrong with letting them know that this is the case. Instead of lying about your business simply inform them that you do not feel they have any need to know whatever is is someone is asking about.

Personally I didn't bring Scripture into this, but since you did I can certainly comment on it. Feel free to reference Exodus 20:16; Leviticus 6:1-4; Psalms 31:18; Proverbs 12:22; or any of over 70 other passages directly condeming the action. In Acts 5:1-11, two people die for lying. It seems pretty clear to me on the subject. I'm sure a quick google search could turn up a much larger list.

You CAN be honest AND still have a spine at the same time. You also do not have to hold any type of religous beliefs whatsoever to recognized that dishonesty hurts others and hurts yourself and should be avoided.

If lying is smart as you state ENRON would be a top U.S. company and Martha Stewart never would have been jailed and forced to wear an ankle bracelet. She wasn't even convicted of the crimes for which she was originally accused, but for knowingly providing false information under oath about things related to the initial accusations that could not be proven. If lying is smart why have I seen several people fired when they said they were doing one thing and the camera they knew was recording them told a different tale when hundreds of CDs and labels vanished.

To finish up with the original example of lying to a Manager about why you need time off. It is VERY easy to verify where you are by going to the place you said you would be or calling someone who is there. If you have sick time that should only be used when you are sick and you call in saying you have the flu but are spotted later on a golf course you will not only be likely to lose your current position but would have a very negative reference trying to gain future employment. If nothing else even if you aren't caught you are cheating the person of money that is provided you and your family with their way of life, which is simply not right under any justification.

undomiel

I would have to agree with Schluep here as well. Lying is a very bad policy with very dire consequences. I used to believe in taking sick days for interviews but not anymore. It's lying to your employer which is very morally apprehensible. I'm currently looking for a job right now and have no time to take off except sick days, but I will only use those if I'm actually sick. I agree with my wife on this one as she has said many times that if the employer you're applying thinks you are valuable, they will make it work to fit in an interview around your schedule. I've already had a couple of employers do that for me so far, though unfortunately none have worked out yet for my situation.

As for the issue of telling your boss, I would highly recommend not telling your boss that you are interviewing. I know that with my current boss I would be screamed at and then booted out the door with barely any time to collect my stuff. Of course there are exceptions depending upon your relationship with your boss. One of my earlier jobs I could tell my supervisor I was looking for a job and he was cool with it and even was one of my references.

c0d3_w0lf

Schluep wrote:

You CAN be honest AND still have a spine at the same time. You also do not have to hold any type of religous beliefs whatsoever to recognized that dishonesty hurts others and hurts yourself and should be avoided.

Thank you for recognizing that. A lot of people don't seem to. I'm not religious in the least, but honesty is extremely important to me. Lying may seem like it can open a lot of doors for you...but only telling the truth will keep them from being slammed in your face :P.

Claymoore

It all depends on your relationship with your boss...

I let my current manager know when I looking for a new job last year because we have a personal friendship after working together for a few years and I wanted to list him as a technical reference. He was fine with it because I was honest and spoke to him first. If you have the type of boss who will flip out and threaten to fire you if he hears that you are considering other offers, then that type of managerial mentality is another reason to find a better job.

If/when you approach your manager, be honest about your reasons for seeking a new job. My manager knows that I continue to work here for 4 reasons:

I like the people for whom I work
I like the people with whom I work
The salary is fair
The projects are interesting

If something changes that negatively affects one of those reasons, it's time for me to start looking elsewhere.

Networkhead

Never, I repeat, never tell your employer that you're looking for a job. It's your business, you don't have to tell it to anyone. More trouble than it's worth.

brad-

I would say that everyone situation is different. Go with your gut.

The last couple of jobs I've had, I let them know when I was looking, when I was interviewing, and of course when I was leaving and what it would take for me to stay.

I was honest with them, let them know why I was leaving or unhappy, what should be done to fix it, and gave plenty of notice to train my replacement...all while still working as hard as I could.

That said, I could go back to any place I have worked in the past and would have zero problems.

Its kind of like coaching football. You may start out as a special teams coach or DB coach or whatever, but everyone's goal is to be the head coach. Other head coaches know what the game is...and they dont try to hold their coaches down (that I know of)....they let them develop to the max professionally. Same thing in the tech world....you start low, and strive to move up...when you can move up, they know why you're moving up.

I was lucky and worked with some really great people that were like me and understand. Most companies are probably not like that though, and you may feel the need to keep it from them. That's your business...and they have no need or right to know.

Its a gut call. No hard and fast rules here IMHO.

protocol167

Sick time and vacation time is available so that you can use it no matter what its for. If you don't use it for your personal gain such as an interview then you must be the son of jesus who is very straight and narrow and have never ever had or made even one little mistake or sin in his whole entire life.

Telling the boss, its a no no.