When to give notice?

So I had a job interview yesterday, and it was a grand slam. I couldn't believe it when I got the job offer later that evening, for exactly the amount I asked for, plus a signing bonus, which I didn't.

Anyway, I told them I'd prefer to start January 2nd, due to time I have blocked off for vacation and travel this year, and not to leave my current employer with no coverage when we have several other employees out for vacation the month of December. I was planning on giving my notice the week after Thanksgiving, with my last day being in the middle of December.

As I'm thinking it over though, I am wondering if I should give it sooner rather than later. I wouldn't want it to be misconstrued that I'm trying to gather customer information - I'd never do such a thing, and this company, while it offer similar services, goes after a much different customer base.

Also, how much information do you give about your new employer when giving notice? My inclination is to not offer anything that isn't asked.

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m3zilla

I usually give my notice once I've decided to accept the other offer. I divulge any information about the new company unless pressed for.

blargoe

If you've already accepted the offer, I wouldn't wait too long to give notice. Your work habits and demeanor will change whether you realize it or not. You're a short timer. People will notice something has changed.

I wouldn't offer too much information about the new company if you aren't comfortable with telling, but I can't offer advice on how to handle prying questions because I've never needed to keep mine private before.

panik

I think that you should give notice as soon as your have an offer in writing from your new employer.
You don't have to give any detail about where you are going to your old employer.

If you are going to a direct competitor they might want to let you go straight away, so that you can't take any customer information with you. They should pay out your notice period in this case, depends on the company though.

cyberguypr

As others have said, I would present my resignation the moment I sign an offer letter. Remember that it's not about them, it's about you and what you feel comfortable with. If you want to keep your new employer private, politely inform them of this if anyone asks. Also, be prepared to be let go right then and there. Some places don't react well to these kind of things. Others will throw a party for you.

Best of luck in your new endeavor.

pinkydapimp

cyberguypr wrote: »

As others have said, I would present my resignation the moment I sign an offer letter. Remember that it's not about them, it's about you and what you feel comfortable with. If you want to keep your new employer private, politely inform them of this if anyone asks. Also, be prepared to be let go right then and there. Some places don't react well to these kind of things. Others will throw a party for you.

Best of luck in your new endeavor.

agreed. Like Cyber said, keep in mind while you are putting in two weeks notice, some will walk you out that day instead of having you there for that two weeks. All depends on the policy at HR. So definitely get all of your ducks in order prior to giving your notice.

cruwl

I was lucky my last employer let me work my last 2 weeks, one of my best friends who also worked for the same company was let go an hour after her gave his 2 weeks. and was not paid for that 2 weeks. So take into account if you could get by with out pay for 2 weeks or more depending on how long you give notice for.

bermovick

^ Is exactly what I was going to say. I accepted an offer letter about 2 weeks ago to start a new job about a bit over a week from now (roughly 4 weeks in advance). I turned in my 2 week notice on Sunday and they let me go. I already had a week vacation approved which they honored, but I'm still out a weeks' pay.

Nemowolf

I think this entirely depends on your relationship with your manager and the employer...

I was in very good standing with my previous manager and the morning after i sent the signed offer letter accepting my new position, I had a private meeting with my manager to inform her that i would be submitting a 2 week notice at the end of the week. She had time to speak with upper management and informally make a counter offer which i declined. Had i not had that good relationship, I would have gone directly to HR with my notice and asked them to do the formalities so as to not interfere with my getting work done in the interim. Just depends though.

Ilovetacos

Thanks for the advice so far, guys. Much appreciated.

One thing I did neglect to mention - final approval by the new employer is pending a backgroun and reference check. I am currently submitting all the info to them. I don't have anything that should be an issue, but should I still wait until I get the final "okay" before submitting notice?

lsud00d

Ilovetacos wrote: »

should I still wait until I get the final "okay" before submitting notice?

yes^∞

log32

OF COURSE, never mention ANYTHING until you have everything signed and you get the OK to go.
you do NOT want to end up jobless and screwed from both directions.

lantech

I agree on not saying anything until you've got final approval. I made that mistake once and won't ever do it again.

Always wait for final approval before you give your notice.

atorven

That sucks that they can just kick you out there and then, in the US don't you guys have notice periods that you have to honour? Over here they would expect you to work your notice or put you on gardening leave. If you knew that you employer was in the habit releasing people on the day when they give notice what's stopping you from telling them on let's say a Friday that your not coming back and walking into your new job on the following Monday?

pinkydapimp

atorven wrote: »

That sucks that they can just kick you out there and then, in the US don't you guys have notice periods that you have to honour? Over here they would expect you to work your notice or put you on gardening leave. If you knew that you employer was in the habit releasing people on the day when they give notice what's stopping you from telling them on let's say a Friday that your not coming back and walking into your new job on the following Monday?

Nothing but at the same time, typically, when someone is in their two weeks, are they really productive? Many times that person may be gathering contacts, talking to fellow employees about their new opportunities, transferring email. Things that a company may not want. So in many companies it is corporate policy to walk you to the door right there. They have to pay out your vacation days anyway. Might as well not risk you stealing internal secrets or hurting productivity.

Now i think most companies dont take this route. But either way, the expectation is that you will give two weeks notice. Anything less and you risk burning that bridge which is never a good thing.

apr911

Who's to say you have to give 2 weeks notice? When did this become the so much the norm that it is all anyone considers anymore? There is no rule, written or unwritten, that requires you to give 2 weeks notice. Sure there are plenty of unwritten rules (and many companies have written ones) specifying 2-weeks should be your MINIMUM notice but by no means is it the be-all-end-all of notices. Even the unwritten rules specify its a courtesy requirement and if the company doesnt have a policy, there is nothing wrong with giving no-notice (assuming you are willing to take the hit to your reputation, ruin likely any chance of getting a referral or rehire and leave the company caught off-guard and in a potential staffing pinch like that)

You know you are starting the new job in January. As long as everything is signed and confirmed that you are starting and have the job (dont want to give notice and then have the job fall through), there is nothing wrong with giving notice now. It may be 6 weeks (or 4 since you stated you wanted to leave mid-December) out but generally, the more notice you can give the better.

This does vary company-to-company so you need to evaluate how it might play out based on what you've witnessed play out with other people who have left the company.

If the company keeps the person around until their last specified day, then definitely give as much notice as you can.
If the company walks the person out the day they give notice, then you need to evaluate your own situation a bit.

I have yet to work for a company that walked me out on the day I gave notice and not paid me up to the day I specified as my last day (including any unpaid ETO). Foregoing questions of whether this is actually an effective security measure (seriously how many people give notice without considering it weeks or even months beforehand during which time they are a security leak), if the company is that security conscience, then they've probably already written off the expense of paying you through those weeks as a cost of doing business even though you didnt actually work them. That being said, if the company doesnt pay you for that time, are you still in a comfortable position to holdover until your next job picks up and you get your first paycheck from them? If you're not, then maybe you want to hold off giving your notice just a bit.

Just some thoughts.

paul78

atorven wrote: »

That sucks that they can just kick you out there and then, in the US don't you guys have notice periods that you have to honour?

Labour law varies among countries and even in the United States, there is some nuances between different states. For the most part, most states in the US have labour laws which are based on employment at-will, although there are laws which protect workers. It sounds like you live in a country where the labour laws strongly favour workers (I assume UK, France, Singapore, et al). Personally, I feel that those laws tend to inhibit employers when hiring. I would imagine that for most workers, it's a lot harder to get a break because employers will be more cautious. (probably why in France, there was an attempt to change that a few years ago).

As for being released immediately after giving notice, in the US, that likely varies based on locality, industry, company policy, and role of the individual. Certain roles where I expect immediate release, for example, would be in sales. In the US, as long as the company applies the same standard and doesn't discriminate, releasing someone after notice may be the norm for some companies. But in most states, such as California, there are laws about how accrued vacation is handled and must be paid.

@ilovetacos - good luck on your new job. I suggest that you follow the conventional norm and provide 2 weeks notice. But just be aware that if you choose not to share the identity of your new employer, you may be released. For my employer, that is standard policy.

BigMevy

Some interesting points here, particularly the one about if you don't say who it is you might be released right away. I've had managers (not IT, but upper level business management) who had stated they'd rather the person leave that day and just pay out the 2 weeks notice time then risk any type of information stealing/industrial espionage sort of thing. This never really made much sense to me personally, as if one were planning on doing that they would likely get all that info before announcing they were quitting. But hey, some managers have their way of doing things.

I certainly wouldn't put in your notice till you're solid with a signed offer letter. I had one colleague who thought he had a new gig lined up, he didn't put in his notice but he did tell people he was getting ready to leave. The new offer dried up and he ended up sticking around for another year. In that year he basically got treated like a contractor, since he'd advertised his intentions.

Personally, I'd give a little more notice then two weeks if I had a solid offer in place if I could. It gives time for them to potentially get someone hired to replace you before you leave, and be able to do some knowledge transfer activities. But then I wouldn't be too concerned about getting walked out that day, I generally have a lot of vacation time banked. That's just SOP for me.

Hypntick

At the last two positions I left I gave 2 weeks notice. The first kept me around for 3 days until the guy over my boss came back from vacation, he wanted me gone at the end of the day. This last position, I gave 2 weeks, asked if business needs did not require it that I did 1.5 weeks instead. They said 1.5 would be fine, I finished my projects, handed off what work needed to be handed off, had a good exit interview, and left on good terms.

My advice would be to wait until everything comes back from your checks okay, then lay it on them.