Opinions: Think I should tell my current company I am going on interviews?

I am relatively new to the IT field. Got in with an A+ and Net+, but planning to have CCNA soon.

I had gotten a great opportunity doing tech support. The scope of my support duties is very broad. I have gained exposure to a very wide range of technologies, and have gotten very good experience. I actually really like the job, but the only issue is they pay everyone pretty low wages. People with 4 year computer science degrees and 2-3 years at the company are paid roughly what is considered a customer service wage for the area, so I think its time to take my experience and move on.

Anyways, I'm all about transparency, and too honest to fake being sick to go on interviews. Do you guys think it is a bad idea to simply tell the boss I need to miss work for an interview. I would be totally honest and let them basically know, "I really do like it here, I would continue to work here long term if I could, but I want to be able to earn wages that I can raise a family on, and right now I can barely buy food."

I figure on one hand it could be very bad. If they know I'm leaving they will not treat me well. On the other hand it might give them the motivation to offer me a raise or better incentives knowing I'm reluctantly having to seek other opportunities.

Any opinions?

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Comments

iBrokeIT

If you ask them the reason why they are paying everyone low wages you will likely get told something along the lines of "It's just business".

No, you should not tell them you are interviewing with other companies because guess what? "It's just business"

What happens if you don't get the job and they decide to replace you before you secured a new position?

cyberguypr

We touch on this same issue regularly. See http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/111350-should-you-tell-your-current-employer-about-interview-another-company.html.

My comment from that thread also applies here:

"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?"

If you think you deserve a raise go ahead and present your case, but you better have an argument other than "i'm interviewing elsewhere, so gimme a raise if you want me to stay."

E Double U

If you have that type of rapport with your manager then sure. I've only told my previous employer I was looking when they made the announcement that our work was being offshored.

Christian.

JPG wrote: »

I am relatively new to the IT field. Got in with an A+ and Net+, but planning to have CCNA soon.

I had gotten a great opportunity doing tech support. The scope of my support duties is very broad. I have gained exposure to a very wide range of technologies, and have gotten very good experience. I actually really like the job, but the only issue is they pay everyone pretty low wages. People with 4 year computer science degrees and 2-3 years at the company are paid roughly what is considered a customer service wage for the area, so I think its time to take my experience and move on.

Anyways, I'm all about transparency, and too honest to fake being sick to go on interviews. Do you guys think it is a bad idea to simply tell the boss I need to miss work for an interview. I would be totally honest and let them basically know, "I really do like it here, I would continue to work here long term if I could, but I want to be able to earn wages that I can raise a family on, and right now I can barely buy food."

I figure on one hand it could be very bad. If they know I'm leaving they will not treat me well. On the other hand it might give them the motivation to offer me a raise or better incentives knowing I'm reluctantly having to seek other opportunities.

Any opinions?

If the only issue you have in your work is regarding your salary, you should speak up with your supervisor/manager about it. Present a reasonable argument about how you think you are going above and beyond your work duties, how you always meet deadlines, how you are proactive, the good feedback you are getting from your customers, the high amount of tickets you are closing per day, etc. These are some examples, it depends on what you are actually doing well. Be objective on your performance and see if you can make an argument about a substantial raise. Saying you can't raise your family with your current salary is not a good motive, the same goes saying "but Bill does the same work than me and earns more".

If that doesn't work, playing the "I'm looking for another work" card isn't a good option. Even if they offer you a raise, you are already pinned down as someone who wants to leave and that doesn't work well long term. If they can't give you a better salary, then start going to interviews. Don't say anything, this is a business contract, if they can't improve it after some time where you proved yourself, you can go and check better options. If they need to fire you due to budget constraints or any other reason, they are not going to give you a warning or tell you could be getting fired in a future.

techfiend

Do you in an at-will state? If so, then by all means no, they can terminate you as soon as you say it.

I'm kind of in the same situation you are in. I like my job and getting great experience but it just doesn't pay the bills and looking to move on. I've told two colleagues that I'm very open with who are given me a lot of suggestions and encouragement. It's not that they want me to leave but they feel I'm worth so much more than I'm getting paid and they have no control of it.

I've been searching for about 2 months now and my manager found out about it last week due to a dishonest recruiter. I thought I was going to get fired then and there but I wasn't and was later asked what would make me happy. I told him more pay but it hasn't come and since then it's been a rocky work environment between us. Don't do it!

I've been told the only time when it's reasonable to tell your superior you are looking for another position is when you are heavily relied upon by many others. Such as a high level manager, director, cio, etc. This is to give them time to find a replacement, which isn't easy, for when you decide to leave. In lower levels you are easily replaceable.

wtrwlkr

Pretty much what everyone here said. You don't need to lie to your boss, but you don't need to come out and say you're looking around either. Give them a vague reason for missing work. "Personal matters" works really well for this. I can't speak for the company you work for, but some places will overreact at any hint you may drop that you're looking elsewhere, and they'll be looking to replace you as soon as possible. That's why, at least in the US, it's customary to give a2 week notice. It gives your company time to replace you, while you already have an offer from another company.

BradleyHU

smh...why? nothing good can come out of that...never discuss that you're looking for another (external) job with your employer...

srabiee

I have worked for employers in the past that would terminate citing "conflict of interest" even based on rumors of an employee attending job interviews. For example, if someone randomly showed up to work wearing a suit and tie when the dress code is business casual, management would freak out and start asking questions. The smart ones would either take a personal day and keep their mouths shut, or change clothes before returning to work.

Again, keep your mouth shut and always CYA (cover your ass).

emerald_octane

Don't even think about telling anyone anything until you have all three:

An offer letter
A start date
A cleared background check (if applicable)

Too many people get their heads stuck in the vClouds

thinking they have a new job in the bag and start bragging at the current place of employment until something falls through and they either aren't offered the job or the position falls through at the last minute. Make sure you announce with grace in case that req disappears. That letter of resignation can't be retracted (i mean, it can, but most employers will uphold your resignation just to save face).

Danielm7

Everyone here is spot on, there is no reason at all to tell your manager and a hundred reasons not to tell them. Just say you have an appointment, or a personal matter, or family business, you don't have to play sick. You know they aren't going to double your salary if you tell them you're grossly underpaid. If they did that they'd replace you with a person making half at the first opportunity.

Mike7

Story 1
You tell your boss you are going for interviews.
Your boss starts looking for your replacement and find someone who is more qualified and is able to start work next Monday.
You are still going for interviews and have yet to get a job offer.

Story 2
You go for interviews discreetly and did not inform your boss.
Manages to get a job offer and tender your resignation.
At the same time, you recommend a friend you met at TechExams forum as your replacement, and your boss accepts him.
Before you leave, you document everything, hand-over and train your replacement.
You also provide your mobile in case they need your help in future.

TheFORCE

Never tell your employer you are going to leave. They will fire you pretty fast after than. One reason being, employees that leave always before their last day tend to take with them notes and documents they have created while in the company for their new roles. Employers don't want their documents to leave their system.
Plus all the other reasons everyone mentioned above.
Transparency is not something that can be applied to everything. They do not need to know your business outside of their work environment. You on the other hand want to give the information willingly. Not a good idea. It will not help you.

markulous

No way would I do this unless there was some rare crazy circumstance. I'm all for being honest, especially if I have a good rapport with my boss, but even then I wouldn't.

I just talked to my boss yesterday about me resigning and he was a little upset at first, but got over it after a couple minutes then was cool and supportive.

If you're leaving for a much better opportunity, how can they really be upset? You have to do what's best for you (and your family if applicable). In my instance, I'm going from making 22.50 to 30 an hour, way better benefits, more opportunities, with a much more prestigious company. If my boss has a problem with that then he's either an idiot or full of himself. No one is going to pass that up if they care about their career.

scaredoftests

NO. NO. NO. Never tell..NEVER.

JoJoCal19

Pretty much whatever everyone else said, do NOT tell your current employer you want to move on. You can approach this in a way that will satisfy your desire to be honest, yet not letting them know you are looking for a new job. Simply state you have an appointment. Nothing more. If you are asked about the appointment, simply state that medical information is private information. You're not saying you're going to a medical appointment, you're merely stating a fact.

hurricane1091

I can't believe people still need to ask this question.

Would you tell your girlfriend you're dating other women before you actually leave her?

SteveLord

^ I was thinking the same thing!

cyberguypr

/thread

LOL!

E Double U

hurricane1091 wrote: »

Would you tell your girlfriend you're dating other women before you actually leave her?

As a holder of the CISSP I am bound by a code of ethics which demands that I act honestly at all times so yes I would tell my girlfriend about my other women. No way am I telling my wife though.

scaredoftests

E Double U wrote: »

As a holder of the CISSP I am bound by a code of ethics which demands that I act honestly at all times so yes I would tell my girlfriend about my other women. No way am I telling my wife though.

LOL..I am a holder of Security +, so no way I'd tell my husband or boyfriend.

Fulcrum45

hurricane1091 wrote: »

I can't believe people still need to ask this question.

Would you tell your girlfriend you're dating other women before you actually leave her?

Well sure, it would probably expedite the whole messy process. But then again, she would have your things in a box while you're being escorted out of her apartment....then suddenly you realize your new lady friend hasn't texted you back in a few days....doh!!!

markulous

Not a bad analogy but only difference being here is that I can easily live without a girlfriend whereas I can't live without a steady income. So I'd definitely be breaking things off before I starting messing around with someone else. I don't have that luxury with a job so I have to keep things on the downlow a bit until I've got everything confirmed. Or at the very least a start date and signed offer letter.

greg9891

I agree with everyone else......not a Good idea,I know u have Good intentions but your'e not sure what their intentions is for you. Some managers are malicious if u tell them where you are interviewing they could make some calls mess up your interview or new job that your working on. Too big a risk to take. I wouldn't say anything.

SpetsRepair

BradleyHU wrote: »

smh...why? nothing good can come out of that...never discuss that you're looking for another (external) job with your employer...

Only option right here,

a former boss of mine knew for months everyone was looking for another company to work for, he would even tell us any interviews lined up etc.. once it was time to move he would nitpick every little thing, oh so you can't stay a few more weeks, oh so you are just leaving than

Verities

Telling them you are attending interviews for a job elsewhere, will result in them interviewing people to replace you.

NetworkingStudent

Our net admin put his 2 weeks in a few weeks ago.
He burned through his vacation and started taking a lot of time off.
He got a new job.
We couldn't find a replacement, so my boss got prompted and took over the net admin role.

My boss commented that he would like notice if me or one of my co worker went on interviews.
He said he would need time to find a replacement.
He went on to say he knows there are companies that pay more than we do.
I just said ohhhh. No comment.

I really felt uncomfortable.

I don't think discussing interviews with your current company is a good idea.
I think they will replace you before you find a job.

JPG

Hey guys, I really appreciate the advice. At the time I asked I was legitimately pondering it, but now after reading all these responses and looking in hindsight, the answer is obvious. No good reason at all to let them know, and every reason to keep it a secret, despite my typical transparent nature. So thanks a bunch, you guys may have saved my job.

OctalDump

hurricane1091 wrote: »

I can't believe people still need to ask this question.

Would you tell your girlfriend you're dating other women before you actually leave her?

Well, it would only be fair. Give her a chance to lift her game and maybe I won't leave her

It's a risky strategy. The only time where it might play in your favour is if you are really good at your job, not easily replaced, and your employer might offer a better deal. Even then, I think something like 70% of people still end up leaving within 12 months.

I have a feeling that this instance isn't just about the money, and they are feeling like they need to stretch their wings a bit, find greener pastures, run free.