Giving two weeks Notice when You find another Job

[Dis4]

1) Never tell your company that you are looking for a job. It just really doesn't make a lot of sense, I don't see what the benefits of that are.

2) I don't believe in loyalty to an employer because that typically is only a one way street. Companies very rarely have loyalty to an employee so I have the same mentality.

3) 2 weeks notice is a consideration that an employee can give the company, it certainly isn't required, don't care what the contract says. What is a company going to do if you just up and quit? Not much.

4) If you have vacation time and you're worried about not getting paid for it, you can always just take the time before you quit.

5) References: Have your boss type out a recommendation and tell him you're going to use it for business school. Then just save it for a rainy day.

 

[Becky2005]

Personally, I would never jeopardize my job by letting my employer know I was looking elsewhere. In the above situation, I was looking in a different industry. They probably could have found out that I was looking by searching resumes on CareerBuilder, I did run the risk. But quite frankly, I was so fed up that I didn't care at that point.

I agree. It will only take the company seconds to say "you are no longer working here" if they remotely know you are looking.

That actually happened at a small company I was at that basically promised me the moon while I was working part-time and going to school, as soon as I got my degree..I offered them a chance to have me go full-time or I was going to look for full-time work. They so nicely gave ME a 2week notice of work even though I didn't have another job lined up at all. So much for the good work I did and the couldn't wait to have me working full-time rhetoric (but they are out of business now so I suppose it worked out in the end). That was back when I was in my 20's and I learned back then, you keep your mouth shut when looking for another job. Unless, it's something like retail where 90% of the people are working there as their 2nd job already.

 

[chexie]

I didn't tell my last employer that I was looking for a new job, i also didn't look for a new employer when i was working during business hours. I did it during my off time, when i did find a new job i did give my employer a two weeks notice in paper.

 

[Swank]

Just to clarify. For most jobs you are not legally required to give notice. I recommend that you do however, and 2 weeks is the standard. Never, ever burn bridges, even if you are unhappy or angry, just be professional and move on with your career. If you are nasty it may bite you in the behind in the future.

 

[shortbun]

Two weeks notice goes in as soon as another job is secured. Never before.

 

[disneychrista]

Why would you let your employeer know you are going to leave? There is no requirement that you give them ANY notice.

 

[LovableGluttons]

My employer requires a thirty day notice or you lose your PTO and are not open for rehire. So people wanting to leave just go off il on FMLA after burning PTO on vacations.

N,o I don't make the rules and can't make this stuff up.

Sheesh!

 

[Dis4]

My employer requires a thirty day notice or you lose your PTO and are not open for rehire. So people wanting to leave just go off il on FMLA after burning PTO on vacations.

N,o I don't make the rules and can't make this stuff up.

Sheesh!

So use your PTO first and then quit without notice.

 

[Tiggeroo]

Unfortunately I have found even giving notice can burn you. You give notice, the employer fires you on the spot. You have told your new employer you can't start for two weeks. Your new job is on a different pay schedule and it takes a few weeks to get the first paycheck. You can go a long time without a check. Employers should respect an employee who is courteous enough to give notice and works hard until the end. I was not always this bitter about this. But I have seen long term loyal employees treated badly by their employers. You should have a sense of how your employer is and know whether the culture encourages you treating them generously or whether you are likely to get hurt doing this. Ultimately you need to place yourself and family first. I wish it wasn't this way.

 

[lovesmurfs]

how do you deal with telling the companies you are interviewing with where you work? Can you disclose where you work and know they won't contact that employer? DH was out of work and took a job with a huge pay cut. He needs to look for work closer to his pay rate. He will give fair notice with his current employer. And it's possible that they will offer him a raise closer to his normal rate and he would stay. But he doesn't know how to word his resume so that companies know he is employed in a good position of some responsibility without his current employer knowing he is looking. If he were to disclose the type of work he is doing now it is very specific and the companies he is sending his resume to could probably guess where he is working. Right now the resume says he is working in a position of his field of considerable responsibility and that the info would only be disclosed to very serious enquirers. Even that doesn't really work because he would be uncomfortable giving his present employer unless he knew he had a job that he planned on accepting.

I would definitely include the current position on the resume (with 2009-present as the time period, or whatever year he started) and not hide it. He may be losing potential interviews because of the cloak and dagger stuff.

His cover letter should address that he is confidentially looking for a position with more opportunity for growth. I've never had a potential employer call my current employer until after the job offer.

Best wishes.

 

[bumbershoot]

Tiggeroo, although mistakes can happen, he's got to get his employer's info onto his resume. The company he's applying for can know where he's working, that's not a problem. He just has to make sure that they don't contact his employer. Especially since it's a shorter term job than the previous ones, they can contact the older employers to get info about him.

 

[Tiggeroo]

Thanks for the help. I am the one who sends this stuff out. I was worried about putting the current employer in. He may not find another job in the pay range he wants or it could take quite awhile. During that time the pay at his new job may go up a bit and make him decide to stay. It is a stable, pleasant job but it is going to require a move and the lower pay is going to make that tough. It may be that after a trial period he will receive a raise.
This position is very good in terms of responsibility and demonstrating knowledge in his field and will look very good on a resume, definitely better then it possibly looking like he's not working. I wanted to list it but was afraid they would call his employer and then he would be back to no job, which is very scary. It actually makes me nervous about sending his resume out when we see postings that look very good. So I should put the info in the resume, adding a cover letter asking potential employers to keep that information confidential and to not contact this employer? I can trust them to do that?

 

[mblaesing]

I just started a new job about 6 months ago. The companies are almost identical, so I didn't want to jeopardize my then current job for a chance at another one. I put in my cover letter something like I would appreciate discretion since I work for XYZ Company. They did not contact my employer until I was considered one of 2 choices and at that point they told me they were going to contact them so that I could tell my current employer first.

 

[prncess674]

Thanks for the help. I am the one who sends this stuff out. I was worried about putting the current employer in.

Is your DH in a professional or vocational field? I have never heard of a professional job contacting a current employer, especially when they haven't extended an offer. Maybe in some vocational jobs when they are trying to verify specific skills and certifications, but just to check current employment prior to hiring is practically unheard of in my experience.

My other question is why are you writing DH's resume. DH needs to have another friend in his profession review the resume for industry specific accuracy. I would google resumes in his career choice and verify that it is living up to the expectations of the industry. I don't work in HR but have ripped some of my friend's resume to shreds. Your resume is your first introduction and it better be top notch. Also if he is applying to a large corporation online posting he better have all the buzz words listed on the posting or you will never make it past the HR drone. My resume has all the cheezy buzz words which finally get me to the "right" people who can really read my resume for qualifications.

The OP also seem to allude to the fact that if "current company" may increase the pay if it becomes a competive bid situation if "competitor compmany" makes an offer. I can guarantee that if "competitor" wants DH then they won't risk his current position by calling.

 

[Tiggeroo]

Is your DH in a professional or vocational field? I have never heard of a professional job contacting a current employer, especially when they haven't extended an offer. Maybe in some vocational jobs when they are trying to verify specific skills and certifications, but just to check current employment prior to hiring is practically unheard of in my experience.

My other question is why are you writing DH's resume. DH needs to have another friend in his profession review the resume for industry specific accuracy. I would google resumes in his career choice and verify that it is living up to the expectations of the industry. I don't work in HR but have ripped some of my friend's resume to shreds. Your resume is your first introduction and it better be top notch. Also if he is applying to a large corporation online posting he better have all the buzz words listed on the posting or you will never make it past the HR drone. My resume has all the cheezy buzz words which finally get me to the "right" people who can really read my resume for qualifications.

The OP also seem to allude to the fact that if "current company" may increase the pay if it becomes a competive bid situation if "competitor compmany" makes an offer. I can guarantee that if "competitor" wants DH then they won't risk his current position by calling.

DH is a trade, highly skilled. They definitely don't need the current employer to show his skills. He has that in all of the previous references. What the current employer shows is that he is working in the field and in a more advanced position. I believe strongly that you look more attractive to an employer when you are employed. I wrote the resume because I write a good deal in my field. We had our own business in his field for many years and I am fairly well versed in it. However, I am not a resume writer and I think you are right. I should seek out a professional who is familiar with his field, if that is possible. I did google his trade resumes and also followed a format from a trade website. But I don't think it really pops. The competition is tough and he needs to get noticed. He also needs to brush up on his interview skills because he often gets one or two interviews and then it stalls.
In his field it is the worst time of the year to be looking for work. And it is possible that in the spring when he hits review time the current positions pay will be a bit closer to his normal range. I hope so because in all other ways it is a great job. We just can't afford to financially start all over again at such a low pay if there are other possibilities.

 

[prncess674]

DH is a trade, highly skilled. They definitely don't need the current employer to show his skills. He has that in all of the previous references. What the current employer shows is that he is working in the field and in a more advanced position. I believe strongly that you look more attractive to an employer when you are employed. I wrote the resume because I write a good deal in my field. We had our own business in his field for many years and I am fairly well versed in it. However, I am not a resume writer and I think you are right. I should seek out a professional who is familiar with his field, if that is possible. I did google his trade resumes and also followed a format from a trade website. But I don't think it really pops. The competition is tough and he needs to get noticed. He also needs to brush up on his interview skills because he often gets one or two interviews and then it stalls.

If he is getting interviews and not getting job offers then his presentation skills are sinking the ship! He needs to work on this. It doesn't have to be from a trade specific person.

First make sure his "look" is on point, meaning no visible body art or piercing. In good times they may not matter, but in bad it can mean the deciding factor. Also how you dress matters. No cigs in the pocket and no clothes that smell like smoke. Smokers are more expensive to insure and smokers have the rep of taking more smoke breaks. I know I would never hire someone who even has a whif of smoke on them simply because I know they will always be sneaking away for a smoke break.


Presenting yourself is half the battle. Give his resume to friends and have them mock interview him about criteria listed on his resume. He should use this time to explain the complex terms on his resume. This shows knowledge on topics.

In his field it is the worst time of the year to be looking for work.

If it is the worst time then you are in competition with others who are unemployed then it is critical that your DH show that he is employed by a competitor.

And it is possible that in the spring when he hits review time the current positions pay will be a bit closer to his normal range.

don't ever expect a current employer to bring you up to market just out of the good graces of their heart. If you are being underpaid for your years and skills then you need to prove that somone else is willing to pay X rate, otherwise they will just give you the screws.

I hope so because in all other ways it is a great job. We just can't afford to financially start all over again at such a low pay if there are other possibilities.

Employers are only looking out for themselves. You should be concerned about you and only you. If they really valued you, then they would pay you what your current market determines. I would tell your DH to think hard if current employer matches any offers from new companies. If you stick around come the next merit increase period he will be seen as somoene who already "got their due" and will get some of the worst raises in coming years even if a top performer.