When should I turn in my 2 weeks notice?

[sdoll]

not really sure this is budget related. But I need help. I was offered a new job. It is conditional on a background and drug test. I am 100% certain I will have no issues. I have formerly cleared a federal back ground check and have never touched a drug. If I give my notice today I would get a week off between my jobs which for a working mom sounds like a dream come true. I would certainly give 2 weeks but kind of want to give notice today even though I don’t have the results back yet. Which again not worried about. So please let me know should I wait or give it today. I really want that week off in between!

 

[davper]

Do you have a formal offer letter yet? Don't do anything until you have it in hand.

After that, if you are sure you will pass the background check, give notice. Just remember, you will be a week without income.

 

[afan]

I agree with the pp. I've read of people giving notice when they had a verbal offer only to have it rescinded for whatever reason, decided not to hire someone etc.

 

[sdoll]

Do you have a formal offer letter yet? Don't do anything until you have it in hand.

After that, if you are sure you will pass the background check, give notice. Just remember, you will be a week without income.

Yes I have a signed offer, and I have enough vacation time to cover the missed week. I just dream of cleaning my house! I sure sound pathetic!

 

[mommy2twingles]

One thing to consider is will your current job let you work for the 2 weeks once you give notice or will they ask you to leave right away? I know at our company if someone is leaving for another job in a similar field you are not working for those full 2 weeks

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Never, ever put in your notice till you have the clear to hire. Even if you have a perfect background, accidents happen that can delay your start date until the misunderstanding gets resolved. *I am a former recruiter and saw this happen many times.

 

[kniquy]

I would not give my notice until you had a letter of acceptance in hand from the new job. You have no way of knowing if they happen to have another more qualified candidate show up which puts you out of the running. True fact to what a PP mentioned -- depending on what type of job you do you could be asked to leave immediately. Also make sure 2 weeks is customary for your position. i know certain positions may expect a months notice -- it all really depends on your position and profession.

 

[sdoll]

I should say this is a high level HR position (funny that I am asking this question). I won’t be asked to leave if anything I will be asked to stay a bit longer to help with hiring my replacement. I have a signed offer. I am not worried about any of the conditional items that are pending. O work for some amazing people and the guilt I am feeling is tough. Yes everyone is replaceable but respect is a weird thing. My respect for them makes me want to tell them now so we can work though the transition together. I keep going back and forth on when I want/should tell them

 

[SharonZ]

Not until you have that formal offer letter in hand.

 

[SharonZ]

I realize that you have the offer letter, but I would definitely wait for the drug/background check to clear. Two weeks is pretty standard, but you may have to forego that week off in between.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

One thing to consider is will your current job let you work for the 2 weeks once you give notice or will they ask you to leave right away? I know at our company if someone is leaving for another job in a similar field you are not working for those full 2 weeks

According to my husband this happens from time to time at his company for salaried folks.

But the kicker is while you aren't at work you're still getting paid for that time. A lot of that is unless you're vital for the project you were working on OR you just got off a project (their district builds and retrofits powerplants) and you've got nothing going on they don't see much of a point making someone do fluff stuff just to make it that full 2 weeks.

 

[afan]

O work for some amazing people and the guilt I am feeling is tough. Yes everyone is replaceable but respect is a weird thing. My respect for them makes me want to tell them now so we can work though the transition together. I keep going back and forth on when I want/should tell them

I get this but at the same time, it's not your problem. You found something better for you and you can't feel guilty for leaving them behind. If it was so great or the other job wasn't better, you'd be staying where you are.

This will sound awful, but being I am a female, this whole guilt thing is something a lot of women feel and I get it, you make friends at work, you don't want to disappoint them or leave them with work to do. However, these same people would do the same thing and may or may not feel guilt. You need to do what's best for you and not worry about what you're leaving behind.

 

[MomToOne]

Last time I switched jobs I gave notice after I had cleared the background check and drug screen and I still ended up having an unplanned week off because the new company didn't get their act together in time! That wasn't an issue for me - I wanted some time off - but they had been pressuring me to start right away so I had planned to jump right from one job to the other. So when they then called and said "oops - sorry. We aren't ready for you yet!" it was a bit of a shock. The delay was only a week, and I really enjoyed that week off, but I can see where it could end up stretching out even longer if something unexpected happened. So it's probably best to wait to give notice until you have a firmly established start date at the new place.

Back during the .com bubble burst, I knew folks who had an offer letter in hand, had accepted and were due to start in a few days, but then the company called up and basically said "we take it back - the offer is rescinded"! That's less likely to happen these days, but you still never know...That taught me to cover my you-know-what as best I can and not show my hand to my current employer any earlier than necessary. (My personal horror story was being laid off along with my entire division - from the VP I reported directly to all the way down - just a month after I started. Who the heck is hiring people one month, then laying off half the company the next month?! Ah, good times....NOT)

 

[kymom99]

Well looking back I was obviously nuts, but the one time I changed jobs I actually resigned from my contract 2 weeks before my new district was able to offer me a contract. That's how bad I wanted out of the old place. Over the course of a few years there were I think 11 teachers from one school who all moved to the same school in another district. The superintendent at the old district was not amused. However, the fact that he later did time in prison for embezzlement tells you how sick that district was. Someone who could steal from poor kids is not good to work for.

 

[LovesTimone]

Wait till you have the offer in hand, signed on the dotted line. Then give notice...

I have noticed lately that most companies will just pay you the 2 weeks and let go ahead and go. Not unless there in no-one that can do your job.

 

[_19disnA]

^^ I agree. Companies don't want the hassle of dealing with a former employe who might be leaving on terms not as good as the OP's, so they rather not have the person around. The OP should wait for the new company to extend an official offer. A letter saying they INTEND to hire you if you pass this test or whatever isn't a guarantee.

 

[Anthony1971]

As I hard as it might be I would wait... You being in HR should already know unless you have wording in your letter otherwise the letter can rescinded or modified for dates salary or otherwise. If you are in an at will state (most are) they can even change your salary on Day one... Unlikely but this can happen. The law for an at will state is you can be let go or leave at any time for any reason so you do not have to give notice period but you should never leave a company on bad terms. You can always offer to work after hours if needed at your old company to help out a new person via email, phone or in person.

 

[_19disnA]

Being in HR I assume the OP already knows the applicable policies where they currently work. While not a bad idea to leave the old company on good terms, I don't think you need to go out of your way to help your former employer. Part of the reason you are probably leaving is to have better opportunities elsewhere.

 

[sdoll]

Update! I did end up turning my notice in before I had my background and drug test back for a number of reasons. Some were selfish but some truly had to do with respect for my current employer. I have so much respect for them and we were dealing with a few projects that i wanted to be able to give them enough of a heads up on. I am happy to say that I had the official word that everything was ok within 3 days. I truly had nothing to worry about. I had intended to have tomorrow be last day but am working on Monday to wrap up one more payroll. I am so excited for my next adventure but can honestly say this is the first job i have left and am actually sad.

 

[brockash]

I should say this is a high level HR position (funny that I am asking this question). I won’t be asked to leave if anything I will be asked to stay a bit longer to help with hiring my replacement. I have a signed offer. I am not worried about any of the conditional items that are pending. O work for some amazing people and the guilt I am feeling is tough. Yes everyone is replaceable but respect is a weird thing. My respect for them makes me want to tell them now so we can work though the transition together. I keep going back and forth on when I want/should tell them

If it were me and I felt comfortable with it, I'd tell them now. We're military and have left a lot of jobs and I always tell them as soon as I know... I feel pretty confident that if my situation had changed I could have stayed with no problems...now I'm not in the business field or anything; it's all been human services and school districts, so I know that's a lot different than a high competitive marketing field etc.