Well, on Friday I quit my job without notice. What do I tell prospective employers? What would you tell them? The job was fast food management, and I may go into it again, if I can find one that hires the kind of person that quits without notice. It was due to a family emergency, but I’m sure no prospective employer wants to hear that, and wouldn’t believe it anyway, since I wouldn’t.
Any suggestions? What would YOU say?
Thanks,
hh
I’m trying to think how it would even come up. All I can think of it “can you start right away?” I wouldn’t be concerned if you answer yes; it’s good news for me. I’ve never asked a candidate if they gave notice when leaving their previous jobs.
Giving notice is a courtesy, not an obligation.
I did it a couple months ago, and have not found it to hinder me. I found another, better job very quickly. It did come up during the couple interviews I did have, and I said that there was a personal conflict, and I felt that it would be best for me and for the business for me to leave the company. That seemed to be satisfactory to interviewers.
The question of why you left might come up. I doubt the question of whether you gave notice would, and if the answer to 1 was “it was a family emergency,” that would seem to answer 2 anyway.
I’ve always been under the impression that fast food management was kind of a meatgrinder life and employers were lucky to get people willing to do it period. I think you are vastly over estimating how picky they will be re reasons for leaving.
I have occasionally seen on job applications a question along the lines of “have you ever left a job without giving notice, and if so, why?” so it does come up, but it’s not common.
I would think “family emergency” would be a reasonable explanation, particularly if the emergency is one not likely to be repeated in the foreseeable future.
I would think the bigger risk would be if they want a reference from the previous employer.
Depends on how amicable the separation was, doesn’t it?
Most of the time, when a prospective employer calls one of your previous employers, the person on the phone will simply verify your dates of employment and title.
There’s good news and bad news; good news first.
Just my WAG, but I don’t think it’ll work against you much. What probably *will work against you is that in this economy the hiring managers have their pick of applicants. They kinda have to scrape the bottom of the barrel when there are lots of good jobs to go around.
- Anyone else really sick of that phrase?
The whole point of giving two weeks notice is a courtesy to offset those jobs which give two weeks severance pay.
If your job does not pay severance, then they aren’t even entitled to a notice.
Of course no one wants to hear that.
When I was a manager I would prefer “walking” (the term we used) people that quit as soon as they gave notice.
Two weeks really isn’t time to hire and train anyone and the person working just slacks off and is running out the clock. So nothing is really gained.
Just be honest and say “I had to quit my job because I had a family emergency and I couldn’t get time off, so I quit that day and went to my father’s funeral.”
No one is gonna fault you for something along those lines
So sick of that phrase - just reading it makes me want to poke my eyes out!