Okay, it’s a question all job seekers wrestle with, but I still have to ask…
I’m unhappy in my current job and have applied for an internal transfer. I haven’t let my supervisor know yet. I have a fine - though somewhat distant - relationship with him; he’s not the reason for my current unhappiness.
I was just invited for a phone interview for the new position. Should I let my supervisor know? Is it worse if I don’t tell him and he learns about it from the department I’m applying to? Help!
Yes, you should tell him.
I vote for letting your boss know. If, as you say, you have a good relationship with him, and he’s not the reason for your unhappiness, he’ll appreciate it. And even if he’ll no longer be your direct supervisor, it may be important to continue on good terms with him.
He’ll find out through HR anyway. He’d rather hear it from you.
All right, the consensus seems to be to tell him. Thanks for the feedback. Wish me luck!
Some companies have policies on this. I’ve dealt with it at two companies.
My old company - current manager was notified if an offer was made. I got a call from the hiring manager of the new job to tell me they were about to make an offer, and if I hadn’t told my existing manager yet, now was the time.
My current company - current manager was notified as soon as I applied for a job. So it was good to mention it up front.
In your case - unless you think there will be penalties, I’d definitely tell the current boss. Especially since you’re looking for job options he can’t really give you. A co-worker of mine did this recently. He didn’t get the job, but his existing manager learned what my friend was looking for, and starting slanting the work assignments to help him fulfill his goals. When another opportunity came up, the manager actually suggested applying to my friend. So if you have a decent relationship with your manager, good things can come from the discussion.
Good luck.
When I’ve been the manager in those cases, I always appreciated the employee letting me know. I could talk to the other manager beforehand and could often help the process along.
My friend’s boss actually pointed out a job he thought my friend would be good at. If you’d like your managers support, or recommendation, let him know!
Just to be a contrary voice, when I applied to a different school in the same district, I didn’t tell my principal until it was a done deal. If he had known I was looking for another position, that would have been the end of any support within the school–I saw that happen. The logic would have been that since I was leaving anyway–if not for this job, then for something–then why waste limited resources or time keeping me happy? Weirdly enough, had I wanted to go into admin I would have had support, because people in admin often want to repay the support they received, and everyone likes to feel like a beloved mentor to an ingenue. But a lateral move? It’s almost never a good idea in education to let that cat out of the bag.
Mind you, all this was happening in March and I told him at the end of March, so it wasn’t like I left him in the lurch: he had March to August to find a replacement. But he still felt like I did, because hiring people is work.