I hate my job. Let me be clear- I hate my job. It is a gig. It always has been, since day one. What I do isn’t very important for this conversation, but for the very curious, I’m basically a project manager. The reasons I hate my job are the standard ones- sucky boss, excessive unpaid overtime, it isn’t in the field I wish to be in, etc etc.
So I’m applying to other jobs. Yay! And I am even getting interviews! Yay! But…
In order to go on said interviews, I need time off. The “doctor’s appointment” excuse will only go so far. Eventually, I’ll need to cough it up. Eventually being, oh, like within the next week or so.
Now my boss is the type that saying, “I’m going on interviews” will make her lose it. Let’s just say I can’t say that unless I also give notice at the same time. BUT…
I don’t wanna give 2 weeks or 1 month notice and then have interviews not pan out.
So…When is the right time to give this notice? Is there a “critical mass” of interviews? The one I went on yesterday has promised me second interviews for 2 different positions of my choosing. I am applying to more jobs, and hopefully will have a few more interviews in the next few weeks.
When is it the right time to make that giving notice gamble? I don’t wanna be stuck w/o a job or insurance, but at some point in the not too distant future I won’t be able to lie anymore. Plus the lying leaves a bad taste in my mouth anyway.
I’d advise you not to give notice until you actually have a job offer in hand.
I’d also advise you to investigate your health benefits to see how far they cover. Especially because of your pregnancy. Most insurance plans continue to cover you through the end of the month, but some only cover to the end of the pay period. This is important because most new employers begin your health insurance coverage on the first day of the month following your first day on the job. (If you receive benefits via your spouse, if you have one, then this point is moot).
If and when you run out of excuses, then go ahead and tell the truth about interviewing. Can your boss really make your life more difficult? If the honest answer is yes, then you can go ahead and give notice at that point and just accept that you may be unemployed for awhile.
Why give notice when you don’t have a job? If you quit a job, you are (usually) ineligible for Unemployment Benefits. If you are fired without cause, in this case because you’re looking for work elsewhere, you should be eligible for benefits. Obviously tensions will run high in an office where your situation is known - maybe bad enough that you would then quit. But it seems a little early to quit now. Present your case in the best possible light, for example, using “I’m looking for a job more in my field . . . closer to home. . .flexible hours” rather than “I’m doing too much unpaid overtime. . . you suck, etc.” Good luck - that’s really a tough spot.
My phrase “…via your spouse, if you have one…” sounded a lot weirder than I intended. I’ve become so used to avoiding assumptions here at the SDMB that the result is a lot different than what I’d say in real life.
I also would not quit without a job offer in hand. As anecdotal evidence, my friend also hated his job for the same reasons and he quit without an offer…this was at the end of Sept and he still doesn’t have a job and he is hurting now.
See, yeah. I got laid off in September and didn’t find this gig until January. Don’t wanna go through that again.
However, I jsut got a call from the place I interviewed with yesterday. They want me for the second interview tomorrow morning. They are opening the place an hour early to get me interviewed.
Get the job first. Once you give notice, you’ll probably become the Doer of the Crappiest Tasks and get work piled on you, so be sure you have a job in place.
No, don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched. I agree with the others - there’s no advantage to you to give notice before you have a firm offer from the other place. The absolute worst-case scenario from not giving notice now is that you would be fired, and since you want to quit anyway…
I’d almost say firm offer and had your first day. A couple of friends have been hired, showed up on their first day, only to find out that the company had ‘reorganized’ and eliminated the position. (Probaby filled from within, though).
When I was jobhunting several years ago, I took a day off for a job interview and called in sick, claiming to have an “intestinal illness.” I figured that no one would inquire too closely about that.
Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. I’ve seen more than a few people get fired after their employer found out they were job hunting.
You don’t owe ANY notice, period, although it’s “nice” to give 2 weeks once you have another job lined up. Before that, no way.
Listen to Abbie, Bosda and everyone else ho say not to tell your current employer. You don’t owe them anything.
OTOH, if you tell your current employer you are looking for a new job, you could very well be fired for cause. After all, your old boss might very well be justified in saying that your work performance diminished due to frequent absences, and preoccupation with a non-work attitude during working hours. In short, your interviews made you a liability for your old employer.
Pure and simple - give a two week notice, in writing, only after you have secured another position. A new employer who can’t wait for you to give the old employer two weeks notice is not one you want.
Rather than scheduling interviews during the middle of the day, try and see if you can push your hours at your job forward. If you can get off at 3:00 regularly (“just while I’m pregnant, I really need to take a nap”) you can schedule your interviews last thing. A lot of new employers will appreciate that you are concientious. If my friend could work interviews (he flew out Sunday afternoon and flew home Friday afternoon for his old job) you can work something out.
But don’t quit until you have offer in hand and have accepted it. Even then, if you are really dependant on having income, offers get recinded. We interviewed a guy five months ago we were all thrilled with. There was no doubt in our minds that we were going to make him and offer - and I don’t think any doubt in his mind he had a job. But the job got pulled and the headcount got cut.
But here’s the kicker- his benefits at his job haven’t started yet. But I have COBRA coverage if I leave.