So, you have attended a job interview for which you were fully prepared and motivated; you have given a good account of yourself and generally kicked it out of the park. Days, or maybe even hours, after the interview you receive a call with a job offer. Everything about this new role feels right. Better opportunities, a new challenge and, of course, more money.
But when do you hand your notice in?
My advice would be to do nothing until you receive the offer of employment in writing. When this is received, you can set about typing up your resignation letter. Contrary to myth, this does not need to include the reasons you have decided to leave and most certainly will not include criticism of the business and the way you perceive you have been treated.
We would, however, recommend that it contains the following:
- The date that your notice period will start.
- Your expected finish date. This will take into account your notice period, which you should check beforehand. The details of this will be in your contract of employment.
- Confirmation that you would like all of your holiday allowances included with your final pay.
- A final sentence wishing the business every future success. It makes sense on so many levels to finish on good terms.
There are certain situations, especially if you are dealing with market sensitive information, where the business will ask you to leave immediately and place you on what is referred to as gardening leave, but remember that you still cannot start your new job until your notice period is over, regardless of whether you have been in the garden or not!
Counteroffers
We deal with a lot of clients who are successful in securing new and exciting roles only to receive a counteroffer from their current employer. Often, this offer is even more attractive than their new offer and it leaves our clients with a big decision to make. Our advice, based on experience of working with clients who receive counteroffers, is to think long and hard about the situation. This is based around several factors that may have changed the dynamic between you and your manager forever and will have been hugely influenced by these factors:
- You were committed to leave. You had spent weeks, maybe months, seeking alternative employment, and your loyalty from this point forward will be questioned.
- You may well have taken time off for interviews that you had put down as urgent medical appointments, family leave, a trip to the dentist, etc. Your manager may wish to trawl back through your diary to see when you had been absent.
- At the point of handing in your notice, you will almost certainly have explained the reasons for your decision, and these will not be complimentary about the business and the way you have been managed. Without question, you will have shown your hand.
We have seen a host of excellent candidates decide to stay with their current employers following counteroffers, only to contact us again in a few months, very upset that the bonus they were promised never materialised, or the pledge of working from home more was reneged upon, or, worse still, there had been a round of redundancies, and as now perceived not to be loyal to the business and on more money, they were the first name on the list.
In summary, when you have the opportunity of a fresh start in an exciting new environment, sometimes the best thing to do is grab it with both hands and see where it takes you.