Somebody reached out to me recently and said, "I love my current company, but it's time to move on. I like my boss, and I know when I leave I'm going to leave them in a lurch. I have a final interview tomorrow and I feel like they know something's going on. I should probably tell them, right?"
No, you don't tell them.
Why You Shouldn't Tell Your Boss You're Interviewing For A New Job
@j.t.odonnell Should you tell your boss about your job interview? #jobsearchtips #jobsearch #jobtips #careertiktok #careeradvice #careertips ♬ original sound - J.T. O'Donnell
You shouldn't tell your boss you're interviewing for a new job because you're going to make this situation so much more awkward. It will actually hurt you in the long run from a relationship standpoint. If you want this boss—who you appreciate so much—to be a reference one day, then you need to do the right thing.
So, here's what you should do.
You go in for the job interview. If you get the job, decide if you want to take it or not, and then go to your boss and resign. And, if possible, try to offer more than two weeks' notice. Maybe you could give your boss three weeks' notice. That is the better thing to do to show them that you respect them and you're trying not to leave them in the lurch.
My issue with you telling them you're interviewing for a new job is that they're probably going to want to try to keep you, but study after study shows that never works out. You've revealed that you want to leave, so they're never going to trust you again. And a lot of times they just end up keeping you and offering for you to stay, only to get frustrated and let you go, or you stay and you're still not really happy and you leave anyways. Those situations lead to bad blood and then you won't be able to use your boss as a reference.
The right thing to do is wait. Go in for the interview, get the job offer, decide if you want the new job, and then resign professionally. And again, if possible, give your boss an extra week's notice. You'll leave on good terms without damaging any professional relationships you've made.
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