

Ask HN: How far in advance to notify employer that you'll be leaving? - my_username_is_

I&#x27;m a young engineer and I&#x27;ve been working at my first job for the last 18 months. In about 7 months, my significant other will be forced to relocated to a different part of the country with her job. As a result, I am starting to look for jobs outside of my company. Should I tell my boss that I am doing so? On one hand they might want to recruit from nearby colleges this spring, but on the other hand it might make an awkward situation for the next several months (especially because I haven&#x27;t been at the company for very long).<p>How would you handle the situation?
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xpto123
Just wait for confirmation of the relocation, because those things get
cancelled / delayed often. When its confirmed then look for jobs and give
standard notice as per law. Explain you immediate superior the personal reason
once the resignation is sent, so he hears it from you.

These things happen all the time, so just the standard notice in your country
is sufficient. Remember that to lay you off they would not give more than the
legal notice either.

Your feeling of torn loyalty is normal and experienced by everybody thinking
of quitting a job. It sucks its true, but try to focus on work even more to
leave a professional impression of someone they would recommend and hire back.

By talking too early you risk having to cancel the resignation if the
relocation gets cancelled, or be there a very long time in 'exit' mode, which
would be even more awkward.

This is one of the reasons why changing jobs sucks, but 15 days on the new job
and you wont give it a second thought.

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cheriot
1\. Tell no one until the move is set in stone.

2\. Be loyal to people more than companies. You can give an informal heads up
to a senior person you work with or your manager without making it official
with HR. Talk to someone you have a good relationship first and ask around
about other people that have left. Some places will walk you out the door
immediately.

3\. Make sure your work will be as easy to transition as possible. This may
require extra documentation, extra work on your part to keep quality up, etc.

4\. Remember that employers don't give notice when laying people off.

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philwelch
> 4\. Remember that employers don't give notice when laying people off.

But they do pay severance sometimes--paying a little bit of extra money for 0
extra work. People who quit never throw in extra work for 0 extra money.

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rudolfosman
I am a manager myself and I would consider letting me know ahead a very
professional thing to do. So I would recommend letting your employer know
about your relocation as soon as it is 100% sure. You never know, maybe your
current employer might consider offering you a job in your new hometown or
even write a letter of recommendation for possible new employers. Think about
how your boss would refer to you when somebody asks a reference from him/her.
I think you could gain a lot by working together with your current employer
knowing that you are leaving

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zhte415
7 months is a long time. If I were in that situation, it would seem like one
of many potential options of which some may yet to materialise.

Closer to the date, when your significant other is sure they will relocate,
absolutely sure, I would request a 1-1 chat, face to face, to explain the
situation.

Keep the discussion open ended. Not phrased like "I'm sorry I'm leaving" but
"This is the situation, I'd really appreciate your advice and feedback". By
keeping the conversation open ended you can seek win-win options with your
boss that are good for you both. Stay in that mindset. If they try to close it
by saying something like "you should have told me X months earlier" deflect
them "this was a potential problem, but neither of us knew for sure and I am
interested in what I do here and now". Keep the positive flow and offer
something back, from negotiating remote work to staying with the company in a
different location.

Stay dedicated at what you do, and when you're absolutely, positively sure
nothing can derail the potential move for your significant other, have the
conversation, and make it a conversation, not a notice.

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MalcolmDiggs
When I was in your position (leaving my first real job) I gave them 90 days
notice (twice the time I estimated it would take them to find a suitable
replacement for me); and I volunteered to do the technical screening of the
new candidates and transition the workload over gradually. I ended up working
side-by-side my replacement for the last month (training them); which was
ideal for everybody.

That ex-employer ended up being an invaluable professional reference, and
we're still good friends.

Protect yourself of course (maybe don't mention it until your plan B is solid)
but treat them as you'd want to be treated...it'll pay off in the end.

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nanoscopic
10 minutes before so that you have enough time to put the stuff from your desk
in a box before you walk out the door. :)

All joking aside it depends on what projects you are working on and how
friendly your superiors are.

If you are leading projects that cannot be easily picked up, and your
superiors are friendly, you might want to give them a month notice so that
your last month can be spent passing on crucial knowledge and shifting you out
of projects that depend on you.

Generally giving 2 weeks notice is all you need as that is required to get
vacation and stuff paid out. ( in the USA at any rate )

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entreprenewb
The best case scenario is that you tell them ahead of time and they are
agreeable and supportive. The worst case scenario, if it's at-will employment,
is that they terminate you immediately. If other employees in your company
have given notice far in advance and they've been treated well then you're
probably fine, but it's always a possibility that your employer may use this
knowledge to their advantage.

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frostmatthew
I think it's a bit too early to say anything seven months out. If you have a
_good_ relationship with your manager it might be nice to let them know a
couple months before - that gives them plenty of time (or at least much longer
than the typical two weeks) to find a replacement.

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patmcc
Give two or three weeks once the move is set in stone (so ~6 months from now).
Explain your reasoning, and be open to the possibility that they will offer
you the option to work remotely if you're good.

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ja27
Two to three weeks. That's all the company would give you if they laid you
off. It's also not unheard of for companies to terminate someone immediately
when they give notice.

