How much notice when quitting a professional job?

[MiesVanDerMom]

My husband works at a very smal architecture firm and they've been very good to us over the past few years. His boss was asking today when we'd know if he will be leaving or not. I have an interview March 8 and if I got into this out-of-state school I would accept. I'm afraid I am going to get waitlisted though and I'm wondering what cutoff date I should set for myself. He wants to let his boss know by the end of April but this seems a bit much. I mean, if we were moving he could stay at the job until mid or late July if needed. It seems to me I should at least be able to wait and see until some time in June. What do you professional types think? I've only ever worked retail....

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[pingouin]

I work in mental health, and the standard when carrying a therapy case load (which I do) is 30 days, in order to transition the patients to new providers. Since architecture doesn't have the people-factor built in, I would think a month would be more than sufficient.

He may want to check his employee handbook. He may be eligible to be paid out for personal/vacation days or other benefits if he gives proper notice.

 

[spicedmanna]

My husband works at a very smal architecture firm and they've been very good to us over the past few years. His boss was asking today when we'd know if he will be leaving or not. I have an interview March 8 and if I got into this out-of-state school I would accept. I'm afraid I am going to get waitlisted though and I'm wondering what cutoff date I should set for myself. He wants to let his boss know by the end of April but this seems a bit much. I mean, if we were moving he could stay at the job until mid or late July if needed. It seems to me I should at least be able to wait and see until some time in June. What do you professional types think? I've only ever worked retail....

Well, I generally give people two-weeks notice, because I'm nice like that. In the states where I worked, there wasn't any requirement to give any notice, actually. You could leave at-will, depending on whatever contract you signed. Of course, if you like where you work and are a responsible person, you probably wouldn't do that.

If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't give any indication that I might leave until I was sure what was going to happen. There are too many variables right now and they don't need to know. When you find out definitively and have your plans set, and you are going to go to VT, I'd inform HR or your manager with a nice letter. If you like them and the law permits, give them a full two weeks notice. I'm sure they'll appreciate the time to find a replacement and an opportunity for a smooth hand-off. Giving them more time than two weeks seems unnecessary, unless you think there is a good reason they would need that extra time, or it is contractually mandated. If you think that company might require more notice due to extenuating factors, I'd consider giving it to them, within reason, of course. Make sure the "last day" is worked out so that it is beneficial to both parties, if possible.

Wishing you good luck for your interview in VT!

 

[spicedmanna]

He may want to check his employee handbook. He may be eligible to be paid out for personal/vacation days or other benefits if he gives proper notice.

Great idea!

 

[t-funk]

They generally say 3 weeks for a professional job and 4 weeks if the job had managerial duties. If I get in, I will probably give my boss at least a 2 month resignation notice so that hopefully he can hire someone that I can train before I go. I would just say as much time as you possibly can to be fair to the employer.

 

[Nasrudin]

First of all you have an interview which means your in the last heat for an acceptance, the class is still 2/3 full. If you get wait listed and you guys think the school of your choice is good for your family then I don't see giving yourself any deadline as reasonable. Unless there is some other limiting factor like moving the family in a short time or poor professional references for your husband if not enough notice was given. Your husband has been forthright and considerate to give them an indication of how things are going. Perhaps he could explain the situation of waitlists and the amount of family investment in the whole process. You'll figure it out as more information comes in about your application progress. You could also try communicating your need to know based on family arrangements to your school of interest. g-luck.

 

[Law2Doc]

My husband works at a very smal architecture firm and they've been very good to us over the past few years. His boss was asking today when we'd know if he will be leaving or not. I have an interview March 8 and if I got into this out-of-state school I would accept. I'm afraid I am going to get waitlisted though and I'm wondering what cutoff date I should set for myself. He wants to let his boss know by the end of April but this seems a bit much. I mean, if we were moving he could stay at the job until mid or late July if needed. It seems to me I should at least be able to wait and see until some time in June. What do you professional types think? I've only ever worked retail....

The bare minimum is generally 2 weeks, unless you have a contract that requires more. However in order not to burn bridges, it is sometimes necessary to give more than that so they are not left short handed and scrambling, offer to train your replacement, and the like. If it's not a place that is going to ask you to clean out your desk and leave immediately (finance/brokerage shops apparently do this), I think 4-6 weeks is probably reasonable.

 

[Twitch]

I gave my boss 3 weeks notice with an option to stay on a few more weeks if needed.

 

[Jejton]

I told my boss once I accepted at a school. I happen to work for really great bosses who have been good to me ( allowed me to keep my job while I had a busy school schedule ) and I would need to train my replacement. They also tend to procrastinate so I wanted to make sure they had ample time.

If you dont want to burn any bridges, and you are not worred about being let go early or losing any benefits/privelages, it would be nice to give them a month or so. If you are worried that your husband might lose some benefits or be let go early, then give them a standard 2 weeks notice.

Just remember that you might need a recommendation or reference from this boss later so if they were good to you return the favor.

 

[lilnoelle]

I wouldn't give yourself a cut off date or make the cut off date as close to matriculation as you can possibly go (to reasonably move your family to Vermont). It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to go to an interview this late in the season and give not even give the school a chance to respond (as it would be with an April date)

If it gets too close to matriculation for your hubby to give decent notice, he could always stick around for a couple weeks after you move. (I know its not ideal, but it is doable). I don't know if you guys own your home, but if you don't, it would be relatively easy for you to move (with or without your kiddos) to your new rental and then have your hubby come a few weeks later. If you own and plan on buying in Vermont that obviously complicates things.

Its no fun to make a last minute decision and move, but at least the chaos will cease with time and once you are settled, everything will be a-ok.

Good luck with your interview, I hope you get an acceptance right away to make your life oh so much easier.

 

[notdeadyet]

What do you professional types think? I've only ever worked retail....

I'd be very careful to keep in mind that advice you'll get for regular jobs vs. professional jobs will (and should) be very different.

Two weeks notice and referencing employee handbooks is fine for a nine-to-five job.

But your husband is an architect, which is a job in which reputation is as important as resume. In a job like this, your husband will need to stay on long enough for the company to find a replacement and train.

Also, for project-based work like architecture, sometimes the last day will need to correspond with a project timeline. Sometimes you can only leave elegantly and professionally once a particular milestone has been hit.

All in all, for a job like your husband's, I'd say Law2Doc's 4-6 week recommendation is good.

 

[SunshineNYC]

To be absolutely polite, 1-2 months. Also, he should make the offer to stay and train whoever they hire to replace him.

I don't know your personal situation, but it seems that if you might not hear where you are going until the last possible minute, that when you hear, you go to that school and then he can put in his notice. You can then move and he can finish up his last month or two at work and you guys just be apart for that short amount of time. I know it's not ideal, but if you guys are both going to be professionals, then act professional about it.

 

[NontradICUdoc]

I have not told my bosses yet, but I plan to give 2 months notice so that there can be an easy transition. I have a lot of responsibility and my replacement needs to be ready to go.

 

[Kateb4]

Seeing that it is a very small firm, the more notice the better. They most likely do not have the extra staff to take over his work, and as some of the other posters said, he will probably need to transition his work over to a new person. I was a surgical assistant in a very small office and I gave them 3 months, the first 6 weeks I worked full time, then I transitioned to part time while training my replacement. This way, I am still on great terms with them, and the dr there is going to give me a LOR for med school now.

 

[OncoCaP]

In my opinion, he should give them as much notice as he can. Right now there really isn't much he can say, but he could give them brief updates. It sounds like they already know the situation. He can give them an idea that you are interviewing for a school OOS but you may not know if you have been accepted for quite some time (hopefully you would know by April, but there are no guarantees of that, really). I'm not sure how his firm works, but if I was his employer, I would be prepared to start looking for people in time to hire someone for a bit of overlap if you all left. If nothing else, another person could leave or there could be an increase in business.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

It depends on what you think the employer will do when he resigns.

In my field (engineering) people are routinely shown the door when they resign, so I would never give more than 2 weeks. If you think things are different (i.e. your husband won't immediately be shown the door when he resigns) then giving as much notice as possible can't really hurt.

 

[MiesVanDerMom]

Thanks everyone. I'm just going t have sit down and talk about this with him. It's a four person firm and my husband is the highest up next to the boss. I think he wants to leave time to find his replacement and for him to hand off the projects. I guess I'll need to discuss the idea of me ad the kids going up ahead of him. I think that makes the most sense. Thanks for the input everyone!

 

[Haemulon]

I'm guessing you already got what you needed from this thread, but since I am in a similar position, i'll throw in too. I also have a family that I will need to move, which means finding a house in a new city, locating daycare, establishing witha new pediatrician, my wife giving notice and finding a new job, and having time to fix up and sell our current house. All of which is giving me an ulcer, especially considering that I am on a waitlist at a school in my home town and have been accepted to a school in another state.

So basically, since I have a professional position, I was thinking of giving 6 weeks notice or so and quitting perhaps by the end of April. That would give me several months to fix up the house and get it on the market if I need to (it needs to be fixed up either way) and to look for new places up north without having to keep begging for more time off (i'm about out of vacation time anyway). My wife will need to give her final notice by June anyway, which means that will be the drop dead date for me to keep waiting on my waitlist school (else she will not have a job next year, its a contract thing).

Some people have told me to keep working and save up as much money as I can, which is good advice. But I can't help from thinking how stressfull everything is going to be with the transition (especially since I am trying to finish up my graduate degree thesis at the same time). So I want to make sure I have plenty of time free in the summer to spend with my children, take a vacation, and enjoy the family before the rigors of medical school starts. Thats my thinking anyway.

 

[vtucci]

The bare minimum is generally 2 weeks, unless you have a contract that requires more. However in order not to burn bridges, it is sometimes necessary to give more than that so they are not left short handed and scrambling, offer to train your replacement, and the like. If it's not a place that is going to ask you to clean out your desk and leave immediately (finance/brokerage shops apparently do this), I think 4-6 weeks is probably reasonable.

I agree that the minimum is 2 weeks but it depends what your husband's contract requires. If he does not have a contract and it is at will employment, then the firm could technically let him go before that 4-6 week period was over and you may not be financially prepared for that.

 

[smugtroll]

Financial Advisors are required to leave the very instant they give notice....your escorted to the door ASAP with little to no words said.

They the lawyers start....

 

[Haemulon]

Well, I did it. Gave my resignation yesterday (2 months notice). Whew! No turning back now

 

[saradoor]

My husband works at a very smal architecture firm and they've been very good to us over the past few years. His boss was asking today when we'd know if he will be leaving or not. I have an interview March 8 and if I got into this out-of-state school I would accept. I'm afraid I am going to get waitlisted though and I'm wondering what cutoff date I should set for myself. He wants to let his boss know by the end of April but this seems a bit much. I mean, if we were moving he could stay at the job until mid or late July if needed. It seems to me I should at least be able to wait and see until some time in June. What do you professional types think? I've only ever worked retail....

I think this all depends on the specific situation and relationship that your spouse has with the company (especially for a small professional firm that needs the specific individual's skills, business judgment, etc.) I know quite a few people whose spouse was able to work remotely for the same company after they relocated to another city (even thousands of miles away). I also know one couple whose company (<10 people) even relocated with the couple because the owner would rather keep the spouse in the company than otherwise. There was another one whose spouse stayed behind for a few months to ease the transition and give himself time to look for new opportunities in the new town (will this be an option for you and your spouse? if so tell the boss now that it is so he won't have to keep thinking of removing your spouse until you know for sure that you are leaving.) The key is to think creatively and how you can make it as painless for the employer as possible. This is what professionals do and expected to do.

Good luck!

 

[jtsai]

My husband works at a very smal architecture firm and they've been very good to us over the past few years. His boss was asking today when we'd know if he will be leaving or not. I have an interview March 8 and if I got into this out-of-state school I would accept. I'm afraid I am going to get waitlisted though and I'm wondering what cutoff date I should set for myself. He wants to let his boss know by the end of April but this seems a bit much. I mean, if we were moving he could stay at the job until mid or late July if needed. It seems to me I should at least be able to wait and see until some time in June. What do you professional types think? I've only ever worked retail....

I would go with 1 - 2 months notice. This will give your employer enough time to find a replacement and for you to have sufficient time to train them. And if need be...they would be more understanding to let you go soon than the 1 - 2 is up, if your replacement is fully trained.

Good Luck

 

[MJB]

Due to the unique circumstances my new boss was under, I went ahead and let them know I would be leaving sometime this summer..

This should give him the chance to hire my replacement from within and allow me to train the new person...and I think he appreciates me doing him this "favor".

He's a BRAND new manager, and within his first 6 months, 80% of his department is leaving/transferring, etc...

I felt I owed the guy break...and I don't think they will screw me.

 

[letitgo]

I need some advice - not urgent, but it's on my mind every day.

I took a job that had a two year requirement. I turned it down initially, then kind of asked for it again, but said I "was hesitant about commiting to two years." This was via e-mail with my employer. She said okay, no problem, but seemed to think there was a high likelihood I would stay for the full time.

So this was back in September, and I do love my job (I'm in a lab, working as a tech), but I hate where I live. I miss my family, miss my friends, and want to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. I'm kind of depressed. But I know my boss is hugely reliant on me, and if I leave too soon, it would really screw her over (due to the timing of her grant funding).

I'm applying to med school this summer for matriculation in 2008, so my boss knows I can only stay til Summer 2008 at the latest anyway (but dear god, I can't imagine staying here that long). Has anyone ever been in a similar situation? What did you do?

(I'm a non-trad, graduated in 2005, took a post-bacc...plus I like this forum better than the pre-allo).

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

I need some advice - not urgent, but it's on my mind every day.

I took a job that had a two year requirement. I turned it down initially, then kind of asked for it again, but said I "was hesitant about commiting to two years." This was via e-mail with my employer. She said okay, no problem, but seemed to think there was a high likelihood I would stay for the full time.

So this was back in September, and I do love my job (I'm in a lab, working as a tech), but I hate where I live. I miss my family, miss my friends, and want to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. I'm kind of depressed. But I know my boss is hugely reliant on me, and if I leave too soon, it would really screw her over (due to the timing of her grant funding).

I'm applying to med school this summer for matriculation in 2008, so my boss knows I can only stay til Summer 2008 at the latest anyway (but dear god, I can't imagine staying here that long). Has anyone ever been in a similar situation? What did you do?

(I'm a non-trad, graduated in 2005, took a post-bacc...plus I like this forum better than the pre-allo).

You are not a slave, so if you really don't like your job you can obviouosly quit at any time. You will, however, piss people off and likely burn a bridge. Not an especially good idea, but not as bad as most people make it out to be. Just make sure you won't need that employer for anything in the future.

 

[MJB]

I need some advice - not urgent, but it's on my mind every day.

I took a job that had a two year requirement. I turned it down initially, then kind of asked for it again, but said I "was hesitant about commiting to two years." This was via e-mail with my employer. She said okay, no problem, but seemed to think there was a high likelihood I would stay for the full time.

So this was back in September, and I do love my job (I'm in a lab, working as a tech), but I hate where I live. I miss my family, miss my friends, and want to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. I'm kind of depressed. But I know my boss is hugely reliant on me, and if I leave too soon, it would really screw her over (due to the timing of her grant funding).

I'm applying to med school this summer for matriculation in 2008, so my boss knows I can only stay til Summer 2008 at the latest anyway (but dear god, I can't imagine staying here that long). Has anyone ever been in a similar situation? What did you do?

(I'm a non-trad, graduated in 2005, took a post-bacc...plus I like this forum better than the pre-allo).

I've been unhappy for a lot longer than 5 or 6 months. Part of me says to tough it out and make it another year...you've got enough stress ahead of you in the next 8 months to worry about (not to mention the financial strain of the application process) without having to worry about finding another job...

If you don't like the work, it's a different story...but this might not be the best time to be making a move/transition in job.

Also, keep in mind there is no guarantee you're gonna be able to live close to family/friends while attending MS.

For some reason, I also feel like we would need more information (like why you moved there in the first place, etc...)

 

[NonTradMed]

I gave my notice and my boss was so eager to see me leave that he helped me along by offering me a month long paid leave.

Yeah, I was that bad of an engineer. Didn't even have to put in my two weeks.

 

[MJB]

I gave my notice and my boss was so eager to see me leave that he helped me along by offering me a month long paid leave.

Yeah, I was that bad of an engineer. Didn't even have to put in my two weeks.

That would be a dream come true....about May or so...

AFTER the house is sold.