Should i or shouldn't I tell my boss that I've got a job interview?

C

chrissrv195

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Nov 30, 2009
133
SW Iowa
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Hey guys I need some advice. I work in a small town as a mechanic at the local (only) equipment rental store. I have been there for over 3 years & it just isn't for me anymore & hasn't been for about a year now. Originally I thought I would someday be a part owner of it, but things have changed between the boss & I. I have an interview at the county road dept Monday at 8am for an opening they have. Here's my question. Should I be honest & tell the boss about the interview, or make up an excuse as to why I need to leave for a while Monday morn? He already knows I've applied for the postion & I want to be open & honest with him even though things have gone kinda sour. Remember, it's a small town & the chances are good of him finding out where I am really going will probably get back to him one way or the other. Any sugestions on what or if I should tell him? Thanks in advance.
 
To confirm: He already knows you applied?

Then no harm telling him you have an interview. Don't be surprised if he makes you take vacation time / unpaid time to do it.

If he didn't already know. . .. for goodness sakes don't tell him anything till you have an offer in hand!
 
We cannot tell you what to do. It all depends on the relationship between your boss and you.

If at all possible (i.e.- it won't cost you your job), I would be honest with your boss. However, if you think you might lose your job because you are looking elsewhere, I would not.

Just because you have an interview, does NOT mean that you have a great chance at getting that job. The county may be interviewing 20 people (I have seen it before...).

Good Luck!
 
Tell him, he will respect you more...
 
He may respect you right out the door. Your position is one he can replace and will - so if you need a job to put food on the table - I'd get the offer before telling him.
My take is that I only want people working for me that want to work for me - not wanting to work someplace else.
 
I would strongly advise you not to share with your boss (or coworkers) any job searching you may be doing, no matter what your relationship is, good or bad. This is somthing that should not be shared with others at your current job.
That being said, you say he allready knows that you have put in for this position, then I would just tell him were you are going but try playing it down a little, like your just going through the motions but do not have expectations of getting this job...
 
Tell him you need a day off for personal reasons...Nothing more..
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. I thinkin' Popeye's idea might be for me, just get Monday morning off so I can do it. I realize that I might not get the job ( I think I have a pretty good in though) & things might be "wierd" if I tell him about it & end up not getting the job after all. I always appreciate any advice & opinions though.
 
What ever happen to giving your employer a 2 week notice that you're leaving. :huh:
You never burn a bridge that you might need again. :smt001
 
I'm definitely going to give the 2 weeks notice, IF I get the job. Just didn't know whether to let him know about the interview or not.
 
Chris, take personal time and do the interview. If it pans out then give your present employer 2 weeks notice. Make sure you tell your new employer it will take 2 weeks before you can start. They both will respect you. Ask the new employer about coming on early if you are asked to leave by your present employer.

If you don't get the job then it's just a 1/2 day of personal time.
 
I've actually had this happen to me (someone told me they were looking for another job). I started interviewing new people right in front of him... and found his replacement before he found another job and terminated him. It's only fair....

I suggest you not say anything to a current employer about looking for a new job.
 
Thanks for all the help guys, it's appreciated.
 
Wow. I'm shocked by the responses. I've been managing people and teams (of up to 300 people) for 20+ years. If I have someone that is looking for a job, I prefer to know about it. And not for the reasons you might assume.

If they are a good worker and are unhappy, I want to know why they are unhappy, and fix it if I can. If they want to advance their career, I want to help them if I can, even if that means advancing them out of my organization, or even the company.

Good people take time, energy, and money to aquire. Most employers and leaders would prefer to keep and enhance their good workers. And if they are not good workers, leaders should be working to address the issues or manage them out, and not waiting for them to get around to leaving, because they are usually the last ones to look.

It's a small world out there, and even smaller in a small town. People have LONG memories.

Certainly if you think your job would be in jeopardy if you tell him, then you need to make that choice. But since you already told him you applied, you need to tell him you are doing the interview. He'll know you are doing it anyway (applied, taking time off, small town, etc).
 
Let us know how it turns out.

.02 cents

1. Never tell anyone you presently work with you are seeking other employement.
2. No one is to be trusted with that information until you have been given a offer, accepted the offer and told your boss first with a two week notice (do that face to face with a letter of resignation in your hand) And be prepared to leave that day.
3. Never tell the current boss why you are leaving other than it is a opportunity to grow and improve yourself.
4. Never burn a bridge behind you if at all possible, you may never go back to work there but you will see them in town one day and need to at least be civil.

Best of luck
 
chumbley said:
Wow. I'm shocked by the responses. I've been managing people and teams (of up to 300 people) for 20+ years. If I have someone that is looking for a job, I prefer to know about it. And not for the reasons you might assume.

If they are a good worker and are unhappy, I want to know why they are unhappy, and fix it if I can. If they want to advance their career, I want to help them if I can, even if that means advancing them out of my organization, or even the company.

Good people take time, energy, and money to aquire. Most employers and leaders would prefer to keep and enhance their good workers. And if they are not good workers, leaders should be working to address the issues or manage them out, and not waiting for them to get around to leaving, because they are usually the last ones to look.

It's a small world out there, and even smaller in a small town. People have LONG memories.

Certainly if you think your job would be in jeopardy if you tell him, then you need to make that choice. But since you already told him you applied, you need to tell him you are doing the interview. He'll know you are doing it anyway (applied, taking time off, small town, etc).
Click to expand...

Jeff,

Though I applaud your views on this, in today's world, these ideas are all but gone. 15-20 years ago, I noticed that things started to change with companies(especially so with public corporations with stockholders). They now see employees as just another number. I've noticed in today's business world, there is rarely employee job security. (Unless it's for the CEO) Employees are just a number that can be trimmed to improve the bottom line, and fatten up the CEO's golden parachute. When I started at my first company(a large company with stockholders) out of college 30 years ago, employees often could expect that their company (if the employee didn't screw up and do something stupid) they were working for could probably expect to retire with that company if it was successful. Back then, employees felt like they were a part of the company and seemed to work harder to make that company successful. No longer does this seem to be the case, in fact in larger corporations, I've seen it as a regular (annually or bi-annually) task to trim some percentage (10% in my company) of each department's employees to help with that bottom line. It's a sad statement of what's wrong with today's business world. (It goes along with the Bank Bailouts and the CEO outrageous salaries and golden parachutes). Employees no longer are driven as being a part of the company and no longer feel like they can be rewarded by the company's success, but rather are just glad to have a job and a paycheck. Very sad.

This isn't always the case in all of today's businesses. In some, I see a sparkle of hope in some businesses trying to do the right thing and they are successful, but those seem to be the exception and not the rule (and again, I've seen when(if) these companies go public, that this is one of the first things to fly out the window while they try to keep their bottom line in line with what wall-street wants to see for profits)

And yes, the OP was talking about a small local enterprise, but today one must follow STIHLBOLTS rules in almost all cases.

The other thing that people I've talked to have noticed in a number of businesses, is that HR people are really there to protect the company and executives in that company. (In fact, in our dept, we've noticed the employees HR rep has been taking vacations and having girls(our HR person and dept mgr (and my direct supervisor) are female) weekends out with our dept mgmt, developing a relationship with them, and not the employees. So now, I've heard people comment that they don't feel comfortable with talking to the HR person about issues with their mgmt, or even questions that they have about benefits to help advance their careers!)

-VtSeaRay
 
Last edited:
STIHLBOLTS said:
Let us know how it turns out.

.02 cents

1. Never tell anyone you presently work with you are seeking other employement.
2. No one is to be trusted with that information until you have been given a offer, accepted the offer and told your boss first with a two week notice (do that face to face with a letter of resignation in your hand) And be prepared to leave that day.
3. Never tell the current boss why you are leaving other than it is a opportunity to grow and improve yourself.
4. Never burn a bridge behind you if at all possible, you may never go back to work there but you will see them in town one day and need to at least be civil.

Best of luck
Click to expand...

+1

My additional $.02 (represented hundreds of companies and written "how to" books on starting and running small businesses)...give as little information to your current employer as possible. Sorry, but standard employer business protocol these days...the minute an employee notifies you he or she is leaving...escort them to their desk, get their stuff, change computer passwords, get the keys and shake hands as they leave the premises. There are certainly companies that handle things differently, but its the dating equivalent of "I still want to be friends"...very little good can come of letting the situation linger. On the employer side, I suggest they do everything possible to make employees feel wanted and part of the team...including paying them and providing benefits that competitively restrict the impulse an employee might have to shop their skills.
 
VtSeaRay

Yes, I understand the realities of big business (having worked 15 years at a fortune 50 company). I've down the downsizing, the outsourcing, and the off-shoring in spades. Still, I tried to remain human through the process. But, everything you say about current corporate culture is true, unfortunately, and especially so in large companies.

It's a tough call. I hate burning bridges, and I hate to see other people do it.

If he had not said anything to his boss, and if he was in a larger workforce / community, then I could see the "keep it to yourself" approach. But the boss already knows he applied, and depending on the town size / culture, may already know he has the interview. So in this case, I think honesty is the best policy...
 
Agreed with Gary and Jedi... I've been a 'small' town , little business owner for years.. once someone has started looking, I can tell... Do I try to find out the situation and correct it? sure.. if it's a really good employee. If not I need to move on. Its not burning bridges but if you are unhappy, I'm soon going to be unhappy with your work performance too. So it's better for both parties. ( and I'll pay you the 2 weeks but I do not want you still around in most instances)
 
I think it depends on how your company is situated with a HR staff, policy, and the number of employee's. In our company we tend to move folks around to find the "sweet spot" if you will. If they look for work elsewhere then we try to salvage them if we know about it. Thus is a company that employee’s thousands.

On the other hand, I have been in management on the dealer side where you don't have the luxury of waiting to find a technician or supervisor. In this case, as soon as I got wind of a potential vacancy, I was reviewing the application files looking for replacements.

I did not have the luxury of “finding a place” for the employee or waiting for the notice to come.
 
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