Hiring a direct report when I may be leaving soon?
March 24, 2016 5:21 AM Subscribe
I may be offered a new job soon. I am also in the final stages of hiring a long-awaited second-in-command at my current job. I did not know I would be able to hire someone when I started the interview process for my potential new job. I have no cause to stick it to my current employer by hiring a new person then scramming shortly thereafter. How do I navigate this?
I had developed an ambitious roadmap for the department I lead. We are currently a team of two in a very large organization, but we are the only people who do what we do. The plan, presented in October last year, was largely ignored at the time.
My SO had idly been looking for jobs on the west coast (we're on the east coast), and as I was up for a move should that pan out, I sent some feelers to companies on the west coast that I wanted to become more familiar with. I have completely clicked with one of those companies, and have a final round interview coming up.
Since starting the interview process, my roadmap has been revived, with the first step being hiring a third, senior support person. I am about a week from making an offer to a candidate, and I will not know if I have gotten the job I'm interviewing for before that. This person's success is dependent on me doing a lot of training and education to get them up to speed.
I would be offering 4 weeks notice if I were to be offered the new job, but it still feels kind of strange to be looking to hire someone as I'm looking to leave.
Do I have any reason to communicate with my current employer? Do I have any reason to slow down the hiring process? What are my obligations, what's the best way to navigate this?
I had developed an ambitious roadmap for the department I lead. We are currently a team of two in a very large organization, but we are the only people who do what we do. The plan, presented in October last year, was largely ignored at the time.
My SO had idly been looking for jobs on the west coast (we're on the east coast), and as I was up for a move should that pan out, I sent some feelers to companies on the west coast that I wanted to become more familiar with. I have completely clicked with one of those companies, and have a final round interview coming up.
Since starting the interview process, my roadmap has been revived, with the first step being hiring a third, senior support person. I am about a week from making an offer to a candidate, and I will not know if I have gotten the job I'm interviewing for before that. This person's success is dependent on me doing a lot of training and education to get them up to speed.
I would be offering 4 weeks notice if I were to be offered the new job, but it still feels kind of strange to be looking to hire someone as I'm looking to leave.
Do I have any reason to communicate with my current employer? Do I have any reason to slow down the hiring process? What are my obligations, what's the best way to navigate this?
Your obligations are entirely satisfied by giving 4 weeks notice and working hard in that time to smooth the transition. Frankly, this seems like the perfect time to be hiring someone as they will be in a position to help take on some of the work created by your departure.
You should definitely not communicate your potential job offer to your current employer until it is signed in blood. This applies even in the most employee-friendly workplace. It is a non-starter, a never-do.
Things you can do to help additionally without violating this holy maxim include:
1. Starting to prepare for the accelerated training of your new hire immediately.
2. If you haven't already, ensure that the other person in your role is extremely enthusiastic about the new hire, since they are the person who will in fact be working with them.
3. Reconsider your chosen candidate in the light of whether they would be capable of potentially stepping into your role.
4. If you do get the new job and it won't cause problems with them, offer to do some part time remote consulting to continue helping bring the new hire up to speed even after you leave.
Congratulations and Good Luck!
posted by 256 at 5:39 AM on March 24, 2016 [5 favorites]
You should definitely not communicate your potential job offer to your current employer until it is signed in blood. This applies even in the most employee-friendly workplace. It is a non-starter, a never-do.
Things you can do to help additionally without violating this holy maxim include:
1. Starting to prepare for the accelerated training of your new hire immediately.
2. If you haven't already, ensure that the other person in your role is extremely enthusiastic about the new hire, since they are the person who will in fact be working with them.
3. Reconsider your chosen candidate in the light of whether they would be capable of potentially stepping into your role.
4. If you do get the new job and it won't cause problems with them, offer to do some part time remote consulting to continue helping bring the new hire up to speed even after you leave.
Congratulations and Good Luck!
posted by 256 at 5:39 AM on March 24, 2016 [5 favorites]
can you delay the hiring process? from your description it sounds like you would be hiring someone to a post where they would fail due to your absence. if that's the case, then i think you have some kind of moral duty to that person (i don't care so much about companies - they typically look after themselves - but hiring a person to a position where they are likely to fail seems like something you should try to avoid).
posted by andrewcooke at 5:39 AM on March 24, 2016
posted by andrewcooke at 5:39 AM on March 24, 2016
As I see it, your obligation to your current company is to do your very best possible job for them until the day you leave. Your commitment to giving four weeks notice is totally in line with that objective. It will also be a service to your company to hire the senior support person as planned, then devote attention to training him/her and ensuring a smooth integration into the company. The only caveat is to ensure the person you hire is a good fit for the team and for the company, and not just someone you click with personally.
posted by DrGail at 5:42 AM on March 24, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by DrGail at 5:42 AM on March 24, 2016 [4 favorites]
I would not mention the possibility of you leaving until you have a firm and signed job offer from the company you're interviewing with.
If you have a good vision for where your department should go in the future, hire someone that supports that vision, train them as well as you can to insure a smooth transition, and then go your merry way.
Until then, it's information lock-down time. Even friends where you work now need to be left in the dark. If you leave in a less-than-optimal manner or your ability to hire the person that should be hired for the future of your department is impacted, that could harm something that it sounds like you've invested a lot of time and energy into.
posted by Fister Roboto at 7:04 AM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
If you have a good vision for where your department should go in the future, hire someone that supports that vision, train them as well as you can to insure a smooth transition, and then go your merry way.
Until then, it's information lock-down time. Even friends where you work now need to be left in the dark. If you leave in a less-than-optimal manner or your ability to hire the person that should be hired for the future of your department is impacted, that could harm something that it sounds like you've invested a lot of time and energy into.
posted by Fister Roboto at 7:04 AM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
I would rather hire the new guy ASAP, as then you will have even more time to train him in what you know.
posted by Vaike at 7:42 AM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Vaike at 7:42 AM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
It seems like you're doing everything right here! Hiring your own replacement is a pretty common operation and while it might increase their odds of success if you overlapped for a longer time period, 4 weeks is enough time to cover the most major stuff. I'm sure they will be eager for the opportunity and knowing that they have you for four weeks to spin up, they will use that time aggressively to learn what they need to know. Plus, once it's clear that there will be a changing of the guard, you want to cut over relatively quickly so the team and the company don't have a lingering period with two managers.
That said, if you have any major reservations about the person you're hiring as the manager for the team now is the time to voice them. It would be bad if you're not evaluating candidates for the skills they need to do YOUR job, and then you leave behind someone you think might not be totally qualified. But it sounds like that's not the case here so you're good!
posted by heresiarch at 8:04 AM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
That said, if you have any major reservations about the person you're hiring as the manager for the team now is the time to voice them. It would be bad if you're not evaluating candidates for the skills they need to do YOUR job, and then you leave behind someone you think might not be totally qualified. But it sounds like that's not the case here so you're good!
posted by heresiarch at 8:04 AM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Four weeks notice is two weeks more than anyone would consider standard. If you have a better opportunity somewhere else, the time to take it is as soon as they'll offer it. Do not discuss potential future employment with your employer or candidates until you have that written offer and you're serving notice.
Your empathy for your employer is commendable, but the day you become superfluous to them, they will serve YOU notice, and whatever plans you were making won't matter. They wouldn't tell you "uh, don't take that mortgage, we might be laying you off in a month." So bear that in mind.
posted by randomkeystrike at 8:15 AM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
Your empathy for your employer is commendable, but the day you become superfluous to them, they will serve YOU notice, and whatever plans you were making won't matter. They wouldn't tell you "uh, don't take that mortgage, we might be laying you off in a month." So bear that in mind.
posted by randomkeystrike at 8:15 AM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
Just don't predicate working with you as a huge selling point to the candidate and I think you're in the clear. I once took a job where the selling point was that I'd get to work and learn under the manager, he left soon after, and while the job was fine without it, I still feel a bit bait and switched about the whole experience and wish I'd at least known.
posted by Carillon at 8:41 AM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Carillon at 8:41 AM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
My best ever career move was taking a role when, after my notice period, it turned out the recruiting "head of" had moved on. I had a week or so of adjusting to that, but after that, stepped up, defined my role and made the most. That's corporate life. So appoint, do what you have to do and don't worry would be my advice.
posted by khites at 9:14 AM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by khites at 9:14 AM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Not sure how your possible departure has any bearing on hiring the candidate? It's business as usual until it's not. When you give your notice do a decent handover, nothing else is required.
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:48 AM on March 24, 2016
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:48 AM on March 24, 2016
I would not mention the possibility of you leaving until you have a firm and signed job offer from the company you're interviewing with.
Because it ain't over 'til it's over.
Just don't predicate working with you as a huge selling point to the candidate and I think you're in the clear.
This is the pitfall to avoid, especially because of the ethical dimension. Your employer will bounce back from your departure much more easily than a new-hire who came on board with the expectation of working with YOU.
posted by John Borrowman at 12:32 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Because it ain't over 'til it's over.
Just don't predicate working with you as a huge selling point to the candidate and I think you're in the clear.
This is the pitfall to avoid, especially because of the ethical dimension. Your employer will bounce back from your departure much more easily than a new-hire who came on board with the expectation of working with YOU.
posted by John Borrowman at 12:32 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
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