Navigating promotion process while waiting on job offer
October 24, 2017 2:54 PM Subscribe
So, it is extremely likely I will be offered a job that I would strongly, strongly prefer to my current role either Friday or Monday. Meanwhile, I have a meeting to discuss my current role + responsibility changes with my current job tomorrow. How do I navigate this in a way that doesn't leave me vulnerable but also doesn't leave my current organization in a lurch?
So, the hiring manager has told me that I am their top candidate + they want to offer the job to me, but the internal process will take most of this week. They can't formally offer me the job yet, but they have repeatedly told me that they love me and want to hire me. It's a largeish organization (80 people), and a week-long hiring process seems reasonable.
HOWEVER. At my current job, we have had very high turnover. Due to this high turnover + me being pretty competent, my role has evolved significantly to encompass some other jobs. This has been stressful and there has been a strong refusal to give me additional compensation + a title change in a timely fashion (it's been five months). So, I'm pretty over it. But I also know they will be hashing out more specifics at tomorrow's meeting.
Basically, I feel cruddy about taking on additional responsibilities + nodding and going along while anticipating that I will be putting in my notice in a few days. However, there is always the chance that the new job offer doesn't come through, and so I want to protect myself. Is there a delicate way to navigate this that doesn't screw over anyone? My current job is with a small, very under-staffed organization (like 10 people when we have 15 at fighting strength), and the hiring process historically takes a long time. The more notice I can give them, the better, but I also don't want to count my chickens before they hatch.
So, the hiring manager has told me that I am their top candidate + they want to offer the job to me, but the internal process will take most of this week. They can't formally offer me the job yet, but they have repeatedly told me that they love me and want to hire me. It's a largeish organization (80 people), and a week-long hiring process seems reasonable.
HOWEVER. At my current job, we have had very high turnover. Due to this high turnover + me being pretty competent, my role has evolved significantly to encompass some other jobs. This has been stressful and there has been a strong refusal to give me additional compensation + a title change in a timely fashion (it's been five months). So, I'm pretty over it. But I also know they will be hashing out more specifics at tomorrow's meeting.
Basically, I feel cruddy about taking on additional responsibilities + nodding and going along while anticipating that I will be putting in my notice in a few days. However, there is always the chance that the new job offer doesn't come through, and so I want to protect myself. Is there a delicate way to navigate this that doesn't screw over anyone? My current job is with a small, very under-staffed organization (like 10 people when we have 15 at fighting strength), and the hiring process historically takes a long time. The more notice I can give them, the better, but I also don't want to count my chickens before they hatch.
Behave totally as if you do not have a potential job offer pending. You don't know what's going to happen, and people with lots of responsibilities quit jobs all the time.
posted by something something at 3:10 PM on October 24, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by something something at 3:10 PM on October 24, 2017 [18 favorites]
This is a classic bird in the bush situation. You have nothing till you have a formal offer in hand listing the title and salary. I would try to keep that attitude in your meeting. Honestly, it would be good for them to realize the level of responsibility you are taking on, if only so that when you leave they can make an appropriate replacement. And if they are currently that low on staff, that is their problem. The reason why management gets paid the big bucks is, ostensibly, to be looking more than just a couple weeks ahead. Maybe you have incompetent management which is unfortunate, but you, at your level are not responsible for or getting rewarded for proactively maintaining the capacity of the organization. If you were running a tiny volunteer organization you might feel a bit guilty, but this is not that.
posted by wnissen at 3:17 PM on October 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by wnissen at 3:17 PM on October 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
Your organization will survive without you. It's not like they can't have another discussion re: roles and responsibilities just because they had this conversation with you thinking you would continue on.
You don't have a job offer in hand. Operate as if you don't until you do.
posted by Karaage at 3:17 PM on October 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
You don't have a job offer in hand. Operate as if you don't until you do.
posted by Karaage at 3:17 PM on October 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
If they understood your value, they'd have agreed to compensate you. Every employer will lay you off in a heartbeat with no warning and crap compensation. Go be your usual competent, hard-working self. Take the time to document things that really need it. Label or organize anything that really needs it. Go to the meeting as if there's no pending job offer, because until you have the letter offering the job, it doesn't exist. When you give notice, be cordial. Wait until you get to your car to cackle and gloat. Congratulations.
posted by theora55 at 3:24 PM on October 24, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 3:24 PM on October 24, 2017 [3 favorites]
You have your current job. Unless/until you are offered another, behave like your current job is your job. Do what you would do normally in respect to any discussions about your role.
Deal with what happens in the future if/when it happens. What you see happening may not happen, and burning bridges at your current job for something that hasn't happened yet, and may not happen at all, is a high risk strategy.
People leaving is a fact of life for any employer. If your leaving creates problems for them, it is their job to do everything they can to see that you don't want to leave. They haven't, so you owe them nothing. If that changes from the meeting you have, I suggest your response may be 'too little, too late'. Alternatively, they may offer something that makes you want to stay, in which case choices.
posted by GeeEmm at 3:33 PM on October 24, 2017 [4 favorites]
Deal with what happens in the future if/when it happens. What you see happening may not happen, and burning bridges at your current job for something that hasn't happened yet, and may not happen at all, is a high risk strategy.
People leaving is a fact of life for any employer. If your leaving creates problems for them, it is their job to do everything they can to see that you don't want to leave. They haven't, so you owe them nothing. If that changes from the meeting you have, I suggest your response may be 'too little, too late'. Alternatively, they may offer something that makes you want to stay, in which case choices.
posted by GeeEmm at 3:33 PM on October 24, 2017 [4 favorites]
Every employer will lay you off in a heartbeat with no warning and crap compensation. Go be your usual competent, hard-working self.
Oh, indeed! If you do get the job and give notice, they could, as many employers do, have you make that day your last day. I'm not saying they will, but it could happen.
posted by jgirl at 3:48 PM on October 24, 2017
Oh, indeed! If you do get the job and give notice, they could, as many employers do, have you make that day your last day. I'm not saying they will, but it could happen.
posted by jgirl at 3:48 PM on October 24, 2017
preaching this from GeeEmm above: "If your leaving creates problems for them, it is their job to do everything they can to see that you don't want to leave. They haven't, so you owe them nothing."
They would throw you over the side of the boat if it was a benefit to them, please know that. They have chosen to do or not do things, and those choices have created the short-staffing problem they have now. Unless you are in a position of great power there, you will never be able to change that.
Nobody has your best interests as #1 priority except for you. Be conservative until you have fully negotiated and accepted (in writing) the new job offer, and be professional until your last step out the door. But do not for a minute be concerned about making the decision that's best for you.
posted by mccxxiii at 3:52 PM on October 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
They would throw you over the side of the boat if it was a benefit to them, please know that. They have chosen to do or not do things, and those choices have created the short-staffing problem they have now. Unless you are in a position of great power there, you will never be able to change that.
Nobody has your best interests as #1 priority except for you. Be conservative until you have fully negotiated and accepted (in writing) the new job offer, and be professional until your last step out the door. But do not for a minute be concerned about making the decision that's best for you.
posted by mccxxiii at 3:52 PM on October 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
You have your current job. Unless/until you are offered another, behave like your current job is your job. Do what you would do normally in respect to any discussions about your role.
Exactly this. It might feel weird, but it's not. It's not disingenuous or anything to feel bad about either. Right now you don't have another job, so go to work just like any other day.
posted by so fucking future at 3:52 PM on October 24, 2017
Exactly this. It might feel weird, but it's not. It's not disingenuous or anything to feel bad about either. Right now you don't have another job, so go to work just like any other day.
posted by so fucking future at 3:52 PM on October 24, 2017
Don't let them pressure you into making any commitments tomorrow. Always sleep on it, and in this case try to sleep on it until you have the other offer. You can buy time by asking some questions that "came up while I was sleeping on it."
posted by rhizome at 3:56 PM on October 24, 2017
posted by rhizome at 3:56 PM on October 24, 2017
As others have said, you don't have the new job until the offer is signed, sealed, and delivered, so don't make changes until then.
But at the same time, it's worth leaving on good terms, and that's likely easier if you have a way to politely duck any discussions of new responsibilities and commitments for a couple of days. It may be unavoidable, but if there was ever a good time to "get food poisoning" or "need to take your kid to the doctor," this is it.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:27 PM on October 24, 2017
But at the same time, it's worth leaving on good terms, and that's likely easier if you have a way to politely duck any discussions of new responsibilities and commitments for a couple of days. It may be unavoidable, but if there was ever a good time to "get food poisoning" or "need to take your kid to the doctor," this is it.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:27 PM on October 24, 2017
I have been in this exact situation - an offer pending, but in annual reviews and discussing expansion/changes to my role. In fact, thinking about it, I've been in this situation twice.
In both cases, the only option was pretend that the (not yet in hand) offer didn't exist, and go in to the meetings like I was fully planning to be there for another year or three. This did feel a little crappy at the time, because there were a few signs in both cases that things I had been pushing for for a while were going to maybe sorta kinda finally happen, but in both cases I got the offer, quit within a fortnight of my annual reviews and nobody died. And in both cases I'm not convinced that anything actually would have changed. It's amazing how noting stuff down in your appraisal and promising to discuss it can result in literally years of things not changing.
posted by Happy Dave at 11:24 AM on October 25, 2017
In both cases, the only option was pretend that the (not yet in hand) offer didn't exist, and go in to the meetings like I was fully planning to be there for another year or three. This did feel a little crappy at the time, because there were a few signs in both cases that things I had been pushing for for a while were going to maybe sorta kinda finally happen, but in both cases I got the offer, quit within a fortnight of my annual reviews and nobody died. And in both cases I'm not convinced that anything actually would have changed. It's amazing how noting stuff down in your appraisal and promising to discuss it can result in literally years of things not changing.
posted by Happy Dave at 11:24 AM on October 25, 2017
Response by poster: Just wanted to update - on Tuesday, I finally got the 100% job offer with no contingencies! Very excited, and very happy that I had a slightly higher salary + slightly better title for my last few weeks at my current gig.
posted by socktothepuppet at 12:53 PM on November 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by socktothepuppet at 12:53 PM on November 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
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Your other option is to call in sick for the next three days and not deal with it at all until you get the offer.
posted by clone boulevard at 3:09 PM on October 24, 2017 [8 favorites]