Between interview and job offer I quit my current job. Do I bring it up?
November 19, 2019 5:41 PM Subscribe
I've been at one job for a few months but it was a bad fit from the start. So I started interviewing elsewhere. In between the interviews and the job offer, I voluntarily resigned from my current job in exchange for severance. Company policy is anyone who takes severance is NOT eligible for re-hire.
I'm worried that the earlier end hire date, and no re-hire, will come back on the background check. The potential employer might conclude that I was fired for cause and rescind the offer. Do I stay silent and hope for the best, or do I preemptively mention my resignation to the new employer?
---Company A---
Company couldn't retain needed cross-functionals. Multiple PMs and peer managers quit. I was doing my job, and project managing, and producing deliverables for other teams. Even though my team was doing really well, it was the only one, and we needed multiple teams to produce deliverables.
The company started courting an agency to outsource all the related teams. Probably will outsource entirely early next year. My options were to keep working overtime until an inevitable layoff, or to quit now and walk away with severance. I chose to resign and accept the severance.
The company's policy is that if you accept severance then you cannot be re-hired. However, if someone calls in for employment verification, they will only say dates of employment and eligible for re-hire status. They won't explain severance is the reason for no re-hire. So a third party could hear that and assume that I was terminated for cause.
---Company B (potential employer)---
I started interviewing with them before knowing details about my current job.
Interview 1
- Still employed
- Wasn't asked about why I was leaving.
Interview 2
- Still employed, didn't know what was going down yet
- WAS asked why leaving. Told them I couldn't get needed resources and there was a lot of politicking on department ownership.
In between
- Ambushed by the "quit and get severance" offer. Resigned and accepted severance.
Interview 3
- Resigned by this point
- Panel interview
- Wasn't asked about current employment
Job Offer
Asked when I could start, I gave them the week after the Thanksgiving holiday, which is almost 2 weeks. They made a comment: "I'm sure you'll have to give notice, are you sure you can start then?" to which I merely responded, "Yes, I'm sure."
---What Now---
This is a really great offer from a company I'm excited to work for, however they are a startup and may be sensitive to details...such as not being currently employed. If they ask the previous employer about re-hire eligibility, they may make incorrect assumptions about that.
I don't want them to feel that I was less than honest, or risk them rescinding the offer. However, it may be a moot point, and I could sabotage the offer by drawing attention to my early resignation unnecessarily. What would you do in my situation?
---Company A---
Company couldn't retain needed cross-functionals. Multiple PMs and peer managers quit. I was doing my job, and project managing, and producing deliverables for other teams. Even though my team was doing really well, it was the only one, and we needed multiple teams to produce deliverables.
The company started courting an agency to outsource all the related teams. Probably will outsource entirely early next year. My options were to keep working overtime until an inevitable layoff, or to quit now and walk away with severance. I chose to resign and accept the severance.
The company's policy is that if you accept severance then you cannot be re-hired. However, if someone calls in for employment verification, they will only say dates of employment and eligible for re-hire status. They won't explain severance is the reason for no re-hire. So a third party could hear that and assume that I was terminated for cause.
---Company B (potential employer)---
I started interviewing with them before knowing details about my current job.
Interview 1
- Still employed
- Wasn't asked about why I was leaving.
Interview 2
- Still employed, didn't know what was going down yet
- WAS asked why leaving. Told them I couldn't get needed resources and there was a lot of politicking on department ownership.
In between
- Ambushed by the "quit and get severance" offer. Resigned and accepted severance.
Interview 3
- Resigned by this point
- Panel interview
- Wasn't asked about current employment
Job Offer
Asked when I could start, I gave them the week after the Thanksgiving holiday, which is almost 2 weeks. They made a comment: "I'm sure you'll have to give notice, are you sure you can start then?" to which I merely responded, "Yes, I'm sure."
---What Now---
This is a really great offer from a company I'm excited to work for, however they are a startup and may be sensitive to details...such as not being currently employed. If they ask the previous employer about re-hire eligibility, they may make incorrect assumptions about that.
I don't want them to feel that I was less than honest, or risk them rescinding the offer. However, it may be a moot point, and I could sabotage the offer by drawing attention to my early resignation unnecessarily. What would you do in my situation?
You already have your offer. If it comes up, I’d just say “I had good feelings about how the interview process was going and was unhappy at my prior job, so I resigned in November.”
posted by sallybrown at 5:53 PM on November 19, 2019 [11 favorites]
posted by sallybrown at 5:53 PM on November 19, 2019 [11 favorites]
Told them I couldn't get needed resources and there was a lot of politicking on department ownership.
Offered and took severance package.
Job Offer
I don't see any misrepresentation in your original statements while interviewing for a new job. They want you to quit your old job. That it came down to resign with severance or stay in a job that you wanted to quit to work for them... should just back up your original interview.
The whole retire with severance isn't uncommon when things are going outsourced. I've been in meetings where company flat out offers "retire now with generous severance". It's not an odd thing. (And if they have some issue with it after any requested explanation, you didn't want to work for them anyways because they're assholes).
posted by zengargoyle at 6:23 PM on November 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
Offered and took severance package.
Job Offer
I don't see any misrepresentation in your original statements while interviewing for a new job. They want you to quit your old job. That it came down to resign with severance or stay in a job that you wanted to quit to work for them... should just back up your original interview.
The whole retire with severance isn't uncommon when things are going outsourced. I've been in meetings where company flat out offers "retire now with generous severance". It's not an odd thing. (And if they have some issue with it after any requested explanation, you didn't want to work for them anyways because they're assholes).
posted by zengargoyle at 6:23 PM on November 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm worried that the earlier end hire date, and no re-hire, will come back on the background check.
I have to say I’ve never heard of rehire-ability being reported by a company as part of a background check. However, if it’s common in your industry I’m sure they’re aware there are multiple possible reasons
If the end date is reported as one month either direction of what’s on your resume it will almost certainly be chalked up to the vagaries of HR departments.
In your shoes I would not say anything, but be prepared to answer fully and truthfully if anyone asks. You certainly would not be out of line taking that path — life continues, often chaotically, during a job search and everyone is aware of that. Nothing you’ve presented affects your ability to do your new job so no harm,no foul.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 6:35 PM on November 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
I have to say I’ve never heard of rehire-ability being reported by a company as part of a background check. However, if it’s common in your industry I’m sure they’re aware there are multiple possible reasons
If the end date is reported as one month either direction of what’s on your resume it will almost certainly be chalked up to the vagaries of HR departments.
In your shoes I would not say anything, but be prepared to answer fully and truthfully if anyone asks. You certainly would not be out of line taking that path — life continues, often chaotically, during a job search and everyone is aware of that. Nothing you’ve presented affects your ability to do your new job so no harm,no foul.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 6:35 PM on November 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
I think that maaaybe you could have said something when they asked about giving notice, but I don't think you had to and I don't think you've misrepresented yourself.
Did they make the offer contingent on your references/background check or something, and that's why you think it'll come back to bite you? Generally I'd think that if they extended the offer before making those calls, they'd follow up with you if they find something suspect (and I have only once heard of someone getting an offer yanked because of the "not eligible for rehire" but the reason was particularly egregious)... but I have no experience with the hiring side of startups.
Good luck!
posted by sm1tten at 6:41 PM on November 19, 2019
Did they make the offer contingent on your references/background check or something, and that's why you think it'll come back to bite you? Generally I'd think that if they extended the offer before making those calls, they'd follow up with you if they find something suspect (and I have only once heard of someone getting an offer yanked because of the "not eligible for rehire" but the reason was particularly egregious)... but I have no experience with the hiring side of startups.
Good luck!
posted by sm1tten at 6:41 PM on November 19, 2019
If you answered everything honestly, and it seems you did, I would avoid oversharing. Congratulations on the new job.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 6:45 PM on November 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 6:45 PM on November 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
One more data point for you. As a hiring manager, the trend I've seen is that when people give notice, they not infrequently get all of their credentials revoked and either get sent home on some kind of administrative leave for the duration of their notice or are just terminated on the spot. I've seen my organization do the administrative leave thing and seen new hires coming in that are suddenly "available." For those reasons and others, if there is an HR person/dept at this startup (Company B), they would have done the employment check before an offer was extended to you - no one wants to rescind an offer. I've reread your question and I'm still not one hundred percent clear about who initiated the severance conversation at Company A. Your new employer isn't going to care about getting to the bottom of a muddy situation like that, either. A startup doubly so - if anything, they will ask whether you can start sooner. Good luck with the new job.
posted by kovacs at 7:08 PM on November 19, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by kovacs at 7:08 PM on November 19, 2019 [8 favorites]
I think you're overthinking this. The "rehire" question is a philosophical one, not one of grueling logistics. If your soon-to-be-boss decides to cold-call your previous employer without your consent, (I assume you provided other references when asked for them?) they might ask "Would you hire this person again?" They're not inquiring whether the company is legally able to offer you employment again; they're asking your old boss if he would want to work with you again, having worked with you for some time and knowing your general worth as an employee. Unless you burned bridges on your way out, you're fine--you just took the money and ran. No shame there.
Also, background checks don't come back with details like "was fired for cause," unless the cause made the 6:00 news.
posted by Mayor West at 9:03 AM on November 20, 2019
Also, background checks don't come back with details like "was fired for cause," unless the cause made the 6:00 news.
posted by Mayor West at 9:03 AM on November 20, 2019
Response by poster:
HR said that employment verification would go directly through their department and wouldn't be directed to my former boss. They said they only answer employment dates, position, and eligible for rehire questions. First time in this situation with a burned bridge with the boss, but I won't be listing this former boss as a reference.
posted by ticktickatick at 10:26 AM on November 20, 2019
Did they make the offer contingent on your references/background check or something, and that's why you think it'll come back to bite you?They made the offer contingent on a background check which will be done through one of those 3rd party background check firms. So they will see hire dates and may see Eligible for Rehire status (I've heard some background check firms still ask this).
If the end date is reported as one month either direction of what’s on your resume it will almost certainly be chalked up to the vagaries of HR departments.My resume doesn't have months, just years. When I submitted my resume to the company, it said YEAR X - PRESENT. That was correct at the time it was submitted. However I didn't go out of my way to notify them when I resigned which was after Interview 2 and before Interview 3 and Job Offer.
The "rehire" question is a philosophical one, not one of grueling logistics. If your soon-to-be-boss decides to cold-call your previous employer without your consent, (I assume you provided other references when asked for them?) they might ask "Would you hire this person again?" They're not inquiring whether the company is legally able to offer you employment again; they're asking your old boss if he would want to work with you again, having worked with you for some time and knowing your general worth as an employee. Unless you burned bridges on your way out, you're fine--you just took the money and ran. No shame there.HR offered severance over my boss's head and, since I was literally handling 3 jobs and working overtime, my boss was upset that I chose to resign and upset that he/she had no say in the matter. The outsourcing hasn't been completely finalized yet and boss felt that he/she "stuck up for me" and was trying to keep my position (though he/she already said that the outsourcing was beyond his/her control anyway) only to have me leave.
HR said that employment verification would go directly through their department and wouldn't be directed to my former boss. They said they only answer employment dates, position, and eligible for rehire questions. First time in this situation with a burned bridge with the boss, but I won't be listing this former boss as a reference.
When you get to the final start date discussion you can either tell a white lie and ask for a start date in two weeks. Or you can be honest and tell them that you saw a great opportunity to take a severance package - one that would allow you to interview for even better roles - while in-process with the interview.I already gave them the start date—almost exactly 2 weeks away—over the job offer call. Right now I'm just mulling over: should I have brought up that I resigned already? When they see an an end hire date 3 weeks in advance of my start date on the background check, will they think I misrepresented myself or situation at previous job?
posted by ticktickatick at 10:26 AM on November 20, 2019
My resume doesn't have months, just years. When I submitted my resume to the company, it said YEAR X - PRESENT. That was correct at the time it was submitted. However I didn't go out of my way to notify them when I resigned which was after Interview 2 and before Interview 3 and Job Offer.
Ah, that will definitely come under the heading "things were in flux." I would just leave it alone unless asked.
In fact "leave it alone unless asked" is my suggestion for all of this. Having gone through the trouble of making an offer, they are not scraping around looking for a way to reject you.They want you to pass a background check, so you can assume a charitable reading and a chance to explain if there are questions. Sitting on your hands and waiting is your best move right now.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 4:31 PM on November 20, 2019
Ah, that will definitely come under the heading "things were in flux." I would just leave it alone unless asked.
In fact "leave it alone unless asked" is my suggestion for all of this. Having gone through the trouble of making an offer, they are not scraping around looking for a way to reject you.They want you to pass a background check, so you can assume a charitable reading and a chance to explain if there are questions. Sitting on your hands and waiting is your best move right now.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 4:31 PM on November 20, 2019
HR Manager her. Stop worrying. We never provide an answer to the eligible-for-rehire question. I simply say that that's not information we release. Every background checker I've ever said that to was completely cool with it. Companies that provide that information are setting themselves up to be sued.
This situation wouldn't raise an eyebrow at my company. Plus, we hire people all the time who may have been unemployed for several months or an extended period of time. There are all sort of reasons people may be termed, resign or otherwise end up without a job. I feel like we treat the unemployed like they're tainted somehow. You're not even unemployed. You are literally 'in between jobs'. Like literally.
Good luck in your new job!
posted by MissPitts at 7:31 PM on January 21, 2020
This situation wouldn't raise an eyebrow at my company. Plus, we hire people all the time who may have been unemployed for several months or an extended period of time. There are all sort of reasons people may be termed, resign or otherwise end up without a job. I feel like we treat the unemployed like they're tainted somehow. You're not even unemployed. You are literally 'in between jobs'. Like literally.
Good luck in your new job!
posted by MissPitts at 7:31 PM on January 21, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
I wouldn't bring it up until they ask for your references. At that point you'll probably have to mention it and it shouldn't be a big deal - not enough to rescind an offer - but make sure they understand the timeline, so they don't think you misrepresented your status on your resume.
posted by fingersandtoes at 5:49 PM on November 19, 2019