Got a new job!

[wickedwords]

I have been contracting off and on for the past 5 years, and I have just accepted a perm position. This contract was supposed to run out at the beginning of may, so I had 4 weeks left; technically I only have to give a 2 weeks notice, so I'm thinking I can start the new job in 3 weeks. The only problem is that the transition of my old job will be 'hey new guy, here's my stuff, bye!' so it kind of leaves them in a lurch as those last 2 weeks would have been my transition time.

Should I stress it or not? It really is only 2 weeks.

Comments

[mlyn]

You should not stress it. You don't owe them any more than the two weeks, and it's up to them to train further than that. Plus, you have a new job; it's not like it's going to reflect poorly on you to future employers if you left your last job suddenly!

[wickedwords]

The overwhelming response agrees with you, which means I need to get that letter of resignation out to my company today, tomorrow at the latest. Thanks!

[amalthia]

If your current place didn't want to be left in a lurch they could have offered you a full time benefited position. I'm not sure you owe them anything beyond your contracted time.

[wickedwords]

True! I love my current boss, and didn't want to leave her scrambling. But two weeks shouldn't be too bad, even if it is a busy time for us. Thanks!

[copracat]

Yes, what everyone else said. If they wanted more than two weeks transition then they should have required more than two weeks notice. Your priority is you and having a break between jobs. Personal admin time is vital!

[wickedwords]

You're right. I do need a break between jobs, and I shouldn't let my sense of responsibility overwhelm me. It's not my company, and I'm not an employee; I just contract there.

[meri_oddities]

Congrats on the new job. I totally would NOT stress about it. You've got better things to do with your time. Really.

[wickedwords]

thanks. you are always so sensible about these things.

[kass]

Yay, perm position!

[wickedwords]

Big \0/!

[elynross]

You absolutely shouldn't stress! They're lucky you didn't get a permanent position even earlier. And congrats, that's great!

[wickedwords]

I'm very excited! The key sticking point with my boss is that my replacement had to give 2 weeks notice, so we wouldn't have met if I only gave 2 weeks notice. So I told her I'd be out Fri April 22 through Thursday April 28 to shift everything over, and the 29th if need be. That made her happy, and I feel like she is taken care of, yet I still get a week off before the new job!

[lapillus]

Congrats on the old job and you absolutely shouldn't stress over two weeks notice. Two days, sure, two weeks, no; if they wanted you to stick around they could always have offered a permanent position.

[wickedwords]

Yeah, we did the perm job dance on my last couple of contracts with this company, and I am just as happy that they didn't try it this time; it seems the surest way of getting a mass layoff or hiring freeze to happen. I have no faith that a perm position would be that perm with them anymore. I ended up going for a 'work 2 weeks out of the 3' but a couple of days are at the end of the cycle, so that I could be in the office at the same time as my replacement. That made current boss happy and I felt like I had taken care of her, so everyone was good with that except for my current contracting company who would just as soon that I worked the whole darn thing.

[wickdzoot]

No, you should not stress. Do everything as responsibly as you can, document things that aren't already documented, and then let it go. And congrats on the perm.

[wickedwords]

Thanks! It's nice to be able to plan for longer than a year of employment.

[wickdzoot]

Believe me, I get that. I just got a perm job after a four month contract that came after nearly three years of unemploymentr, so totally get that.

just curious...

[talking_sock]

Did you want to get a perm job (I guess you did)? And why, if so? I am still contracting and have occasional people ask me to go perm (like a startup right now) but there are so many time/vacation benefits with not being perm. OTOH, yeah, costs.

Congrats :)

Re: just curious...

[wickedwords]

Yes, I did want a perm slot with paid vacation and a job with a more technical bent. I've been doing contract PM work, and I wanted something more hands on. I was getting tired of the special contract lifecycle here, where you can only work 1 year for any group, then have to wait out 3 months before you could hire on again. Plus the pay was not making me happy, as the rates right now are pretty repressed as there is such a large pool of workers from india that are willing to take a lot less.

The company I have gone to starts with 18 days paid vacation, and around 15 holidays (they take Martin Luther King day off for example). And the pay is good, with a yearly bonus and stock grant that'll give me significantly more than I am making now. Tech wise, they are using a data vault design for their data warehouse, which I haven't used before, plus they are bringing in business objects. So it will do great things for my resume, and I won't have to stress over finding a new job every 15 months, so yes. Perm work for this company sounds great to me right now.

Re: just curious...

[talking_sock]

Those are good reasons. I don't like PM work myself, and the pay for it is pretty poor. I'm looking for more technical and less UX work myself, for stress reasons. If I could find a place that would employ me 4 days a week, or give me 4 weeks of vacation, I'd go for it too.

[ruric.livejournal.com]

Don't stress it. Company has not treated you well so you don't owe them anything!

Congrats on new job!

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'll try not to let my sense of responsibility overwhelm my common sense.

[mollyamory.livejournal.com]

When I asked about this a couple of years ago, the overwhelming response was that two weeks notice is a business standard and you basically only need to give more notice if you're working for your in-laws. Any business with decent staffing practices will be able to cope with that length of notice, and if they don't have decent staffing practices that is still not your problem. Go! Be free!

Back to the river!

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

LOL! Thanks, that is very good advice.

Congratulations!

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

Don't stress. Giving notice is enough--that is what "at will" is all about, for both parties. Companies feel no guilt about not even giving two weeks' notice to end a contract early. I've seen that happen to numerous folks, and it happened to me.

Companies that use contractors/vendors accept this as the downside to using that time of worker. They can bear the cost.

FEEL NO GUILT!

Re: Congratulations!

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Oh, very good point. The company furloughed me without notice, and I have seen lots of contracts end early due to budget cuts, so I really shouldn't feel guilty about bailing 2 weeks early for a perm job. Thanks!

[marthawells.livejournal.com]

Congrats!

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I am looking forward to full time employment.

[kimberlite.livejournal.com]

Congrats! Feel no guilt -- go forth and conquer. ;)

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[thepouncer.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about the two weeks. You need to take care of yourself

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

I found a happy medium, in that I will work 2 weeks over a 2 week span, so I can meet with my replacement at the end of the whole thing. That made my boss happy, which made me happy, so we are both good.

[alexfandra.livejournal.com]

Whoo hoo! Congratulations!!!

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm going to be very happy not having to look for a new job every year. That's the real excitment!

[rhi]

Honestly? I'd say give them the notice now. It gives them an extra week to get someone in, so you don't worry about that. If they decide to let you go after 2 weeks (some companies are just dumb like that), you have a week to yourself to get things in order before you start the new permanent job, which I think you'd been kinda looking forward to after this contract?

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am looking forward to having a place to settle for awhile, and do the silly team building things. I've given notice, and have sent my last date for the end of the month, but I'm only working 2 weeks out of the 3. It's just my last couple of days will be at the end of week 3, so I can overlap some on the new hire.

[rhi]

Great! I hope you enjoy both the days off and the new job!

[falzalot.livejournal.com]

Yay job!! And don't fret about the 2 weeks.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Got a solution to the problem that made both my current boss and I happy, so we are good. I start the new one May 2nd, yay!

[boogieshoes.livejournal.com]

yay, job!

-ba

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[pun.livejournal.com]

I was in the same situation of having to give less notice than I wanted to and not really transition from my old job to my new job and really pretty much left my old job right at a critical phase of a project. I was wracked with guilt, but in the end realized that I had to do what was right for me. And, I finally convinced myself, fabulous as I am, I'm not so irreplaceable that their world would fall apart without me.

Two weeks notice is standard and fair. Don't feel guilty.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much for talking about what you went through, I came to the same conclusion, and found a solution that work for both my boss and I, so I'm not feeling any guilt about it. I'm very excited about the prospect of moving on to the next big thing. :)