Supposed to give 3 months notice?!

LegacyUser

Got a job when I finished college. However I am really not happy where I am for a number of reasons and I am going to start looking around for other jobs.
However as the title suggests, it says on my contract that I have to give 3 months notice which is surely ridiculous for someone at my level?
If I get offered a new job I imagine I will only get 2 weeks maybe 1 month at best.

In short, if I leave earlier than 3 months whats the worst that could happen?
Bear in mind I didn't get a sign on bonus or anything extravagant like that and I'm not exactly upper management.

skallywag

It does not strike me as ridiculous, and I also entered a job with a three month notice period when I left college.

Was your employer open and upfront about the three month notice period at the beginning? From what you have written I am assuming this was actually written down in the employment contract that you signed?

On the other hand, what are the chances that your employer will actually want you to work out this notice period? Unless you are currently doing a task where nobody can possibly replace you then most employers will want a demotivated employee out sooner rather than later.

daheff

3 months notice is becoming more common place.

The thinking behind it is to give company time to get a replacement for you. 3 months gives HR time to go through the red tape to get approval for replacement and hire the replacement. However the problem with this is that they are assuming other companies have a 1 month notice period. so as more and more companys go to 3 month notice period it becomes a mute point. The notice period will not give time to get somebody in as you leave.

the other idea behind 3 months is to give enough time for you to handover to others within your company & finish any projects you are working on.

Now, where does that leave you? Well if you go looking for a job with a 3 month notice period it makes it more difficult to stand out from other candidates with 1 month...especially at the lower end of the job scale. If you have a negative point you go behind similar candidates without that.

so what do you do? well you can, when asked in interview, mention that you have a 3 month notice period, but that its negotiable. You can negotiate with your current employer a reasonable notice period (eg 1 month) and a proper handover (dont make it sound like blackmail though...I wont handover unless you give me 1 months notice).

OR -and you really need to judge how reasonable your current employer is


You can give 3 months notice to your employer, and call in sick after the 1st month (eg only really giving them 1 month). But be sure that if you do that, you wont be getting a reference off them again.

If you had a job offer that you really really wanted then you might be best to do all you can to take it up. Be sure that your company isnt working in your best interests, so you have to look after your own interests (immediate and long term).

Give your three months notice now and look for work in the meantime telling potential new employers that you are available in the new year?

It would give you a long break at Christmas but it would be a brave approach.
Negotiate a shorter notice period in any new job.

I had a one week notice period in my last contract job - I gave them two weeks notice to be nice.

Agent J

Hey OP.

I very recently had to deal with similar notice period. I'd always avoid burning bridges whenever possible. Bear in mind some employers will look for most recent work place as a reference.

What I did was hand it in and start the clock running without having something firm to go to. It is stepping off a cliff but it can be a calcuatled risk depending on your circumstance. Make sure you have some savings or have a plan to live on zero income for 2 months as if you leave a job without just cause you will not get the dole for 9 weeks potentially.

My original game plan looked like this.

Month 1: I fixed up my linkedin and began scouting around to get an idea of what was available and what I would like.
Month 2: Started applying for Jobs I'd actually really like and keep an active watch on other potentials
Month 3: Allow interviews for jobs I'd actually like and start applying for jobs lower down my list.
Month 4: (Now actually finished original job) Free for anything interviews and start applying left right and centre.

Now this worked out for me because I got offered a job I really liked 2/3 weeks before notice ended to start in about 6/7 weeks.

However you need to consider the time of the year as well. Sept- Oct.. maybe even into mid Nov is a good hiring time for places.
Anything from Dec to Mid Jan is a total dead zone for recruitment so I would really think about that first before handing in notice now.

Best of luck!