What are my requirements when interviewing for a new job while already being employed?

Question

I just started working at firm A 3 months ago, and firm B has reached out to me to interview with them. What are my responsibilities in informing my current employer that I am in any way doing so, if anything at all?

Answer 1

In general, nothing. You're generally free to interview elsewhere. Of course, you still have an obligation not to disclose A's sensitive information during your interviews. If you accept a job with B, you'd put in your 2 weeks notice with A and move on.

With that being said

• 3 months is a pretty short time to stay at A. That's generally just long enough to have started to come up to speed at a new employer (different industries and employers obviously differ). Often, leaving A that soon is going to burn a bridge which could come back to bite you later-- you often run into people in the same industry and location many times over the years. That's not to say that you need to pass up a great opportunity with B just because it happens to come so soon, but you shouldn't make it a habit to leave that quickly.
• If you have a non-compete agreement with A that would impact your ability to work for B, you'd want to talk with your own lawyer (preferable) or B's legal department to understand what you need to do to comply with the terms of the agreement.
• If you feel like you need to go beyond the baseline requirements of professionalism in dealing with A, you can of course do that if you understand how it may backfire. For example, it's relatively common for employees of a startup to wear a bunch of hats which makes them difficult to replace (though it's unlikely that you've made yourself irreplaceable in three months). If you want to provide more than the normal notice period, you're free to do so. Just know that your current employer may let you go immediately when you tender your resignation and be prepared to make sure you can either live without a paycheck for a couple weeks or that you can start with B early.

Answer 2

What are my responsibilities in informing my current employer that I am in any way doing so

You do not need to inform your current employer that you are looking elsewhere.