In the process of redundancy - shall I disclose this to potential future employers?

Question

There are cuts in the company I work for and I've been one of those selected for redundancy. In my case it is going to take a few weeks.

Both before learning about it and afterwards I applied to positions at other companies. These application procedures are ongoing right now - for some I already had interviews, for others the interviews are yet to happen.

My questions is - shall I disclose the ongoing process of redundancy to these prospective employers?

I feel torn on this.

On one hand, I am technically still an employee.

On another, if an offer is made this may be after the end of my current employment so any reference supplied my current employer is likely to list the employment as having ended a short time (maybe even just days) after the prospective offer. So, a future employer may realise that I have been in a process of redundancy.

However, disclosing the process of redundancy would make my negotiation hand weaker - if a prospective employer knows that my current employment is coming to an end they might try to offer a lower salary.

I'm not sure how to proceed in this case.

Answer 1

The only thing to worry about in this case would be the potential red flag that might pop into a recruiters mind: "is he being let go because he's the weakest team member"

You will need to position yourself to address this as it probably won't be asked but will be an obstacle.

However, disclosing the process of redundancy would make my negotiation hand weaker - if a prospective employer knows that my current employment is coming to an end they might try to offer a lower salary.

This is a real possibility and probably not a lot you can do about it. It would take a very highly moral man to not hold this against you in some way and try to take advantage of you and unfortunately such bosses are rare.

Having been through a redundancy myself these are the top two tips I can give you. It becomes a case of "any port in a storm". If you need to be underpaid for a while then it's definitely better than being unemployed.

Answer 2

shall I disclose the ongoing process of redundancy to these prospective employers?

DEFINITELY NOT! That will be a huge leverage against you during the negotiations. Since you will lose your job anyway, you will have to settle for less - and your potential new employer will surely force you into it.

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I am technically still an employee

So what? Most of the people changing jobs are still employees while searching for better alternatives.

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So, a future employer may realise that I have been in a process of redundancy

So what? Their problem. You may even claim ignorance, that you were not aware of the redundancy. Or even better, that you had plans to change jobs anyway - the redundancy being just a coincidence.

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However, disclosing the process of redundancy would make my negotiation hand weaker

Actually, it is even worse: it will make your hand practically paralyzed. I have been through this kind of negotiation - it was a take it or leave it - and what they offered was a terrible disaster, I refused it without any regrets ever.

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Bottom line: the less the new company knows, the better. Sell yourself to the best - that is the shape of the job market today. Companies are NEVER your friends, regardless of how nice they talk. If you happen to find an exception, just enjoy the new place and be thankful.

You need to learn from the rules of writing a good CV:

• present every information which benefits you;
• omit all information that might hurt you;
• don't lie.

Answer 3

My questions is - shall I disclose the ongoing process of redundancy to these prospective employers?

Yes - disclose. You don't need to go into details, other than what you put here. Make sure they know its not just you.

I like @solarflare's answer, but wrote this as I felt it didn't give an answer to the specific question you asked - although, it's my opinion and what I would do (in fact have done more than once).

However, disclosing the process of redundancy would make my negotiation hand weaker - if a prospective employer knows that my current employment is coming to an end they might try to offer a lower salary.

Yes, they might, and as @solarflare says "any port in a storm" is better than unemployment. If they do this to you, turn it around and leave them later (not weeks! months/years) when it best suits you.

My feeling is that this is less likely to happen if you tell them you got a good severance package. Again, don't go into details. You should aim for "I want a job now, but don't need one" in your attitude and negotiating stance. You shouldn't lie, but you don't need to give them all the facts.

Answer 4

What you should tell them is how quickly you are available to start. In the UK, notice periods can be quite long, so if someone is deciding to leave their company and not giving notice until they signed a new contract, the new employer may have to wait three months, and that is normal. If they have to wait only 1 month for you, that's a lot better.

And as Justin said, go in there with confidence. You want a job, but you don't need it now - at least that's what you say. The impression you give makes all the difference.