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I am currently finishing an internship and my manager has signaled that he would like to hire me on a permanent contract. We have started talking about salary expectations and he's taking it to HR by the end of this week. Two days ago, I was contacted via LinkedIn by a professional whose company provides training through the UK apprenticeship levy. For those who don't know, the apprenticeship levy is a tax that businesses with a pay bill > £3m must pay, and it is used to upskill employees by using third-party providers such as the above mentioned professional. He asked me if my company offered apprenticeships in a particular field (I cannot specify which, in case he reads this message), which also happens to be the position I'm interested in. I told him no, they don't.

And now I realize that I've made a big mistake. If he contacts the company to propose himself as a provider of that training, my salary prospects would be seriously jeopardized. They might not hire me, or might do it on a pittance on condition that I take that training as an apprentice. I have a degree, so I wouldn't take it.

Now, I am seriously tempted to tell him that I am currently negotiating for a position in that field, and ask him to delay him contacting the company until I have been made an offer, on the grounds that I've helped him with information. Would that be sensible, or do you advise against?

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    You can try but I would advise to be very respectful and really phrase that as a favor because you're basically hostage of what he decides. Having said that I doubt your salary will change much if your employer has already issued a salary expectation to HR, it will very likely only concerns new apprentices.
    – Trueman
    Commented Sep 8, 2021 at 16:56
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    I'd just keep quiet. Although you helped him with information, it's likely to be something he could have found out anyway by different means. What he doesn't yet know, and probably never would, is that they are recruiting now for that very position, and already considering you for it. Yet you propose to reveal that to him, too. I doubt anything you've said so far has altered your chances, unless you're seriously saying that you're of no more value to the business today, than a young fresh recruit being paid a pittance, but your employer is foolish enough not to have realised yet.
    – Steve
    Commented Sep 8, 2021 at 17:01
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    You should not tell random people on Linkedin or elsewhere about internal processes in your company (including who is applying for what), and err on the side of caution when it comes to that.
    – Eike Pierstorff
    Commented Sep 9, 2021 at 7:06

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Should I ask a professional to refrain from contacting my company?

No.

Let them get on with their own job, and let your company make it's own decisions about what providers they do and do not want to work with. If that ends up affecting your offer... tough luck, that isn't your decision to make.

Focus on your own career, continue the discussions you are currently having with your employer and try to negotiate an agreement that you are both happy with.

I am of the opinion that your discussions will be wrapped up long before your boss even speaks with this "professional", let alone agrees to use their services. It really depends if they have had any prior contact already, which is sounds like they haven't.

I would also advise in the future you do not engage with random people on the internet with regards to a current employer and what their policies are. It is far too easy to say something you shouldn't have said, and that could come back to bite you.

In this instance I would have personally just ignored the request for information, but if I was inclined to reply I would say "I am not sure. You would need to speak with the HR department with regards to that". (I would also not provide contact information for HR either when they ask for it)

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    "do not engage with random people on the internet with regards to a current employer and what their policies are" spot on!
    – motosubatsu ♦
    Commented Sep 8, 2021 at 17:00
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    You're both correct. However, I did not provide any information that was not available on their website. It took me a quick Google search. But yeah, in the future I won't make it any easier for them.
    – SteP
    Commented Sep 8, 2021 at 17:02
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    @SteP: It's also worth pointing out that these type of people only care about "the sale", they will not hesitate to drop your name in a conversation if they think it will help them out. Don't be surprised if they claim to HR that they are "already in advanced discussions with one of your employees" (i.e. you), just to get a foot in the door (so to speak). It honestly is best to just stay well clear of these people/situations.
    – musefan
    Commented Sep 8, 2021 at 17:06
  • He just contacted me because he picked up on me downloading the training prospectus (dumb of me to use my real contact details, I know...). Said he'd "be in touch".
    – SteP
    Commented Sep 8, 2021 at 17:23
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Honestly, I believe you're overthinking it. Even if this provider were to contact your company today to discuss setting up a relationship to provide these apprenticeship programs and if your company were amenable to doing that nothing's going to seriously happen on that sort of thing for weeks, more likely months. These things just don't happen that quickly and it doesn't sound as though it would be applicable to hiring someone like yourself (a graduate)

It sounds as though your negotiations are reasonably far advanced and happening on a much, much shorter timeframe - I think you're going to be fine.

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You're wildly overthinking it; fortunately there's no problem

  1. forget it ever happened and say nothing

  2. when you get spam, delete it.

I was contacted via LinkedIn by

"professionals" don't spam people, and they don't use janky websites. Simply delete in the future.

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