Should I Tell a Prospective Employer I’m Looking For a 2nd Job?

Question

I’m happy with my current job and I have no plans to leave the company I’m working for. But I’m also the sole breadwinner for my family and inflation is making it increasingly difficult to live on a single source of income. I need a second job.

I have a particular skill set that I have a ton of experience with (over 10 years), and is relatively brainless for me at this point. There are lots of postings on LinkedIn and other sites looking for full-time remote workers with that skill set alone. I’ve accumulated a portfolio of work over the years that I’ve carried with me between jobs before, and I figure I could easily make part-time work out of a full-time job if that one thing were my only responsibility.

Should I tell this to a prospective employer? When would be the appropriate time to bring it up? I don’t want to get hired under false pretenses, but it also seems like a sure-fire way to have your application round-filed.

Answer 1

Almost all employers have a policy around doing work elsewhere: It ranges from "it's fine", "must be disclosed", "must be approved" to "nope".

First check with your current employer. Make sure what you are planning to do is in compliance with your current contract and policies.

With a new employer, you will have to bring this up pretty early, maybe the first phone screen. It's going to be a non-starter for a non-trivial amount of employers, so it doesn't really help anyone if you drag it out for too long. You don't want to show up on day 1, look a the employee handbook and find that moonlighting is forbidden. That doesn't help anyone.

Answer 2

When the new employer asks you the question "Why are you looking out for job" -- at that time you tell the reason (inflation etc)

But before that make sure you tell the issues with your current manager. I think you have legitimate points. It can so happen that your current company gives you the hike.