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I may be getting a new job, but I'm concerned about when exactly to put in my two weeks notice. Here's how the vacation works for both companies:

Current job Holiday Vacation:

  • December 23 - January 2nd

New Job Holiday Vacation

  • December 24, 25, 26

My second interview is on December 18 so I may get an offer on the 19th, 22, or 23 of December. With my current job's scheduled holiday vacation coming up, the only options I have is to not put in a notice at all or put one in starting on January 5th through the 16th and start at the new job on January 19th.

How can I approach my notice so that I could potentially start my new position December 29th even though I have holiday period coming up at my current job?

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    Are you trying to start the new job earlier if possible, or are you concerned that they won't want to wait if you have to give the later notice? Could you edit to clarify what outcome you're trying to get? Thanks.
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 4:23
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    Note also that you can present your existing employer with your interest in leaving before two weeks, but offering them to stay for the full two weeks if they insist. Most employers, especially over the holidays, would be happy not to pay staff for those time periods since not a lot of work gets done anyway. If you don't ask, it's hard to know! But giving them the option to have you stay on, helps not burn the bridge.
    – Steve Midgley
    Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 5:30
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    Personally I'd be surprised if you get the offer before the new year. The hiring officals will be taking vacation time during this period just like eveyone else and unless they told you they would respond that quickly and need you that quickly, it is likely to eb Jan or even Feb before they finish hiring for this position.
    – HLGEM
    Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 16:15
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    I doubt you will get an offer that quickly. It will likely take a week to get the package in order and then you are towards the end of the year. You will be given a period of time for which you are to consider the offer, go for negotiation (you want to do this part), etc. So in all likelihood, you wouldn't be putting your two weeks in until mid-Jan at the earliest.
    – Engineer2021
    Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 19:01
  • Likely, you don't even have to give two weeks' notice. It's a courtesy.
    – 300D7309EF17
    Commented Dec 18, 2014 at 19:36

2 Answers 2

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Another option, and the one I'd recommend: Tell your new employer that you will not be able to start less than two work weeks after you have received, and accepted, their formal offer, and give notice then.

They should have no objection to that, since (a) you should never quit a job until you have the firm offer for the next one in hand, if you can possibly avoid it, and (b) they'd want you to offer them the same courtesy if someone was trying to hire you away from them in turn. If they object, I'd consider that a bit of a warning sign...

(Afterthought: Note that I said two work weeks. Holidays and site closings don't count. The purpose of the notice period is to provide a reasonable opportunity for management to have you tie up loose ends and give your replacement some training, so your departure doesn't hurt them more than it has to.)

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    I will say, I used to use "can you start sooner?" as a probing question with people I interview. You can get an incredible amount of information from how people react to that question. (more than just what to expect when they leave your job, you can figure out priorities, ambitions, etc with that and whatever follow up question is appropriate to their response.)
    – Eric J Fisher
    Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 16:07
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What is decent way to handle this without "burning bridges"?

The decent way to handle a 2-week notice is to hand in your notice 2 weeks before your last day on the job.

Anything less than that is likely to be viewed as less-than-professional. That may or may not cause burned bridges.

Consider this before you set your start date at your new job, and factor in any holidays or other days off. Your future employer is likely to understand this, as this is not a very uncommon situation.

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    The two weeks notice normally includes any holidays but often does not allow for the person to take vacation. So I wouild consider if I wanted to give notice before the first qwwork day in Jan if I was needing to take vacation during this time period.
    – HLGEM
    Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 16:17
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    I would add that you may want to have things in a deliverable state (or as close to it as reasonably possible) on the day you deliver that notice. Many companies will escort you out the day you put in your two weeks' notice. (They still keep you on the books, as they're legally required to do so.) If your affairs aren't in order, you'll still be viewed as the guy that left them with a steaming pile of mess to fix when you left.
    – corsiKa
    Commented Dec 17, 2014 at 1:00

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