5 ms·

Get a new job first. Then quit. Downside: You're in a sucky environment for 1-6 months longer. Upside: You have a LOT more negotiating leverage for your next

by fsk 12y ago

Get a new job first. Then quit. Downside: You're in a sucky environment for 1-6 months longer. Upside: You have a LOT more negotiating leverage for your next job.

joezydeco 12y ago
You might also temporarily benefit if others on your team start quitting before you. Management might throw some short-term things your way if you smile politely and play along until you have the next position lined up. The trick is to NOT LET THEM KNOW you're looking. Don't take recruiter/interview calls during work hours. Don't use company computers to scrub job boards and handle applications. Your impulse is to walk away, and that's a hard impulse to fight, but believe me it will look better during interviews when you don't have a gap on your resume. How will you answer questions about that? "Oh, I walked away in a huff when I didn't get a raise" signals that you could be a potential problem if/when problems arise at your new employer as well. Every company has financial hiccups. Even if you aced your work every single quarter there are going to be cashflow problems somewhere else. Dig in, put your ear to the ground, and find out what is really happening in your company.
simonebrunozzi 12y ago
It depends. If you're "hot" in the market and/or if you have a big emergency fund, consider having a 1-2 month mini-sabbatical between jobs (you can even ask the new employer to postpone the starting date). You will never get a chance like that. Of course, it doesn't always work, it really depends on the situation.
- fsk 12y ago
  The problem with quitting before getting a new job is: There's no guarantee you can find a new job right away, no matter how hot your skills are or how brilliant you are. Also, you have less negotiating leverage when you're unemployed. If you are currently making $X and you get an offer for $X, you probably could negotiate for $X+10 or $X+20. If you're unemployed, and have been on the market awhile, you might get lowballed into taking $X or $X-10. That actually happened for my current job. The boss was considering initially offering me my current salary, but I honestly said "I'm not so sure. Maybe I'll just keep looking instead." Then he wound up offering a 30% rate increase.
logn 12y ago
Except that if you quit and they offer to boost your pay, it's hard to take that offer if you've already (or nearly) accepted another job. It might help to use a reference from the current employer too which is possible if you quit first.

by fsk 12y ago

Get a new job first. Then quit. Downside: You're in a sucky environment for 1-6 months longer. Upside: You have a LOT more negotiating leverage for your next job.

joezydeco 12y ago

You might also temporarily benefit if others on your team start quitting before you. Management might throw some short-term things your way if you smile politely and play along until you have the next position lined up. The trick is to NOT LET THEM KNOW you're looking. Don't take recruiter/interview calls during work hours. Don't use company computers to scrub job boards and handle applications. Your impulse is to walk away, and that's a hard impulse to fight, but believe me it will look better during interviews when you don't have a gap on your resume. How will you answer questions about that? "Oh, I walked away in a huff when I didn't get a raise" signals that you could be a potential problem if/when problems arise at your new employer as well. Every company has financial hiccups. Even if you aced your work every single quarter there are going to be cashflow problems somewhere else. Dig in, put your ear to the ground, and find out what is really happening in your company.

simonebrunozzi 12y ago

It depends. If you're "hot" in the market and/or if you have a big emergency fund, consider having a 1-2 month mini-sabbatical between jobs (you can even ask the new employer to postpone the starting date). You will never get a chance like that. Of course, it doesn't always work, it really depends on the situation.

fsk 12y ago
The problem with quitting before getting a new job is: There's no guarantee you can find a new job right away, no matter how hot your skills are or how brilliant you are. Also, you have less negotiating leverage when you're unemployed. If you are currently making $X and you get an offer for $X, you probably could negotiate for $X+10 or $X+20. If you're unemployed, and have been on the market awhile, you might get lowballed into taking $X or $X-10. That actually happened for my current job. The boss was considering initially offering me my current salary, but I honestly said "I'm not so sure. Maybe I'll just keep looking instead." Then he wound up offering a 30% rate increase.

logn 12y ago

Except that if you quit and they offer to boost your pay, it's hard to take that offer if you've already (or nearly) accepted another job. It might help to use a reference from the current employer too which is possible if you quit first.