ALT-11 Deciding whether to Give two Weeks Notice or not
Except in the most extreme situations, such as a job with conditions so hazardous that your physical well being is in jeopardy, it is always best to give two weeks notice when leaving a job. It is a well-established procedure that ultimately benefits both employer and employee, and veering from this standard can cause you many problems down the line.
In the first place, it is simply common courtesy to let your employer know that you are resigning your position with that company. Two-weeks' notice gives your current employer valuable time needed to find a replacement, especially if you are in a position that it critical to the smooth operation of the business. By leaving on good terms, you are also more likely to receive a letter of recommendation from your boss if you ask for one.
For your new employer, giving proper notice is an indication of what you will do when you leave his company. As a manager, it always sends up red flags when someone who is currently employed applies for a position with me and says they can start immediately. This lets me know that the person is not going to give his current employer two weeks' notice, and that he likely would not give me notice either when the time comes. There have been times when this was enough to cause me to give the job to another applicant, especially when the two were equally strong in all other areas.
One last reason it is important to give notice is that often the only information a former employer will give a prospective new employer is your dates of employment, final salary, and whether or not you are eligible for rehire at that company. With many organizations, quitting with no notice makes you ineligible for rehire. By doing so you not only burn your bridges with your current company unnecessarily, you give a prospective employer a reason to eliminate you from consideration. Since most applications ask for work history going back at least ten years, this is an issue that can haunt you several jobs into the future.
Therefore, the benefits of giving two weeks' notice, even at a job you have come to despise, far outweigh the minimal relief you receive by getting out as fast as you can. Leaving on positive terms with you manager or supervisor keeps open invaluable networking doors that you will most likely need at some point in the future. It helps you, helps them, and is ultimately simply the right thing to do.
