I have an interview I took an afternoon off to attend. This is interview number 3, and was told by that company that this was the final interview. If I am offered and accept a job offer with this company on that day, would it be inappropriate to put in my 2 weeks notice the very next day? Or would it be better if I waited until Monday?

The industry is software. I am on great terms with my current company.

closed as primarily opinion-based by Dukeling, scaaahu, Snow, gnat, Draken Mar 28 '18 at 10:58


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    I assume you meant "If I am offered and accept a job offer"... You definitely shouldn't quit your current job just because you got an interview ;) – Steve-O Mar 27 '18 at 13:24
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    Are you expecting to get an offer on the very same day as the interview? Because in my experience that's not very likely to happen... – Cronax Mar 27 '18 at 13:43
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    @Cronax I guess I should have mentioned that this is the third interview and I was told this should be the final interview before the offer. Will edit now. – anonymous216 Mar 27 '18 at 13:56
  • If you got a written job offer and you signed it, then yes, turning in your 2 weeks notice as soon as possible is wise. Even if they said you got the job, don't turn in the notice until you have a signed document. – Dan Mar 27 '18 at 15:37
  • It seems unlikely to matter. Why do you think it would be more appropriate to give notice later? It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that you probably went for an interview regardless of whether you give notice the next day or a week later. – Dukeling Mar 27 '18 at 16:09

This question is somewhat opinion based. That said, a typical approach would be to wait until you have enough details, in writing, to accept the new job, before you quit your current job. It's subtle, but "am offered and accept a job" can mean different things to different people.

In other words, consider this scenario:

  • You attend the interview, the hiring manager tells you he wants to hire you, and mentions a salary range verbally. You tell him you're interested, verbally. Don't put in notice or mention to your current employer that you're leaving your current job until you have a specific salary you're happy with, in writing, and also understand other terms of the offer - PTO, benefits, hours, etc - whatever's important to you.

Contrasted with:

  • After the interview, the HR rep hands you a letter detailing the entire compensation package, and other details, and you're happy with it. HR asks you to sign and accept, you go home for the rest of the afternoon, think it over, and that evening you accept it and return the written response to them. At that point, it's reasonable to resign and give your current employer notice of your final day immediately.
  • I think it's important to point out what others have said. The second scenario is not very likely, most employers take at least a few hours/days (sometimes weeks) after the interview to make up their mind before offering a position. Still, I think the important message is to wait until you have details in writing and have officially accepted before informing your current employer. Don't quit before everything is lined up, officially, at the new employer. It's easy to get "trigger happy" and quit prematurely based on verbal comments. – dwizum Mar 27 '18 at 14:01
  • +1, any other approach can leave you scuppered if the contract you are given doesn't match what you thought you agreed to. Leaving the resignation until you have signed and accepted the employment contract means you are definitely staying employed and on terms you agree with. – Bilkokuya Mar 27 '18 at 14:40

It's usually best to take some time to read over the offer and have a few days to think about it before accepting.

You won't want to walk into something you'll regret later if there's something about the offer or the role that you overlooked.

  • I've updated my answer to explain "This is interview number 3, and was told by that company that this was the final interview.". I will not be jumping into the job on the first interview. – anonymous216 Mar 27 '18 at 14:01
  • It doesn't matter if it's the 1st, 3rd or the 33rd interview. You should still take the time to read over the job offer properly. There's not going to be a huge rush for you to accept immediately. – Snow Mar 27 '18 at 14:09
  • Indeed: I've had a few sneaky things slip into the offer letter that weren't necessarily adequately discussed in interviews. – msanford Mar 27 '18 at 15:02

It's unlikely that you would get an offer on the interview day. Typically the next steps are

  • interview team gets together, compares notes and then the hiring manager makes the call
  • If there are more candidates in the pipeline and interviews are already scheduled, they will want to do these first
  • Then the offer needs to get drafted and approved by the food chain.
  • At some point, there may some negotiation. Before the offer is formally written, there is often a verbal check and whether the conditions are ok or not. This can be about money, benenfits, relo, PTO, etc.
  • After the formal offer is extended you typically have a period of a few days to review and accept. Reviewing is important: read every sentence carefully and make sure you get a copy of the relevant "boiler plate".

However, you may get asked the question during the interview "when can you start?" A good answer is something like "three weeks after I have the written offer". When deciding about the time frame, you should

  1. Take a good look at what it takes to leave your current job in an orderly fashion
  2. How important it really is to the new employer
  3. Any timing of bonus, equity, sign-on incentives, etc.
  4. Consider taking some time off. Between jobs is a really good opportunity to relax and enjoy life for a bit.
  • I've updated my answer to explain "This is interview number 3, and was told by that company that this was the final interview." – anonymous216 Mar 27 '18 at 13:57

In addition to all the advice about taking the time to review the offer, and then signing your acceptance, ask the new company for the earliest or most convenient start date.

I worked for one company that had a policy that they only started new employees on the first day of the pay period. They had the policy because they were hiring dozens of employees and had a whole day set aside for paperwork, required briefings, and mandatory training.

If you new company has a similar policy and you give your two weeks notice the day after you sign the offer, you could end up being unemployed for almost two weeks while waiting for the scheduled start day.

There is almost never a need to rush the process. They know that many employees have to put in notice with their old company, and the new company needs time to prepare for a new employee.
