'My Boss Establish Out I'yard Chore Hunting!'

Love Boss,

I'k a few years into my current task and have been looking for roles in a unlike field. After a long chore-search process and many interview rounds , information technology's finally down to only me and one other candidate for a position I'm really excited nearly. Well-nigh ii weeks have passed since the final interview and I haven't heard anything, even after a quick follow-up email . Simply concluding calendar week, my current boss all of a sudden told me that he knows I'grand a finalist for the job! It turns out, one of the interviewers knew my boss from a long fourth dimension agone and talked well-nigh my candidacy to a few people in the field who know both me and my boss — and discussion eventually got effectually to my boss.

I was stunned. My boss seemed relatively supportive, merely he said he wants to put upwardly a job posting for my current part and asked me to start creating transition documents. I told him that of course I want to practise everything I can to make the transition easier, and that I appreciate his support, but those steps feel a niggling premature, specially considering I really call back I didn't get the job!

Almost every other day last week, my boss asked if I'd heard back so he can post my job online. Frankly, I'chiliad pretty frustrated that the interviewer talked nearly my candidacy to other people, and that it got back to my boss when I have no offer in hand . I don't know what to do! Should I talk to the new visitor'due south HR section, or tell my interviewers what happened? What should I say to my electric current boss to make sure I'k not pushed out? And at present that my boss knows I'm itching to exit, how will I keep job hunting if it doesn't work out?

This is every chore seeker's nightmare!

When you're interviewing for a chore, potential employers are supposed to treat your candidacy with discretion. Typically you lot haven't yet told your current employer that yous're thinking nearly leaving — and generally, it'south understood that if they notice out also shortly, y'all take chances getting pushed out before than you intended.

In really dysfunctional workplaces, sometimes that's a vindictive human action — similar "How dare yous consider leaving us?! We don't tolerate disloyalty here!" Only in your case, since your dominate is acting supportive of your search, information technology sounds like he just figures that if y'all're actively planning to leave, he'd better swing into activity then there isn't a vacancy on the squad for long. That leaves you in a terrible position, though, because you haven't accepted another offering yet (and you might not fifty-fifty go ane, or make up one's mind to turn information technology down).

I would do two things. Offset, contact the employer you lot interviewed with and explain the situation. You're assuming you didn't get the job because you haven't heard anything from them in two weeks — merely I wouldn't assume that at all. Hiring often takes a lot longer than anyone expects it to, even for the people who are leading the search. So information technology's possible that you're still in the running, and they might become you an answer more than quickly after hearing that they put yous in an awkward position. When yous contact them, say something like: "My electric current manager has told me that he heard I'm interviewing with you. Manifestly he and [the name of your interviewer] accept mutual acquaintances, and she spoke nearly my candidacy to them, and word ended up reaching him earlier than I'd intended. Since he now thinks I'm planning to leave, I'd be grateful for any updates you accept on your timeline for making a decision."

If the interviewer had talked directly to your boss, I'd suggest more pointedly maxim, "This has put me in an bad-mannered position." Merely it's possible the interviewer was doing informal reference checks, thinking it would exist kept confidential, and the people in the wrong were those common acquaintances who spilled the beans to your boss. In your case I'd merely go on it very factual – word has reached your boss, and yous'd appreciate an updated timeline. The subtext of that is still, "Y'all've created a tough situation for me."

Best example scenario, they become back to you and say they're preparing an offer (and, of course, that it turns out to be one you want to accept). But y'all also might hear that things are just taking longer than they expected and they need another week or two or, yeah, that you're out of the running. But whatsoever of these options are meliorate than you speculating about what'southward going on.

The more of import conversation, though, is with your boss. Sit down down with him and say: "You're moving frontward equally if I'yard leaving, only I don't have any current plans to practise that. I did interview with Company X because the task looked interesting enough that I wanted to learn more than virtually it, but I'm non confident I'd take the role even if they offered information technology to me. As of now, I have no plans to get out, and I'm concerned that you're operating equally if I am." (And to be articulate, what you're maxim is true. The other company could make yous a lowball offer, or you could decide non to have it for some other reason. Task searching does non mean you're absolutely going to leave, and it'south reasonable to enquire your employer to operate as if you're staying until you take actual plans to the contrary.) So say, "I will admittedly give you lot plenty of notice if I always decide to move on, only that'due south not where I am right now. I'm extremely concerned that if you post my job, I could exist pushed out of my position. I want to be very articulate: I am non resigning, and it does not brand sense to annunciate my position right at present, any more than information technology would make sense to advertise it if this had never happened."

Of course, in response to that, your boss might ask if you're actively job searching. A prophylactic and reasonable answer is, "I'chiliad ever open to talking almost other opportunities, merely I don't have plans to leave right now." Again, this is truthful. It besides matters that the stakes here are much higher for you than for your boss — yous risk getting pushed out of your job earlier you're ready to leave, thus jeopardizing your ability to pay your bills. He risks some inconvenience (the same type of inconvenience he'll have with most resigning employees). The stakes are just not comparable.

Now, volition information technology be awkward if you exercise take the job offer and resign a few weeks from now? Yes, probably. But yous'll take been honest nigh the fact that y'all're open to considering other offers, and sometimes the timing just isn't cracking. If yous practice ultimately get this job, you tin can even say that explicitly to your boss: "I realize the timing here is bad. When we talked about information technology recently, I didn't have an offer. I hope you can understand I was in an awkward position, in beingness asked about this earlier I had anything solid to convey."

Good luck.

Society Alison Green's volume, Ask a Managing director: Clueless Colleagues, Dejeuner-Stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work, here. Got a question for her? Email askaboss@nymag.com. Her advice column appears hither every Tuesday.

'My Dominate Found Out I'thou Job Hunting!'