I've been poached! How do I tell my boss this?

Career AdviceWorking Life

The majority of developers are passively looking for a job and prefer to be found instead of actively looking for a new job themselves. Sooner or later it will happen to you: You will receive an offer with exciting IT projects and an appealing tech stack that you cannot refuse. Now you face the next challenge: What deadlines have to be met, how do you teach the boss to quit and when do you tell the dev team? Find out here which rules of conduct you have to observe when changing jobs.

How do I inform my boss about my resignation?

Apart from the period of notice, which will be discussed in more detail in the next section, there is of course one thing to consider when it comes to formality – both in terms of the legal situation, but also in terms of good manners and customary dealings.

You should verbally "warn" your manager in advance and inform them of your intention to quit so that your letter of termination does not "catch them off guard". Depending on the deadline, you may have to remain in the company for a few more weeks after the termination - you don't want to spoil the working atmosphere on the last few meters! However, you can bring the signed letter of termination with you to this interview and hand it over immediately after the interview.

This is how you make your farewell

And one more thing: don't rush it and only inform your boss once your new employment contract has been signed! It is not uncommon for negotiations to fail shortly before the signature - and then you may be in a very bad position in the previous company.

Incidentally, you are not obliged to state the reasons for the termination, either in writing or verbally. Depending on how good your relationship with your manager is, you don't have to hide it either. Emphasize in a personal conversation how much you have learned, but also that you are looking forward to a new challenge. It is better to leave out negative assessments of the cooperation - if something did not go well, your manager will know it anyway. In the best-case scenario, your boss will be happy for you, wish you all the best in your new job – and is already looking forward to having made contacts with another company thanks to you. Maybe there will be a lucrative cooperation in the future?

Attention: It is essential to observe the notice periods

Of course you want to get started with the new DevJob right away. Nevertheless, notice periods are usually provided for, which must be observed. The length of the notice period also affects the length of your employment. However, be sure to check your existing employment contract before accepting your new job! This period applies from the moment of official resignation - which means you have to stay in your old job for quite a while, even though employers and possibly the tech team are already aware of your resignation. This can certainly lead to a bad atmosphere in the office, employees occasionally report that they have been transferred to another job for the past few months and have found it unpleasant

Nonetheless:

Under no circumstances should you try to cheat your previous employer, for example by calling in sick in order to be able to start the new job earlier. This is considered cheating on the employer and can lead to immediate termination - and not sticking to contracts doesn't necessarily make a good impression on the new employer either.

Instead, use the time productively to bring your tasks to a reasonable end, prepare a proper handover to your successor or teammate, and make a good impression on the shop floor. And of course, to reduce any existing overtime and vacation days!

What else is there to consider?

Depending on the employment contract, there may be a few more points that you need to consider when changing jobs. These are for example:

• Further training courses still open: If you are in a further training course at the time of termination, the employer can only ask you to reimburse the costs if this was expressly agreed before the further training course. If nothing was agreed in the event of termination of employment during the training, you do not have to reimburse anything!
• Work equipment: If your previous company provided you with work equipment such as a laptop, smartphone or even a company car, you must of course return them at the end of your employment!

Work equipment: If your previous company provided you with work equipment such as a laptop, smartphone or even a company car, you must of course return them at the end of your employment!

Don't forget the interpersonal!

When you've got all the formalities behind you, don't forget to think of your dev team! You may have worked well together over the past few years and cultivated a good team spirit. And even if the time in the company was rather moderate, there is no reason not to always behave professionally and close the door with a good feeling. The order of precedence dictates that you only inform your team members of your resignation after the supervisor. This can be done in confidential one-to-one conversations or, in consultation with your boss, publicly in a team meeting. Then you can consider whether you want to celebrate a walkout and what it should look like and how you regulate the handover.