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2 Weeks Notice Before or After Background Check?

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Data Engineer at Financial Company5 months ago

I've signed an offer with a company. The company wants me to do a criminal background check. Since I don't expect anything to turn up, can/should I give my 2 weeks notice already?

The worst-case scenario would be I give my notice, then my new company has an issue and retracts the offer for whatever reason, but I don't expect that to occur.

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Discussion

(2 comments)
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    Tech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course Hero
    5 months ago

    Unless your start date is really soon and your job switching schedule is very strict, you could wait until the background check passes to give a 2-week notice (though this will push your leave date back).

    Zooming out, I would just give the notice, especially if you have a good relationship with your manager. I'm sure you'll clear the check.

  • 1
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    Tech Lead/Manager at Meta, Pinterest, Kosei
    5 months ago

    In general, minimize time between jobs to minimize risk. No need to be generous to your current company and give more than the standard notice. The specifics depend on:

    • When are you starting at the new company?
    • How much time off do you want between jobs?

    So the extreme scenario is that you're starting at the new company next week. Then you can quit your current job this week and start immediately.

    In practicality, I don't think it really matters. If the job offer you got is at a large, high-integrity company for a full-time role, feel free to give notice now and take a few weeks off.