URGENT! Company contacting current employer

[yankeeyosh]

I have to fill out this application for a job I am interviewing for tomorrow. They ask "may we call your current employer now? If "no", when". What do I say? I know they have to do background checks, but I assume they do it after you get the offer. Shoudl I just say "no", and "after an offer is made"?

[winneythepooh7]

I think "after an offer is made" is totally appropriate. I don't know too many people, including myself, who would want their current employer to know they are looking. Especially if there is a chance that nothing may even come from it. I also think you can clarify this during the interview. You can say something like "I am looking for an opportunity to advance and unfortunately, I've gone as far as I can go in my current company. I would need to give them at least two weeks notice that I am planning to leave, and I would appreciate that you only contact them if you are planning to extend me an offer after today".

[pisces2473]

I agree. I've had interviewers tell me that they wouldn't contact my current employer unless I asked them too, as for a reference, and that they understood that most people do not tell their current employers, "Hey I'm looking for a new job." Professional courtesy should be extended to the job search.

[wordsmith]

Most places I've applied, I've directed them not to contact my employer untill an offer is made. People get it that if you're employed and looking, you don't necessarily want your current employer to know you've got a bite on one of your lines unless it's going to come to something.

If a prospective employer can't be circumspect and respect that sort of thing, what else aren't they gonna respect?

[Syracuse]

And plus they should realize that if you're currently employed at this place, your current employer must think you're decent enough not to fire anyway, which is not a bad sign for the possible employer.

[justright]

I went through this a bunch when applying for new jobs at the beginning of last year. Most all applications asked for current company's phone number and I always put a note by this asking them not to call unless an offer is made.

I did not like my old job at all, because of the work situation I was under, but I did need the money until I found a new job. I knew they would fire me if I was applying (it was a bad situation). It can be even hard to get references for this reason (I did not want to let others in the company know I was looking- there was only one person I could trust to let know.)

Most companies were respectful of this, ecspecially the current place I am now working.