Am I a jerk for not telling my boss I may be leaving?

When you find your new job you like, simply tell your new boss you can’t start for 2 weeks or whatever may be the customary required notice you should give your current boss that you are moving on to bigger and better things. Just upping a quitting with no notice is a huge bogus move. Never burn a bridge as you may need your current boss as a reference some day.

When I left one job for another all I told them was that X would be my last day and that I was starting the new job tomorrow and wouldn’t be available to come in early.

Don’t burn bridges with this boss or this job. When you get another job, give the customary two weeks notice.

You don’t have an obligation to tell your current boss you are looking for another job. Doing that would put your current job in jeopardy.

Employers know that employees come and go and are prepared to hire new employees to replace those that leave. That is part of a business plan. The business plan works for both the current employer and the new employer. Both know they may have to wait until the new hire gives a two weeks notice to come work for them.

Sometimes the employer gets lucky and they hire someone immediately to replace you. They must still allow you to work out your two weeks notice. Otherwise you would draw unemployment for being fired without just cause.

If your employer asks why you are leaving, simply tell the truth and say you’ve found another job.

Not at all. It’s an employer’s market now, so definitely not these days.

As long as you give proper notice, and leave graciously, you’re doing everything right.

Do not tell your boss until you have secured another job.

At that point, it is not his business why you are leaving. You are just leaving.

I would not have lied about the relationship breakup, but that is your private business too. You do not owe anyone any explanations.

Wait…..............

You do not move, unless you have another place to live, right?

Do the same with your job-searching.

After you have secured another employment, keep a lid on your activities and personal life.

You are correct. “letting the cat out of the bag” too early, could result in you being terminated at your present job.

What you are doing is fine and normal. You said you are giving the customary 2 weeks once you find another position and that is all you owe them.

I agree with everyone here. You aren’t under any obligation (legal or otherwise) to tell your current boss. If you did, things might get uncomfortable for you, or you might end up being terminated, as @john65pennington said. That’d be awful, especially if you’re planning on using this job as a reference in the future.

As long as you give your two weeks’ notice, or however long is required, there’s no problem.

You may be a jerk for any number of reasons (several of which you’ve admitted to in other threads) but leaving a job with at least ‘customary’ notice isn’t one of them. It’s normal; we all do it. (And when it’s done to us it’s usually with a lot less ‘notice’, but sometimes at least some additional benefit.)

The process is that you seek out a new job, for whatever reason appeals to you (it’s your life, after all), secure a firm offer, and give proper notice to your current employer. The notice should include the name of the new employer; sometimes a current employer will say that “today is your last day” in case you’re moving to a competitor—this is what our company does. But people leave jobs all the time; you never agreed to a lifetime commitment, and the boss will understand, even if he may be displeased to lose your services.

As for ‘making up stories of what you and your girlfriend have been doing’ ... that’s just creepy, dude. If you don’t want to tell people that you’ve broken up, then that’s your business. But making up stories of a fictional relationship… weird.

@CyanoticWasp They were harassing me asking about things like Thanksgiving, and were beginning to suspect something was up. I didn’t want to get into my love life with them, so I lied. Don’t worry it wasn’t some intricate thing, it was just… “Oh we went to so and so’s and blah.”

From personal experience the best policy is to never let your employer or even fellow employees know you are looking elsewhere for employment, especially when your not sure if you even have the other job yet. Make sure to tell your potential new employer that you must give a 2 week notice to your current employer before starting. This will make you actually look better to your current and potential future employer. Not giving a 2 week notice can also backfire on you down the road if you ever wanted or needed to get a different job if this employer decides to do an extensive background check. From my experience most employers are doing these background checks now.

No obligation to tell. Two weeks notice, thank your boss for the opportunity to work for him/her, state that you need a change and have accepted a position in a new city.