What Does “Notice Period” Mean On A Job Application? - Salarship

On job applications, the notice period is the number of days between your resignation and your departure from your current company.

I often work with recruiters who ask about your current “notice period” because they want to know how long you have to work at your current organization before you can jump ship.

By asking this question, employers make sure that if you clear the interview process, you can start working as soon as the notice period allows you to.

Tip: Find Jobs on Salarship.

How to Find Your Notice Period for Job Applications

If you are an at-will employee, you can leave without notice.

Otherwise, you should read your employment contract under the “termination” section. The typical notice period in the United States is 1 or 2 weeks.

The length of notice may also vary based on your position in the company. For example, if you hold a highly significant role, you may need more time to train a candidate who will replace you.

As I said in my article about The Consequences of Quitting a Job Without Notice, employees who breach their employment contract without giving the proper notice period may be subject to legal actions and financial penalties.

Why Prospective Employers Want to Know Your Notice Period

There are multiple reasons why your prospective employer might ask about your notice period:

• They want to know your availability to ensure you can start the interview process on time.
• There is a labor shortage, and they must fill the position ASAP.
• They want to know how disposable you are. If you can get replaced within a few hours, it indicates that you are not essential to the operation of your current company and that you perform low-complexity tasks.

Note that it is terrible practice for HR to ask about personal information, such as your current notice period. Ideally, HR should ask you to fill out your availability instead.

A Long Notice Period Can Lower Your Chances of Getting Hired

If the job application mentions keywords like “work immediately” or “as soon as possible,” the recruiter might be reluctant to hire candidates with long notice periods as they expect to fill this position quickly.

However, a notice period of one or two weeks is usually not considered a deal-breaker. How much notice is tolerated by the employer depends on the position and profile of the candidate.

The Bottom Line

When filling up a job application form, you might be asked about your current notice period.

Typical notice periods that are not a deal-breaker on job applications are one week’s notice and two weeks’ notice.

However, long notice periods might hurt your application for jobs that need to be hired immediately.

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