To not hand notice in until contract signed and references passed

[Jobadvice1]

Recruiter with job offer putting pressure on me to provide earliest start date for new role

What is the etiquette here

Is it okay for me tell them I only feel comfortable handing my notice in when I’ve been given a contract which I’ve signed and confirmation I’ve passed referencing. I’m worried to risk handing my notice in before this.

sorry I sound stupid but how would I phrase this to recruiter professionally? Is this a normal request?

They haven’t given me any contract yet or told me about their referencing process. Today sent me a chaser to confirm my earliest start date

I know everyone gets fed up with AI on here… but surely in a work capacity this is a go to?

Dear [Recruiter's Name],
Thank you for following up regarding the start date for the new role. I am very excited about the opportunity to join [Company Name] and am eager to get started.
However, I would feel more comfortable providing a confirmed start date once I have received and signed the official contract and have been informed that I have successfully passed the referencing process. This will ensure that all formalities are completed and allow me to hand in my notice with confidence.
I hope you understand my position and I look forward to receiving the contract and further details about the referencing process soon.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
Best regards,
[Your Name]

My best friend accepted a role last year and was initially waiting on signing the contract. She did then put in notice for her old job, when pressured into an earlier starting date and turned down another job offer. At the end of the Friday, with her supposedly due to start the new job on Monday, they withdrew the job offer and my friend was really screwed. She had to live on the last of her savings until the eventually secured another job over 2 months later. Luckily, it turned out to be a great position but this example would make me wary. Hang in there till you got it all in writing!

Yes wait. My friend had a similar problem to the above posters friend. Handed in her notice and then the job offer was taken away. She asked for her old job back and luckily they hadn’t recruited anyone at that point although they had had interviews and were about to. She was allowed her job back but had to stay for a certain period of time and some other stipulations. She was so lucky.

See I would go around and stand in front of their premises and tell everyone walking past what they did. This happened to my wife's friends daughter and I've slagged the pub off to everyone....you need integrity in business.

If it’s a separate recruitment company they will just be trying to ensure they get the money associated with getting someone into the role. If it’s the company themselves this also raises a bit of a flag to me about their organisation and expectations on people.

I would just state to them what your notice period is eg one month. Then I would just say ‘I will hand my notice in when I have received a copy of my signed contract and confirmation of passing referencing. My earliest start date will be wholly dependent on those three factors.’ No need for anything flowery or apologetic. As others have said under no circumstances hand in your notice until everything is sorted to your satisfaction. Companies that withdraw job offers once made are arseholes in my opinion. It seems to be becoming more prevalent though.

Contracts have to include start dates. When I worked in HR you would receive an offer in writing, which detailed your salary, hours, holiday and base. Then you would be expected to resign your old role and tell us when you could start. You can't sign a contract that doesn't say when the contract comes into effect, this would be a legal headache.

Yes, this.

You don't have to hand your notice in until you've signed it though, but you should be able to agree a proposed start date. If for some reason things get delayed, the contract date can be amended.

Contracts come with a start date. You have to agree that with the recruiter. So assuming they can provide the start date just around your notice period, then you sign and not until then do you hand your notice in.

Thanks all,

does this sound acceptable:

“I can confirm my notice period is four weeks. If it’s possible would it be okay for me to confirm the earliest start date after reviewing the contract. In the meantime, a provisional start date would be 26th August”

Tell them to piss off. Of course it's normal to wait until you have a signed contract, unless you're a fool. I know many people who have been verbally offered a job and then for some reason or another it has fallen through. I'd be very wary of any recruiter doing this.

Just tell them what your notice period is and that you'll resign once you have a written contract. Simple.

They can have the start date based on maths though. So you can receive your contract based on your notice period. This is what I've always done, I've never resigned a role without a contract. I'm shocked at some of the advice on here!

Don’t say the “if it’s ok but.” They’ve offered you a job! They want you!

just say:
My notice period is four weeks. I will be able to confirm start date once I have the signed contract and have had time to review it.

Just tell them your notice period and let them know if you have any holidays or anything booked that would impact your start date. They would be used to this as it's the standard approach.

They are only asking you for the earliest date you could potentially start the new role, they are not asking you to hand in your notice on your current role.
They need to know a potential start date to put on your contract for you to be able to sign it. By all means confirm that you will not be resigning until you have received and reviewed the contract and build that into the timeframe for your earliest start date.
The referencing may be a little harder to overcome as some companies will not contact your referees until you have signed the contract, so I suppose it depends on how long they are potentially willing to wait for you to start. Is there any reason to believe you may not pass the reference stage?

Stop being so fluffy.

My notice period is 4 weeks. I will be able to confirm an exact date once contracts have been signed.

You need a proper job offer, not a contract (which needs a start date) before you resign. Job offers are legally binding once accepted. If they are withdrawn after acceptance when there aren't any caveats and you have relied on it to your detriment (e.g. by resigning your current job), you can sue for breach of contract.

The offer needs to include anything that you have agreed and are relying on to make the job work for you (salary, hours, WFH days, whatever) and to NOT say that it is subject to anything that you can't guarantee. Job offers often say subject to references because many people do not want their current employer tapped for a reference when they haven't told them they're leaving. If you aren't concerned about that and you think it's possible they won't want you after references, then tell the recruiter that you're happy for references to be taken before the offer is made, but you won't resign until you have an offer you can rely on.

Your wording is a bit obsequious. Leave out the "If it’s possible would it be okay for me to confirm " You aren't asking them for a favour. You are negotiating a mutually beneficial deal. You just need to tell them what you need. As InWalksBarberalla says, just tell them your notice period and any dates you need to keep clear.

You can say ‘I have a 4 week notice period. Subject to having signed a contract by the end of next week, I can start 1 September. If there are delays in getting me the contract, then I’d have to revise that.’

I would wait for the signed contract as then if they withdraw the offer you’d have a legal claim against them. However, I don’t think it’s practical to wait for references since at least one reference will have to be from your current employer!

This is far too nice.

"If possible"

"please"

sorry

"would it be ok"

The recruiter is trying to take advantage of you and is being unprofessional. I have never known anyone to resign from their current job before receiving a contract for their new one.

State your (very reasonable!) terms and don't apologise for them or ask very nice please if you wouldn't mind with a cherry on top rubbish.

Stand up for yourself

I would reply:

"Hi etc etc..

I'm not prepared to resign from my current role until I have received a contract for my new role, which I am sure you understand.

I look forward to receiving updates in due course.

Kind regards,
Muffins"

(edited for typo)

Thanksa if they send me a contract today and as a pp said will have to include a start date for the contract… stupid q but if I sign will I be required to then start by that date (I’d prefer to hand my notice only when signed contract)

In addition, I’m not entirely sure if I’d pass new referencing okay. I’ve not lied about dates on CV, but I’m just a bit paranoid. I don’t know how strict new employer will be but it’s financial services so apparently can be on stricter side.

No, you're not bound to it. You just have to inform your new employer quickly if the actual date will turn out to be a week later or whatever.

I have signed a new contract but not been able to resign until my boss returned from holiday before. I just made that clear when I returned the contract, no problems.

If you want to take a day to review the contract then that's ok. I would not take days on end reviewing the contract though.

Verbose and waffly!