Navigating Job Offers: How to Handle Not Disclosing Your Resignation During Interviews?

I have resigned from my previous company, and 20 days after resignation (during my notice period), I received a call from a company for an interview. I was selected and also called for pre-employment medical.

The issue is that I did not mention during the interview that I had already resigned. Will there be any problem during the joining time? If they ask why I did not mention it to them, how should I respond? Please help.

Thank you in advance.

What was the reason you didn't mention your resignation during the interview? Also, what joining time did you mention after receiving the offer? How many days are left in your notice period?

Regards,
TS

I have resigned from my previous company on 19th March 2014. As per the 3-month notice period, my date of leaving is 19th June 2014, which I have already served. Now, I have received a call from an MNC for an interview in April 2014, was called for the final interview in June 2014, and for pre-employment medical in June 2014. The joining date is in October 2014. I did not mention my resignation because the previous company I was working with is in loss and had conducted manpower reduction, leading to me being one of the 120 engineers who were laid off.

To answer your query, you must first address the following questions:

a. What have you mentioned about your current job?
b. What have you mentioned about joining your prospective company?
c. What are the terms and conditions mentioned in your current company regarding relieving?

Kindly provide the answers to the aforementioned questions; only then will I be able to address your question.

Regards

The notice period for my current company is 3 months. I resigned in March 2014, and the relieving period ended in June 2014. My release letter only contains the date of joining (June 2012) and the date of leaving (June 2014). It also includes information on my PL and LTA encashment.

The reason I resigned is that I was laid off (not fired) due to the economic downturn of the company. Approximately 120 engineers, including myself, were laid off.

Meanwhile, I received an offer from an MNC for a written exam in April 2014, after resigning from my previous company. During the written exam, I was asked to fill out a form where there was an option for the notice period, which I indicated as 3 months.

After clearing the aptitude and technical rounds in April 2014, I was called for the HR round on the same day. I was asked why I wanted to join the company, about my job responsibilities, and some technical questions based on my work experience. In the final interview in May 2014, they informed me of the position I would be working in, asked about my family, and other usual questions. I was then called for a pre-employment medical checkup in June 2014, and my joining date is in October.

My question is, when I am asked to submit my release letter at the time of joining, they will discover that I had already left the previous company in June 2014.

How should I respond? How would they react if I told the truth that I was laid off? I am unsure if they will believe me or think I was fired. How can I handle this situation, especially since I don't have any other job offers at the moment?

Please help.

Having already resigned and served the notice period, have you received your relieving letter or not yet? If not, why?

If you have received it, there should be no worry. What is the "reason for leaving" mentioned in it? Based on the information you have provided here, I do not see that you have misled your interviewer. Not disclosing the fact of closure or being laid off is not suppression of facts, especially when it was not relevant to the interview. Being completely honest is a different matter. So, I hope you will not face any serious issues if your relieving letter does not create any problems.

By the way, why do you have to wait until October? Can't you join now since you have already completed the pre-employment medical checkup? You did not mention if you have received the Offer of Appointment letter with the joining date specified. If you have the offer letter, there should be no cause for concern. After all, being laid off due to a downturn is not a fault on your part.

It's very much obvious that you have been relieved in June '14. And it's no matter whether you left the job on your own or were laid off. I think there is no risk in revealing the 'reason for leaving' whenever they ask you about it. If they don't ask you, no issue, you need not tell the reason for leaving either. There is nothing wrong in leaving in anticipation of better prospects as well. And your fear that something bad will happen is misplaced. After all, they did not select you based on any misrepresented or misquoted facts. The only question that would emerge is "what were you doing after you were relieved in June '14 until Oct. '14" when you are going to report. Prepare your answer to this question.

You have not mentioned whether you already received their offer letter indicating the likely reporting (due) date. If you received this offer letter, you are safe.

Dear Debraj, There is no need to worry on your part. As you have already mentioned, you were laid off from your previous employer and were serving the notice period at the time of attending written exams and other pre-employment tests. Since you will be joining this new company in October 2014, there is no cause for concern. You can confidently state that you were relieved from your last employer three months ago (mention any reasons that occurred at that time). Join this new opportunity without any panic. Congratulations!

Regards,

Dear Debraj,

It's very much obvious that you have been relieved in June '14. It doesn't matter whether you left the job on your own or were laid off. I think there is no risk in revealing the 'reason for leaving' whenever they ask you about it. If they don't ask you, no issue; you need not tell the reason for leaving either. There is nothing wrong with leaving in anticipation of better prospects as well. Your fear of something bad happening is misplaced. After all, they did not select you based on any misrepresented or misquoted facts.

The only question that would emerge is "What were you doing after you were relieved in June '14 until Oct. '14" when you are going to report. Prepare your answer to this question.

You have not mentioned whether you already received their offer letter indicating the likely reporting (due) date. If you received this offer letter, you are safe.

Possible Answers for the Time Gap

What could be my possible answers regarding this time issue, i.e., from June '14 to Oct '14? Just give me some sample answers so that I get some idea about that. I do not have the offer letter as I was told they are facing some internal problems. But the letter has already been prepared and will be mailed just after the issue is resolved. I got this information from a trusted (personally known to me) source.

Regards,

Anything that is convincing should serve the purpose. Why don't you join a short-term certificate course and then you can say you were doing this course? Alternatively, you could have joined some of your friends and helped them in their business, or assisted with your own family business or agriculture to pass the time until a better offer comes along. Better to await your offer letter, as it will only reduce your anxiety.

Thank you.

Just tell them that you had some personal issues to be resolved. Now they have been handled, and you can focus on your new job fully and completely. All the best.

Regards,
TS