What to say about your notice period

They are booking a seat, not grading your character

“When can you start?” means they are fitting you into a date. A speech about not abandoning your team makes the date harder to hear.

Say the notice, the date, and whether anything would move it.

Know the number before the call

Look at your contract. In many places notice is a month. Sometimes it is more, and sometimes unused leave changes the last day. Guessing “two weeks, I think” is how start dates slip.

If you are not employed, say you can start on a date, not “immediately,” unless you mean the next working day.

• Contractual notice.
• The calendar date that lands on.
• Anything already booked that would delay it.

Do not offer to walk out

Volunteering to skip notice to look keen can worry them. They are about to be your employer. They are watching how you leave the last one.

If they need someone sooner, say whether a shorter notice is even possible, and that you would ask, not promise.

A line you can say

“My notice is one month. If I accept this week, I can start on 2 November. I would not leave earlier than the contract says.”

If you have leave to serve, mention it only if it changes the date.

Put the date in the offer conversation

When the offer arrives, check the start date against what you said. A date that ignores your notice is a mistake to fix before you sign, not a surprise for your current manager.

Then tell your current employer after you have signed, not before, unless your contract says otherwise.