Dave Says: Testing the Career Waters

Dear Dave,

I’m applying for a new job. I like my current job, but the other position would be ideal. Should I tell my boss that I’m applying for the job?

–Anonymous

Dear Anonymous

I think it has a lot to do with your situation at work, and if your integrity comes into play. There’s nothing wrong with looking at the menu when you’re on a diet, but if you’ve told your boss or supervisors you’re not interested in another job, you need to let them know things have changed.

The big thing here is that you make sure you treat other people the way you would want to be treated. I’m an employer, and I have about 300 people on my team. I don’t expect these guys to tell us every time something pops up that might interest them. I do, however, expect my leaders to let me know if they have someone who is so unhappy here that they’re looking for other work.

Your relationship with your company and supervisors plays a big part in this, too. I’d speak up if there was something they could do to change my situation from good to ideal. But in a lot of ways, it all goes back to how you would want to be treated if the situation were reversed. Remember the Golden Rule? Just looking at things from that perspective can answer a whole lot of ethics questions!

– Dave