Latest / Job Hopping with Fexingo: Tenure, Loyalty, and the Modern Career Resume / How a Three-Month Notice Period Reshapes Your Career Strategy
Transcript
- Lucas: So here's a number that doesn't get nearly enough airtime in career conversations: three months. Specifically, the three-month notice period. Luna: That's the standard for a lot of senior roles in Europe, right? But here in the US, two weeks is the norm. Lucas: Exactly. And the difference between two weeks and twelve weeks is not just a matter of calendar days — it completely changes the dynamics of a job change. Your leverage, your risk, the way you negotiate. It's a structural fact that most American career advice completely ignores. Luna: I have to admit, I've never really thought about it. When I've switched jobs, it was always 'give two weeks, start two weeks later.' That was it. Lucas: Right. And that's because the American labour market is built around at-will employment. Either side can end the relationship with minimal notice. But in many European countries — Germany, France, the Netherlands — statutory notice periods for white-collar workers can be three months or more, especially the longer you've been at a company. And in executive contracts even in the US, you'll see ninety-day clauses. Luna: So what does that actually mean for someone who's job hunting? They have to plan their entire timeline around that window. Lucas: Exactly. Let's say you're a mid-career professional in Germany with a three-month notice period. You start looking for a new job. You interview, you get an offer. But you can't start for twelve weeks. The hiring company has to be willing to wait that long. And a lot of them are — but not all. I've seen offers rescinded because the hiring manager needed someone in six weeks, not twelve. Luna: That's brutal. So you're effectively penalised for being in a market that protects workers more. Lucas: It's a paradox. Longer notice periods give you job security — your current employer can't just fire you without paying out months of salary. But they also reduce your mobility. You become less attractive to companies that need someone fast. And there's a second-order effect: your leverage in a salary negotiation actually changes. Luna: How so? I'd think a long notice period gives you more time to negotiate, since you're not under pressure to start immediately. Lucas: You'd think that. But the research — there's a study by the German Institute for Employment Research — shows that workers with longer notice periods actually receive lower starting salaries on average. Why? Because the employer is factoring in the delay. They're taking on risk. They're waiting three months, and in that time, their needs might change, the budget might get cut, the candidate might get a counteroffer and stay. So they offer less upfront to compensate for the uncertainty. Luna: So the notice period becomes a tax on your future earnings. That's a really counterintuitive insight. Lucas: It is. And it's one reason why when you do see people in high-trust, high-demand fields — like software engineering or specialised finance — they often negotiate a buyout of their notice period. The new employer pays the old employer a lump sum — sometimes tens of thousands of dollars — to release the employee early. Luna: Wait, that actually happens? I've heard of garden leave, but not a buyout. Lucas: It's more common than you'd think. I talked to an engineer in London last year. He had a three-month notice period, got an offer from a competitor that wanted him in four weeks. So the new firm cut a cheque to the old firm for about forty-five thousand pounds to waive the notice. That money came out of his signing bonus — effectively he paid for it, but it was structured so he didn't feel the hit. Luna: So the notice period becomes a negotiation line item. That's fascinating. I've never heard anyone talk about that in career advice. Lucas: And that's the whole point of today's episode. Nobody talks about this because the US default is two weeks, so most American advice assumes you're starting in two weeks. But the global workforce — and even many US executives — operate on longer timelines. If you don't plan for it, you leave leverage on the table. Luna: Let's talk about the counteroffer dynamic. If you give notice and your employer has three months to react, that's a lot of time to try to keep you. Lucas: Huge. We did an episode on why counteroffers usually fail — that was episode two. But with a long notice period, the counteroffer becomes even more dangerous. Because you have twelve weeks of awkwardness. You're still working there, but everyone knows you're leaving. If you accept a counter, you're staying in that environment. And research from the Society for Human Resource Management shows that nearly 80 percent of people who accept a counteroffer leave within 18 months anyway. Luna: So the long notice period actually gives your current employer more time to craft a retention package — but you're also more likely to regret staying. Lucas: Right. And there's a strategic move here that I've seen work: if you know you have a three-month notice, you can use that time to — carefully — signal to your employer that you're exploring options, without actually resigning. See if they offer you something better. But that's high-risk. If they call your bluff, you've poisoned the well. Luna: So what's the smarter play? If you're in a market with a long notice period, how do you actually manage it? Lucas: First, know what your contractual notice period actually is. A lot of people don't. Second, when you're interviewing, be upfront about it. Say 'I have a three-month notice period. Is that a problem?' That builds trust, and it lets the employer plan. Third, if the employer really wants you, they'll wait — or they'll offer a buyout. So don't be shy about asking for the buyout if it's standard in your industry. Luna: And if you're the employer listening? If you're hiring someone with a long notice, what do you do? Lucas: Be realistic about your own timeline. If you need someone in six weeks, don't waste time with candidates who have a 90-day notice. And if you do wait, have a plan to manage the gap — a contractor, a temp, redistributing work. The worst thing is to wait twelve weeks and then let the person go because your needs changed. That burns your reputation. Luna: You know, I wonder if the two-week norm in the US actually makes workers more agile, but also more disposable. There's a trade-off. Lucas: There absolutely is. The US model gives you speed — you can start a new job in two weeks, you can quit in two weeks. But it also means your employer can replace you just as fast. The European model gives you stability and severance, but it slows you down. Neither is strictly better — but they require different strategies. Luna: I think a lot of our listeners, especially in the US, don't even realise that three-month notice periods exist. So this is eye-opening. Lucas: That's why we do the show. And honestly, if these conversations have helped you think through a career move or a negotiation, that's exactly why we keep making them. A couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, if you've gotten something out of them. Luna: Yeah, it makes a real difference. And it keeps the show ad-free, which we love. Lucas: Alright, so to wrap this one up: the next time you're considering a job change, look at your notice period first. Not last. It's not a footnote — it's a strategic variable. Use it. Luna: And if you're in the US and you're negotiating an executive-level contract, consider asking for a longer notice period. It gives you leverage on the way out. Lucas: That's a great point. Notice periods cut both ways. Know yours, plan around it, and never let it surprise you. That's it for this episode. We'll see you next time.