If you’re looking for a new job but haven’t quit your old job, you may be concerned that your current employer might find out about your plans. With a blocking notice in your application, you ensure that this does not happen. The blocking notice informs the potential employer that he should treat your application confidentially. But can you really rely on it? And how do you formulate a blocking notice?
What is a blocking note in the application and what is its purpose?
If you apply for a new job from an employment relationship that has not been terminated, you are taking a certain risk. Most applicants who are not unemployed have not yet let their boss know about their plans. However, through the application, the supervisor could find out about it indirectly. This is often not so unlikely, especially in small industries where you know each other.
If your boss learns from a third party that you want to leave his company, this could damage the relationship of trust. The remaining time in the company doesn’t necessarily make it more pleasant – and it’s even worse if you can’t get a new job and then want to stay with your current employer.
It is, therefore, better if you first investigate your options without the knowledge of your employer and inform your manager personally when you have a confirmation for a new position.
So that another employer to whom you are applying does not, in turn, spread the fact that you are looking for a job, a blocking note in the application is advisable in such cases. With a brief note, you can ask the interested employer to treat your application confidentially. As a rule, companies stick to it, which reduces the risk of your boss finding out about your intentions prematurely.
Treat the application confidentially: How binding is the blocking note?
A blocking notice is nothing more than a request to the possible employer for confidentiality. But is this request also heeded? Or is it possible that the company will pass on that you have applied there, despite the blocking notice? The concerns of some applicants are usually unfounded. A blocking note in the application is legally binding, the employer is therefore obliged to secrecy. If your blocking notice is clearly visible and cannot be overlooked, you can assume that this request will also be taken into account and followed.
Companies that do not adhere to the blocking notice in an application can even make themselves liable for damages. In practice, however, this rarely happens – also because it is usually difficult to prove that the applicant has suffered actual disadvantages by discovering his or her career plans.
Even without threatening legal consequences, most HR managers and bosses comply with the request for secrecy – if only in their own interest. Anyone who lets a promising candidate’s change plans blow up may alienate that applicant. Last but not least, it is a good style to observe a blocking notice in an application.
Formulate the blocking note: This is important
If you want to include a blocking notice in your application, the very practical question arises as to which position is the right one for this. The blocking notice must catch the eye so that it is actually observed. There are several positions in the application for this. Usually, it is enough if you express your request to keep the application confidential. However, if there’s a lot at stake, there are several places where you can put it.
On the one hand, the cover letter can be used for the blocking notice. In the last section, you can mention that you are currently in an employment relationship that has not been terminated and that the interested employer should please treat your application as confidential. This note is even more noticeable if you are bold it.
Alternatively or additionally, you can refer to the blocking notice in the e-mail with which you send the application. This goes, for example, in the subject line like this: “Please treat confidentially – my application as XY”. The actual text field of the email is also suitable. For example, you could formulate the blocking notice as follows: “Please note that I am currently in an employment relationship that has not been terminated. Please treat my application confidentially ”.
You don’t have to mention the word blocking notice. However, your wording should make it unmistakably clear what you are about: the potential employer should treat your application confidentially.
Name your current employer in your résumé or not?
In most cases, you can be sure that a potential employer will take note of your blocking notice and will not contact your current employer to inquire about you or otherwise pass on the fact that you have applied to him. Even so, there is still some risk. To further reduce the likelihood that your current employer will find out about your plans, you can anonymize the employer in your resume.
Whether this anonymization makes sense primarily depends on how serious it would be if your supervisor found out about your intentions. You should also keep an eye on possible negative consequences. It may be that you reduce your chances of finding the desired position by anonymizing the employer – if the interested employer would be more convinced of you by naming the company than without.
If you decide to anonymize your current employer in your résumé, you should still describe the company as specifically as possible. If you are employed by Daimler, you can indicate, for example, that it is a “large German automobile company”. However, you should not be so specific that, despite the anonymization, you can easily guess who it is. In case of doubt, it can be useful not to mention the location.
If you have an interim reference, remember to include the relevant job reference when anonymizing it. In this case, you have to cover up the details of the employer.
It is advisable to briefly explain in the cover letter why you are not mentioning your current employer on your résumé. You can do that when you mention the blocking notice anyway. However, you should be prepared for the fact that you have to reveal where you work at the latest during the interview. After all, your potential new employer would also like to know in detail where you have worked so far.
Keep the job search secret: What you can do next to the blocking notice
If you do not want your current employer to find out that you are looking for other positions, a blocking notice and, if necessary, anonymization of the company in your résumé is a good option. The potential employer will then very likely treat your application confidentially. However, it is also up to you to ensure that your boss cannot find out about your intentions otherwise.
During your working hours, you should neither take a call from an interested company nor take care of your private e-mails. You cannot be sure that this will not be noticed by anyone and that it will get to your supervisor. You should also not drive to the job interview directly from your current workplace – at least not if that requires you to move to the company beforehand. Your colleagues are probably wondering if you suddenly say goodbye to work or lunch in a suit or suit.
Caution should also be exercised when talking to other people. Especially with your colleagues, you should think carefully about whether you really need to let someone in on your plans. Even if you only tell a colleague with whom you get on very well, you cannot rule out that they won’t tell someone too – and your boss will eventually find out from others that you want to leave the company.