Application: Give the starting date - immediately?

Content

• The earliest possible start of work: immediately?
• Caution, non-compete clause!
• Mention the starting date? Pro Contra
• Pro: What are the advantages of naming the starting date?
• Cons: What speaks against naming the starting date?
• Beware of over-motivation!
• Formulations: This is what you call the starting date
• Name the starting date after the training
• Mention the starting date for fixed-term employment
• Mention the starting date if you are unemployed

Mentioning the starting date in the application can be beneficial. HR managers are usually in a hurry: they are asked to fill a vacancy - and as quickly as possible. After all, the work is already there, the candidate is not yet. Accordingly, some job advertisements ask for the applicant's earliest possible start or start date. Usually a sure sign that the searching company has latent hiring pressure. But should you also give the date for other applications? And how do you phrase it? We have a few specific tips on this as well as recommendations and sample formulations ...

The earliest possible start of work: immediately?

Finding a job is particularly easy if you are in an employment relationship that has not yet been terminated. You don't have real hardship or time pressure, and neither do you have money worries. The catch, however, is that there is a notice period in most employment contracts. Means: Even if you have found a new job - your current employer may not let you go that quickly. Sometimes he insists on his contractual rights and continues to employ you for three to six months.

That is why long notice periods are always a double-edged sword:

• They give you a certain security in your job,
• but also hinder rapid job changes - especially if the new employer is in a hurry and wants to fill the position "immediately".

A late start date can thus become a knockout criterion. If you part on good terms and quit, you can talk to your boss about a so-called termination agreement. But if the employer does not want to play along at all, you usually have bad cards for getting out of the contract earlier.

However, you should definitely not provoke an expulsion. That damages your reputation and can even have a negative effect on the new job: Who would like to hire someone who works with such methods?

Caution, non-compete clause!

In some employment contracts there is a so-called competition clause. It prohibits you from working for an employer who competes with the previous one for a while after the termination of the employment relationship. This is to prevent valuable know-how or even customers from switching to the competition. Some of these clauses are ineffective - but to be on the safe side, you should definitely consult a lawyer specializing in labor law. Or you can ask your previous employer to waive the non-competition clause in writing.

Mention the starting date? Pro Contra

If an earliest possible starting date is expressly asked or requested, you should definitely state this. Ignoring that can mean the end of the application.

Even if the potential employer is explicitly looking for a new employee "immediately", but you have to stay in your current job for at least six months, the chances are not particularly good. The only thing that still helps is to encourage understanding and to assure that you will do everything possible to get out of the old contract sooner.

Something else appliesif you are writing a blind or unsolicited application or if there was no mention of a possible start of work in the job advertisement. Then there are both arguments that speak in favor of proactively naming the starting date - as well as those that speak against it ...

Pro: What are the advantages of naming the starting date?

• The target company can plan better, but if interested, it can also respond better to your employment wishes and appointments.
• You create enough leeway to prepare for the termination and the handover.
• You gain a possible advantage over competitors who could only start there at a later point in time.

Cons: What speaks against naming the starting date?

• You do not have to specify what is not required. You may only wake sleeping dogs and reduce your chances of being hired - unnecessarily at that.
• Your deadline is later than that of other candidates - a competitive disadvantage.
• The sooner you choose the starting date, the more needy you appear. This also weakens your negotiating position.

How you decide in the end is therefore a weighing and personal evaluation of opportunities and risks. Unfortunately, there is no clear and general recommendation.

Beware of over-motivation!

Never write something like: "I could start with you immediately / tomorrow!" Or "I will be available for you to take up work immediately." Or "I am flexible and ready to go straight away." it seems needy to desperate. Anyone who applies this way says in the subtext that he or she currently has no alternatives. That doesn't exactly look like a coveted high performer.

No matter how great the need is: Instead of "immediately", it is better to state the first of the next month or at least give a short deadline as the preferred date. If the future employer asks whether it could not be earlier, you can still give in - and you will immediately look much more confident.

Formulations: This is what you call the starting date

If you are in a permanent and permanent employment relationship, here are a few classic wording examples that you won't go wrong with:

• "I am currently in an employment relationship that has not been terminated and could therefore start with you on DD.MM.YYYY at the earliest."
• "I am at your disposal due to my notice period, but at the earliest from dd.mm.yyyy."
• “I am very happy to take up a job with you on DD.MM.YYYY. I am currently in an employment relationship that has not been terminated. "

Name the starting date after the training

The same formulations are also suitable if you are still in training or have not yet completed your studies. So then adapt, for example, like this:

• “I will probably finish my training on DD.MM.YYYY. I am happy to be at your disposal immediately afterwards. "
• “I will probably finish my studies successfully on DD.MM.YYYY. Afterwards I would very much like to start with you. "
• “After my successful graduation from the University of Duckburg, I will be happy to start working with you straight away. I will probably study until DD.MM.YYYY. "

Mention the starting date for fixed-term employment

If you are currently in a fixed-term employment contract and this has not been extended (or you did not want to either), you can also take up this and name:

• "My current employment ends regularly on DD.MM.YYYY. I could then start working with you straight away. "
• "After the regular end of my current employment relationship on dd.mm.yyyy, I could start with you directly."
• “My earliest starting date is DD.MM.YYYY. Then my current employment contract, which was limited to one year from the outset because of maternity representation, ends. "

Mention the starting date if you are unemployed

If you have been given notice and are currently unemployed or "looking for work" or if you are currently self-employed and want to switch back to an employment relationship, the following formulations are recommended:

• "I am available from dd.mm.yyyy or earlier, as I am currently self-employed."
• "A short-term entry is possible because I am currently not contractually bound."
• “I would very much like to start with you on my preferred date on DD.MM.YYYY. Earlier entry is possible. "

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