I was recently speaking with a friend who is negotiating a job offer. The discussions are going well and it’s highly likely they will reach an agreement. One of the discussion points is start date. The company is eager for him to start as soon as reasonably possible, though they have indicated a willingness to be flexible. Because they made a point of expressing their desire to have him start immediately, he’s not planning on taking any time off between jobs. So his plan is to take only a weekend off between finishing at his current company and starting his new job.
I did the exact same thing when I started at Avanti. I finished working at Onex on a Friday and began working at Avanti on a Monday. With the benefit of hindsight, I consider it a mistake worth learning from. There wasn’t even pressure on start date, but I had this self-imposed sense of obligation to begin immediately. My discussion with Amin about joining Avanti spanned several months so when it finally came time to start, I felt behind and was eager to begin immediately.
Nearly seven years later, I’ve come to look at a brief break between jobs as special time worth protecting. Unlike a vacation, you truly have zero professional responsibility and can relax and unwind in an unmatched way. Assuming you move jobs infrequently, it’s also a rare opportunity. Even a week off can feel meaningful. I’ve had the experience only once, in 2013, and remember it fondly.
Over the years, I’ve also negotiated start dates with numerous folks as the employer. I’m confident how well an individual has worked out and their impact on the company has never been determined by whether they started immediately or asked for a week or two of transition time. Especially for senior or executive roles, where ideally you expect to have a multi-year working relationship, I can say with confidence no one will remember the exact start date after a year has passed.
Always take some time between jobs when you have the opportunity to do so.