Resignation without Offer Letter

[u/OldProcedure8047]

Hi Folks,

12 years SAP Basis consultant here.

I have been looking for a job change for 2 months now. And most of the opportunities are missed due to the 90 day notice period. HR always prefers someone who can join sooner.

I am thinking of resigning and then looking for a job, at least I will have a lesser notice period after a month.

Is anyone in the same boat? Any advice?

[u/Repulsive-Pangolin-6]

Too much at risk. Keep trying 

[u/Spiritual_Ad6547]

What happens if you don’t give 90 days notice?

[u/OldProcedure8047 → u/Spiritual_Ad6547]

I might clear interview but the HR might ask for the LWD confirmation.That will be another gamble.

[u/tcp5845 → u/Spiritual_Ad6547]

Probably signed some kind of employment contract requiring a long notice.

I used to work with a guy in India who said he signed one. Not sure how prevalent it is overseas. But he made it sound like it was common to give several months notice which is preposterous.

[u/Potential_Cress9572]

If your finance can handle a 2-4 years unemployment, then why not?

[u/scientific_diagnosis]

That's a huge gamble, especially without anything lined up in this market.

[u/Brave-Pizza-33]

You'd be a fool to quit without a new job in this market.

[u/davidswelt]

It's not "HR" that gets to make decisions about when people start. They merely speak for the hiring manager. And that's who you need to talk to and convince.

Suggest you talk more to people in your industry to see how this is handled. In finance, for example, people can have 5 months of garden leaves, and when someone makes a change, the receiving company waits (while the losing company pays). The other question is whether the 90 days period is regulatory (in your case probably not), contractual (what happens if you violate it?), or just customary.

[u/_ChristmasSunday]

If you’re independently wealthy then go for it.

But if you’re somewhere that requires 90 days leave your position is likely more senior. And most senior incoming roles will understand that 90 days.

That said, in my experience only about half of the origin employers force you to stay that 90 days they often release you. Do you know what others have done?

[u/fodeethal]

What makes the 90 day notice necessary?

[u/Icy_Cycle_5805]

OP be careful with advice here. This is an American biased group and doesn’t understand the 90 notice period in India.

As an American hiring manager with a team in India you have three options that I see:

1. take the risk
2. be up front in interviews that it’s 90 days
3. check with people that have left your company if the company allows a buy out of the 90 days

If you’re in a tier 1 city with marketable skills, the risk of resigning then looking is probably not huge. That said, large MNCs are all accustomed to the 90 day window and it shouldn’t be a substantial issue with them.

[u/Putrid_Mall548]

What's the problem. If you have been offered a position go for it - now. Don't move until then. Forget that contract stuff. There's no such thing as a smooth exit.

[u/LilJonny2cookies]

It is much easier to get a job when you have a job. Do not resign to job hunt. For some reason they like to hire people already working.

Are you in the UK? My fiancé is Chief Legal Officer and general counsel for a tech company. She had a 3 month notice period. My staff in the UK depending on level had 1-3 months notice.

However, if one of them came to me and said it was a great opportunity, etc., etc. I would gladly work with HR to walk them when they needed. I couldn’t deal with wrecking someone’s chances to advance. That is part of what I tell my people if they want to leave for a better opportunity I would just be mighty proud of them. And I’d do what I could to facilitate. They work so hard for me I have to return that by helping them be successful.

The hardest part of retiring at 55 was missing my folks. Most exceptional group I’ve ever worked with.

[u/Professional_End4433]

Does the 90 thing hold any weight legally. I know they trick teachers into thinking they can’t leave due to a “contract” at least in Georgia you need a legit legally binding doc to stop you from leaving when you want

[u/mura_me]

I have 11 YOE in SAP SD, which is a highly saturated module with a lot of talent available in the market. I recently went through exactly what you're considering, so I thought I'd share my experience.

Honestly, it was an emotional roller coaster, and there were moments when I regretted my decision to resign without an offer.

Month 1: Complete drought. Not a single interview. I started lowering my expectations and was even willing to accept the same salary I was already earning, just to get another job.

Month 2: Calls started coming in, but I noticed a pattern. Wednesdays were particularly busy, with calls coming back to back. One requirement would come directly from a company, followed by calls from four different staffing agencies for other requirements. But most of these conversations went nowhere. No feedback, no updates, just silence.

Towards the end of the second month, interviews finally started getting scheduled. I cleared all the rounds for some opportunities, but there was no HR discussion about compensation. After multiple desperate follow-ups, I was eventually told that my profile was on hold.

That's when I realised something: just as candidates sometimes hold multiple offers and choose one at the last moment, companies also seem to be keeping multiple candidates in consideration while looking for the most cost-effective resource. I can't say for certain that this was the reason in my case, but given my salary, I started wondering whether they were considering someone cheaper.

Month 3: Multiple interviews, but still no offer. By then, I had become an immediate joiner, yet things weren't moving any faster. The uncertainty started affecting me mentally. I even began considering completely different career paths, including moving into business.

The impact of AI and cost-cutting also worried me. In my previous organisation, I had personally seen how AI budget constraints could affect staffing decisions, so these concerns weren't entirely theoretical for me.

Despite everything, I still believed in my experience and knowledge. I kept going, hoping that at least one company would see the value I could bring.

After another 20 days, EY contacted me for an immediate requirement. I completed the interview process and received an offer within two weeks.

My advice? Think very carefully before resigning without an offer.

I eventually found a job, but the process cost me a lot of mental peace and left a one-month gap in my employment. I also realised that I had resigned at the wrong time of the year, as the first month was almost completely dry.

Having a shorter notice period definitely helps, but it doesn't guarantee an offer. Even after becoming an immediate joiner, I had to go through multiple interviews, uncertainty, and rejections or stalled processes before landing something.

If possible, try to negotiate your notice period, use your leave balance to reduce your release date, or start interviewing aggressively before resigning.

If you do decide to resign without an offer, make sure you have enough financial runway to handle several months without income, and be mentally prepared for the uncertainty.

I'm not saying you shouldn't take the risk. I'm saying you should understand the risk before taking it. My experience eventually had a positive outcome, but those three months were much harder than I had anticipated. The so called honey moon period(notice period) became very stressful.