Apply for job, tell the wife or no?

Clearly you've been married since the 1950s.

 

Worst. Haiku. Ever.

 

And yet, no truer words...

 

For all of you who insist that pretty much the ONLY right thing to do is tell your spouse if you've shipped off a resume ... should you also tell your spouse if you haven't shipped one off?

A not unrealistic scenario: You're in a good gig. You're happy. The job's professionally satisfying. It's as secure as any such job can be. But out of habit (and good sense) you follow the job market. A job pops up somewhere else where you know your spouse would be happier (maybe it's closer to home, or it's somewhere he/she has always wanted to live). You know that the job isn't really what you want, but you also know you would probably be a serious contender for it. You also know, or have a pretty good idea, that it'd be a good fit otherwise (pay, security, etc.). Should you talk with your spouse before deciding to not apply?

 

Absolutely. Assuming everyone in the conversation knows that applying doesn't necessarily mean accepting, let alone just getting an offer, absolutely nothing is lost by having the conversation first.

How do YOU know she would really be happier if you don't talk? What if her feelings about living near home have changed over the years? What if she wouldn't be happier simply because she knows it's a job you don't really want and she wants you to be happy, too?

Communication is a good thing.