I've got an interview next week with another company. Do I tell my current employer about it? I've been on here before bitching about my salary so my hope is my current employer will finally give me a raise if they know I'm actually looking...or maybe they'll can me for looking haha.
I'm open to any thoughts/suggestions.
In general NO NO NO NO NO!
You may consider dropping hints, like, "since I earned the certification, I've been getting a lot of calls and email from head hunters and recruiters, maybe the job market for professionals is not so bad"... "so and so company says that they are looking for someone with my skills and asked me to put in a resume"... "Since I'm a licensed PE, my credential is public knowledge, and I've got several recruiters contacting me"...
However, it depends. I've had good working relationships with my employees and I was unable to give them a raise or promotion. Several occasions I've been told about interviews and such. I treated them as well as I could, even though I could not give a raise. Eventually, they got a job. One one occasion, I was able to get management to match the offer and he stayed a while longer.
If you have a good working relationship then you may talk to your boss. They may even recommend you to someone. I have a friend who, during an interview, was talking about their common background and hometown. The interview told them "you don't want to work here, hang on..." they called a recruiter at another company and got my friend an interview there the next day. Twice I've been told by bosses that this job was a stepping stone to a better one. A good boss is like a good parent, and wants their folks to do well and will support them, even if it means leaving.