In this down economy, just having a job is a blessing, but there will always be times when you feel as though you have travelled as far as you can with a company, and realize that it's time to move on. After looking for a new job, once you find it, it's time to give notice and quit your current job.
Leaving your employer with dignity and making the transition as simple as possible for both the company and you is hard. It's tempting to want to walk in and say something you'll regret, but that is never a good choice.
The thing is, it really isn't just not acting like a fool when you leave. Once you leave, no matter the circumstance,it's not likely that you'll be allowed to come back and visit from time.
So, here are 5 things you should do before you leave your current job:
- Make the choice to leave well - It's hard sometimes, but what you do now could haunt you for the rest of your professional life. Make a conscious decision to leave with integrity. Don't talk bad about your boss, the company or your co-workers. People will respect you more if you only have good things to say. So, be sure not to burn bridges.
- Think about why you want to leave - Before you leave your job, it's important to be sure that you are taking the next step on your career path, not just leaving one job you hate in order to take another one that might not be any better. Unless you are unbearably miserable at your job, leaving to take a lateral position at another company doesn't make much sense and you might find yourself back in the job market in a year or two.
- Talk about your problems - If you are leaving because you are unhappy where you're at, have the courage to first talk about the issues with your boss. Employment is just like any other relationship, walking out without ever giving the other party a chance to address the issue just isn't fair. Talk about the problem and see if there are ways to solve it without having to leave. If you talk about the issue and find that there is no solution, then you can take the steps to find other employment.
- Keep working until you leave - After you have given notice, you still need to keep working. Often, people will spend their last two weeks slacking off and thinking that it doesn't matter. The truth is, as long as the company is paying you, you owe them a day's work. You're goal is to be able to leave knowing that the person who replaces you will be able to have as smooth a transition as possible.
- Don't job search at work - This is really just tacky. Don't use your company's resources to look for a new job. Instead, conduct your job search on your own time. For one thing, everything you do on your work computer is monitored and you can be sure that your boss will be alerted to the fact that you are sending out resumes. Remember that your professional reputation is at stake here, you want to be sure that you conduct your business with integrity.
Leaving your job and starting a new one is exciting, stressful and a little bit sad. Honor the time that you had at your present company and leave with the same amount of professionalism that you came in with. No matter how unhappy you were or how excited you are to be moving on to a new opportunity, it's important to leave with dignity.
What other things do you think are important when you leave a job? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for SalesHeadsBlog, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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