Leaving a Job with Poise
Achieving That Graceful Exit
It’s time. It’s been time for a long time now and you are finally ready to make the move. What am I talking about? Moving on to your next position from your old one! Perhaps you’ve been unhappy in your job for years and are finally ready to make some changes. Or maybe you love your job but want more opportunities to advance and grow. Or it may even be possible you’re anticipating layoffs and want to quit while the quittin’s good.Regardless of your reasons for leaving, it’s important that you stage a graceful exit. You’ve heard what they say about burning bridges, you never know that one supervisor or team lead from a prior workplace will be at the next company you want to work for. It is always good policy to get a warm reference than a stone-cold denial. Regardless of the direction you expect your career to take, you don’t want to leave any smoldering rubble behind you. Here are 5 tips that will help you walk out that door with poise.
1. Time your resignation well.When deciding when to resign, you have to pick a good time for yourself, but you also have to consider whether or not you’ve picked a good time for your current employer. Unless it can’t be helped, leaving at the busiest time of year would be in bad taste. Your resignation should not be used as an attempt to get revenge. And be sure to give sufficient notice.2. Submit a thoughtful resignation.This is not the time to tell your boss what you really think of him/her (unless, of course, it’s positive and upbeat). It’s also not the time to catalogue all the injustices you’ve experienced. If you can, note things you’ve learned and ways your employment has been beneficial. Clarify how much longer you’ll be working there and the projects you plan to complete and those you expect to pass on to someone else.3. Offer your help.Now that your boss will be looking to replace you, offer to help with the hiring process. And while two-weeks’ notice is standard, it’s helpful to give a full-month so you can train a replacement if possible. Also consider leaving notes of instruction the replacement might find useful once they begin working on your projects. And leave your contact information so that your current employer could contact you later if necessary.4. Work until the end.Sometimes it can be tempting to take it easy the last few days, weeks, months of your job. But you’ll leave a lasting impression if you work until the end, exerting your best effort and getting as much done as possible. Don’t spend your final work days playing games on the internet or making long, personal phone calls. And don’t get offended when new projects aren’t extended and you don’t get invited to crucial meetings. That’s the nature of a job transition; you’re looking to the future as is your soon-to-be former employer.5. Say goodbye.My best friend in high school quit her job at a fast food restaurant by simply placing her old uniform on the counter in the women’s bathroom. She was too afraid to tell her boss she was quitting, so she abandoned her job like the scene of a hit-and-run. As long as you’ve done the four things above, there’s no shame in leaving with your head held high. And you don’t want to sour a good thing by skipping the last day of work or turning down your colleagues’ attempts to send you off with a company lunch or a piece of cake. Say goodbye and leave in good spirits. Leave your contact information and take the time, after you’ve left, to drop a note and say “hello.”
Moving on to your next position can be a difficult thing not only for you but for the friendships and working relationships you have established in your old job, but as long as you’ve made an effort to leave gracefully, you’ll have no regrets. And while you think you may never want to cross that bridge again, you never know; it would good to not only leave the bridge intact, but to have the genuine statement, “You’re welcome back anytime,” echo if you ever cross that threshold again.
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