6 Things to do when you Resign.
You have decided that you are leaving your current employer for a different or better opportunity – nothing wrong with that. Follow these steps to make the process less stressful for yourself, ensure that you will get a good reference and make certain that you do not end up burning a bridge for yourself.
- Don’t Gossip – Just because you are ready to leave don’t start gossiping about things at work with your colleagues who still plan to work at the same company. The gossips will come full circle after you leave and you won’t get a chance to defend yourself. Don’t tell anyone at work that you are interviewing. If you are unhappy about something, talk to your direct supervisor about it and let it be known that you are unhappy about something.
- Be Respectful – The most important thing about leaving a place where you spend over 8 hours a day is having respect for the environment, even if deep within your heart you hate everything about it.
- Be Direct – Ask your supervisor if you can speak to him/her privately. When behind closed doors, let them know immediately that you are putting in your two week notice. Don’t beat around the bush. Be ready to answer questions like why, what happened, what can be done to keep you around longer, counter offers etc.
- Be Honest – Don’t lie. Let your supervisor know exactly why you are leaving – better career opportunity, commute, salary etc. Don’t get petty and emotional about the people that you work with who you may not like. Don’t throw other people under the bus just because you are leaving. Trust me; the managers already know who the weak links within an organization are. Remind them that you will be ethical and not do or share any information that you have been privy to while employed at the organization. If you, like most people, have signed a Non Disclosure Agreement – commit to your manager that you will abide by it. If you have signed a Non Compete Agreement – commit to your manager that you will not take any customers that you have developed, with you.
- Be Helpful – Your best move in a time like this is to offer transition help with whoever is going to take care of the work that you have been doing. Tell the manager that if this requires over two weeks that you will make yourself available after hours or over the phone to answer any question or help out so that the company does not suffer. Most companies will not call you to ask for more help beyond the last two weeks, but the gesture goes a long way. Remember, you don’t know when you might have to work for the same manager again. Or who may call the manager to ask about your work ethic and professionalism.
- Be Thankful – On your last day, make sure to Thank everyone for their help and let them know that you enjoyed working with the group. Remember and highlight the fun times you shared with the group while you worked there. Don’t get petty, emotional or start/enable any rumors.
Follow these 6 steps and be certain that whenever you leave, you leave feeling good. You never know – the next job might not be as you thought and you may want to come back. If you do the right thing when you leave, most employers would probably be happy to have you back.
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