Recently, a gentleman approached me to ask about my reasons for leaving IB, because, he said, he “has about had it with his company, too” and “is also about to throw in the towel.” He said it as though he were following my path, and so I want to be clear that this was not my path at all.
In fact, I left at the very time I loved IB the most and had the most hope for its ongoing success and the greatest respect and affection for everyone involved! But rather than give him a tutorial about my leaving logic, I instead posed some questions to him (and now you) to help determine if it’s time to go or stay put.
- Do you have a better offer in the wings? Is it an immediate, concrete opportunity or a “maybe”? Does it better match your skills and career goals, or is it a pipe dream? Do you have the savings required to see you through if the new opportunity falls through? If it’s a better offer but you are still uncertain, is that because of a great working culture where you are? “Better offer” should be defined several ways. Is it REALLY a better deal, when you weigh all the variables?
- What motivates you? Define your “best situation” with your current employer. If you don’t know what success looks like, or if it is a moving target, it’s harder to hit. If your job were perfect, what would it look like? How different is that from what you have now? What are five personal behaviors that would nudge it toward that “perfect job” picture?
- Have you invested one year to maximize your own job satisfaction? Consider spending the first quarter learning the job and the personalities involved; invest the second in creating new and/or improving existing processes for the betterment of the client experience (consider internal clients, too — this leads to higher performance reviews for you). In the third quarter, think about company needs and how your performance might improve the bottom line. Can you suggest a new line of business or new vendors, or help recruit a new employee? The fourth quarter involves a personal SWOT analysis — what are your career strengths and personal weaknesses? (Then, after a year, request a performance review if it isn’t already scheduled!) What can you do to strengthen your résumé if this isn’t the perfect job
- Consider talking candidly with your boss. Can you make realistic suggestions to your supervisor to improve your day-to-day reality, including new learning opportunities, training, and/or more responsibility or pay? Are there flex-time opportunities or possible promotions over time?
- Is the workplace truly a toxic backdrop? (If you worked for a stupid boss at your last job, too, you might want to give that some thought.) If you really are being drained of energy by the environment you work in, why? Are the company values the opposite of yours? Leave. Have an overbearing boss? Consider quitting; it’s almost impossible to unseat a lousy boss. But you can ask for an exit interview with a higher supervisor, if possible, and politely express why you are leaving, using behavioral examples. Colleagues? What are your personal expectations versus professional expectations, and can you influence positive change or ask to be transferred?
A career is built day by day, and too often it can be beat down or destroyed day by day, too. You potentially work 2,080 hours per year. That’s a lot of hours to stay miserable, if you truly hate your job, or a lot of potential hours to fix it, if you’re on the fence.
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Let’s say you decide to leave. To reduce the amount of hurt feelings on either side of that clearly defined fence, it’s nice to include in your resignation letter or conversation these points:
- An acknowledgement of appreciation for the learning opportunities you’ve had in your job. (If you can’t find any, your attitude might have contributed to why you hate the job.)
- An explanation of why you are leaving. You can say that it is a better opportunity with a larger or smaller company, or more in line with your skill set and/or future career aspirations, for example. You don’t have to say what job you are taking at what company, or why you’ve decided to go back to school and where, etc. A general comment is sufficient.
- The date you are leaving, which should include a two-week notice (the norm) and an offer to help during that transition with training anyone else on any facet of your job. Do not be shocked if the employer opts to let you go earlier; the employer is under no obligation to honor your timeframe for leaving. Some do not want to pay an employee who clearly will be disengaged or not a part of future plans.
- A request for a letter of recommendation. Even if you have another job, you may need it in the future when your supervisor might be harder to track down. Many companies no longer write letters or give information other than to verify employment, wages, and dates, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Regardless of whether you go or stay, knowing how you feel about your job, and thinking about what you can do to make your situation more ideal, is important. Just going through the motions or settling for a rote performance in a rote job, well, that’s another whole column that I hope doesn’t pertain to you.
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