Leaving Your Job with Class
Friday was my last day of work before the big move. I have had to leave jobs a number of times in my IT career and I think this was probably one of my best exits so far. With the average person changing jobs several times over their careers, leaving one’s job with class is an extremely important skill to master.
While this may not be a very technical post, I think that it is something that is critical for every IT person to know. So, with that in mind, here is what I have learned about leaving gracefully.
Don’t Burn Your Bridges
In my mind, this goes without saying but for some it may not be as obvious. You never know when you will need these people or this company again. You might be looking for work in the future and need a reference or maybe they will be hiring again in a few years and you might be needing a job.
It never hurts to have more people on your side than against and pushing people away is never a good thing.
Give As Much Advance Notice as Possible
When my wife and I first decided that we were going to move, we know that this was going to happen more than two years in advance. I notified my employer immediately and they have known for a very long time that I was moving on. While I understand that this is a very unusual situation, it is generally in everyone’s best interest for you to give as much advance notice as possible.
My general rule of thumb is to give my employer twice as long notice as is legally required of me. I generally give at least one month.
Also, the more specialized your position and the harder it is to find a replacement, the longer your notice should be. This benefits your old employer and also indicates to your new employer that you are loyal and trustworthy.
Help to Find Your Replacement
Only you really know what you do and that makes you a very important asset when recruiting for a replacement. Help your old employer find your replacement by offering to help with the interviews, talking with friends whom you know in your industry that may be interested in your position and help them word the Internet and newspaper “Help Wanted” ad.
Train Your Replacement
Once your replacement has been found, help to train them. Get them to work a few days with you so that they can learn the ropes from a veteran. While your company can provide them with a job description and basic training, only you can show them those special nuances of the job that you have learned from your years of experience.
Work As If It Is Your First Day Until Your Last
A lot of people start to slack off as their last day draws near. This can be a huge mistake. This became very clear to me as I was leaving my last position. I did a lot of extra tasks that I was not technically required to do but it was noticed and because I pushed hard right to the very end, they decided to give me the annual bonus even though I was not technically eligible for it because I was leaving before the bonuses were distributed. Sounds like a win-win to me!
Maintain a Positive Attitude
It is really tempting to have a “What are they gonna do? Fire me?!” attitude once you have handed in your resignation. Don’t fall into this trap. These are the types of things that people remember when prospect employers call for references. You also don’t want people’s final thought of you to be “What a jerk!” or worse.
Ask For Letters of Reference
Letters of reference can be very helpful when looking for future work, even if you already have a new job lined up. Now is the time to ask for them because you are in a better position to positively influence what is in the letter. It is much harder to get an accurate and glowing letter of reference several years down th road.
Offer to Help in an Emergency
This hold especially true if you are in a technical position. I told my old employer that if there was an emergency, I would do what I could to help out my replacement and the rest of the technical crew. I made it very clear that this would be on a best effort basis and that their would be some compensation required for my help but that I would be there if needed. This increases people’s opinion of you while also protecting yourself from being taken advantage of.
Make a Clean Break
I remember very clearly one individual that I worked with who quit to work for another company. His decided to take some time off before starting his new position. Imagine how surprised we were when he showed up at the office the day after his last day of work! He hung out at in the break room. He would wait for people at the coffee shop during coffee break. Eventually, his old manager had to come right out and tell him that he didn’t work there anymore and could no longer come around to “visit”.
Once you have quit your job, move on and do not dwell on the “good ol’ days”.
Keep In Touch With Your Work Friends
This may seem contrary to the previous point but actually, it is complimentary to it. A friend that I met at a previous job has become a real mentor and support to me, even though he and I have not worked together a coworkers in over six years. We made it a weekly ritual to get together for lunch and shoot the breeze. But, we made sure to meet at a restaurant that was not one frequented by other former employees. This way there was a very clear break between me and the company but not between me and my friends.
Write a “Thank You” Letter to Your Boss
Your parents taught you from a young age to always say thank you. This also goes for the people who were responsible for putting food on your table and shelter over your head in exchange for work over the past number of months or years. Do the classy thing and put a thank you in writing emphasizing everything you learned from working for them and for the opportunities that you received from the position.
Send a Farewell E-mail
Depending on your company, this can be a broadcast e-mail to everyone in your company, your office, your department, or just a few select friends. Make sure you thank everyone for their contributions and let them know what the future holds for you. You may even want to provide them with updated contact information.
Don’t Brag About Your New Job
I remember once a person working on the same team as me got a new job and from the time he announced he was leaving to the actual moment he walked out the door for the last time, all he could talk about was how wonderful his new job was, how much more money he was going to be making, and how wonderful the new company’s corporate culture was. All he ended up doing was making those up us left with our crappy, low-paying jobs and depressing corporate culture feel depressed.
While you want people to feel happy about your new career, you want them to be happy that you are moving on to bigger and better things, not that you are just moving on. Don’t lift yourself up by putting others down.
Conclusion
I know that some of these are not going to be possible in every situation, especially if you are leaving under less than desirable circumstances (i.e. fired, laid off, etc.) but do whatever you can to implement as many of these as possible to maintain your professional status.
It is quite popular these days to hire a headhunter when looking for work. And, on the surface, I thought it was a great idea. Why should I pound the pavement looking for jobs when these people do this full time and are willing to find me work without charging me? They get paid by the companies who are looking for employees and they get a percentage of my first year’s salary. This means that they would get me the largest possible salary and it doesn’t cost me a dime!