Quit Your Job
No matter how gung ho one starts out in a job, it’s possible to lose passion for the project. Perhaps you’re a social media person at heart, but you’re stuck planning an event for traditionalist attendees who would rather not interact on Twitter. Or maybe it’s a 180-degree career change you’re after. Whatever the case, when it is time to say goodbye, get your boss’ blessing, bow out gracefully and never burn a bridge. Here’s how.
1. Find the time. Looking for a job can be a full-time job, but don’t let it interfere with the real thing. Carve out time to devote your full attention to the search, recommends Jon Acuff, a self-proclaimed former “serial quitter” who left a string of cubicle jobs to become a full-time writer in 2010. Today, Acuff is the national bestselling author of “Quitter” and “Stuff Christians Like.” “Be selfish at 5 a.m. It’s the only hour you really own,” says Acuff. “When I figured out that I wanted to do something else with my life, I had a full-time job, two beautiful kids under the age of 5, a beautiful wife and freelance clients, and the only time I could focus was early in the morning. Maybe 11 o’clock at night is your 5 a.m. If we won’t find the time, we start stealing time from our day jobs, and that’s a great way to wreck your day job.”
2. Network to boost your net worth. To network your way to a new career, become what human resources expert Roberta Chinsky Matuson calls a “connector,” or someone people go to because they believe you know everybody. “It’s better to give than receive,” says Matuson, author of “Suddenly In Charge: Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around” and president of Human Resource Solutions (yourhrexperts.com). “If you’re doing a favor for someone else, referring them to a job, tell them, ‘By the way, I’m always looking for new opportunities, too, if you hear of anything.’”
3. Work hard, dream hard. It’s tempting to tune out in meetings or sneak glances at job-search engines when you’re stuck in a dead-end job. Word of advice: Resist. “You can’t be a bad employee and a good job hunter,” says Acuff. “You can’t be lazy all week and then think you’ll flip the hustle switch on the weekend and really be a good dreamer. You want to know that you gave everything to your day job while you were there. That will give you the chance to give everything to your dream while you’re not.”
4. Blog your way to a better title. This tactic is particularly useful to those transitioning to a different industry. “Start blogging about that industry,” says Acuff. “Find the blogs of the 10 biggest experts in that industry and join their communities. Comment on the things they write. The next person who interviews you may ask, ‘How are you passionate about this job?’ and instead of saying, ‘I love this industry’ you’ll be able to show them that you’ve been blogging about it for the past three months. You don’t need permission to start building expertise. That is what’s so fun about the time we’re living in; not only do you have access to the experts, you can become one using free or inexpensive tools.”
5. Slow and steady wins the (LinkedIn) race. Don’t let your covert job search get back to your current employer before you officially resign—that’s a given. But there’s one telltale action you may not think to conceal. “From an employer’s perspective, I can tell who’s looking for a new job based on their LinkedIn activity,” says Matuson. “It’s suspicious when someone’s network goes from 10 connections to 200 in one week.”
6. Throw in the towel—gracefully. There’s one important thing to keep in mind when giving notice, says Acuff. “If you plan to stay in that industry for a while, there’s a good chance you’ll work with that team or that person again. It’s a really small world, especially [within] event planning. Start with the idea of, ‘I might work with this person again, how easy do I want that experience to be?’”
7. Keep in touch. “Resist the temptation to tell your boss how awful life has been while working at the company,” urges Matuson. “Now is not the time to burn bridges.” If you’re branching out to start your own business, think twice about wooing clients away from your current company. “Don’t solicit clients. They will see your new title and the name of your new company on LinkedIn and will come to you if they want to. It’s OK to take their calls but don’t actively pursue them.”
