There comes a time in most people’s careers where they need a change. I might just be a change of department within the same organization or it might be a total career change. You might just not like what your current project is or some friction between your coworkers. Before you go to lunch and never come back you might want to think about how you want to quit your job. How you leave a position can influence how easily you transition into your next job. If you want a career change then do it, but do it right.
Before Your Career Change
Weigh out all the options. Just because you are having a bad day or a bad month does not mean that the current situation will continue on forever. Everyone has frustrating days at work. Before you leave your current job think about what you want your next job to be. If you can visualize what you want then you are less likely to find yourself hating your career change as much as you do your current line of work.
If you are serious about leaving your job then you should give proper notice. Before you change careers, you need to find your employment contract and see what your leave notice period is. If you have a full time job then it will probably require a leaving notice period of two to four weeks. This can leave you in good standing with your soon to be ex-employer in case you need a good reference in the future.
To further ensure that you can call on your old boss for a good reference in the future, it is important that you leave a tidy legacy. Make sure that you clean up your workspace and do your best to leave detailed instructions to help out your replacement.
When you are leaving or have already left, do not burn your bridges. It is not wise to bad mouth your old boss no matter how much you dislike him or her. If your soon to be employers hear that you have been bad mouthing your old boss or colleagues then they might get rid of you before you can cause any further damage.
It is always best to leave the door slightly open. Making sure that your old boss can be called on to be a reference or a mentor is key to building a strong network.
You might be itching to get a career change or just a new office environment but before you jump the gun it pays to stop and think about what you really want.