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Career Journal: How to Quit the Right Way
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Author:Nikita Garia
Source:
http://cn.wsj.com
Release Time:6/13/2011 9:11:01 AM
View Times:11315 |
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You have finally made the decisiona 'to quit your job. The next big thing on your mind is how to tell your boss.
Quitting a job isn't pleasant for anyonea 'neither for the employer, who may be rather surprised, nor for the employee, who may experience feelings of guilt. But there are some things you can do to make this process more comfortable for the parties involved.
Here are 10 tips to help you sail smoothly through your resignation and notice period.
1. Understand the trigger. One fine day you decide that you want to quit your job. So you start brushing up your resume and sending it off to companies. But hold off and first figure out where you are heading. 'At times, people take emotional decisions, which might harm them in the long run,' warns Deepa Mohamed, group head of human resources at SMC Group, a financial services company.
First evaluate your decision based on various factorsa 'company, location, culture, your designation and packagea 'to figure out what it is that you feel is missing in your current job and whether it's possible to find a more fulfilling role in your current company.
'Evaluate the trigger from all the angles,' advises Ritu Malhotra, assistant director of human resources at Canon India Pvt. This step can prevent you from taking a hasty decision that you might regret later.
2. Inform. Once you are completely sure about your decision, you need to inform your company. The tricky part is whom to inform firsta 'HR or your immediate manager. No matter how much you hate your boss, simply sending a resignation letter to HR without his or her knowledge is inappropriate. It is best to have a face-to-face conversation with your immediate manager before you send out a formal resignation letter, says Ms. Mohamed.
3. Quitting Isn't a Negotiation Tool. If you think announcing your resignation is a stepping stone to a better salary at your current job, think again. This could backfire as the employer might see through your gambit, says Arti A. Raghava, human resources manager at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Gurgaon. 'The GMs and CEOs have gone through every phase,' she adds. Never underestimate your employer. Moreover, experts suggest it is never wise to assume you are indispensable to your firma 'a big company generally has more options than you do.
4. Don't cut and run. Serving out the notice period you agreed to when you joined the company will leave a good impression on your employer. Even if there was no notice period mentioned, 'it is ideal to give two weeks notice,' says Ms. Mohamed.
A good practice is to tell your next employer when you'll be joining only after you've agreed with your current employer how much longer you'll stay on. You need to give your company enough time to find a replacement, says the Marriott's Ms. Raghava.
5. Don't slack off. People often get into an exit mode during their notice perioda 'they start arriving later, working less and gossiping more. Your 'employers will respect you if you give your 100 % till your last day in the company,' says Ms. Raghava.
6. Help your replacement. Always offer to help during the transition period by training your replacement and showing him or her the ropes. In fact, if your association with the company has been a long one, it is a good idea to help your company find a replacement since you have the best knowledge of the skills needed for the job.
7. End on a good note. Don't bitch about your current boss, go on about how happy you are to leave or do other things that might leave things on a sour note.
'Don't be disrespectful and unsupportive of your employer,' says Ms. Malhotra. The company you're planning to move on to might go back to your previous boss or colleagues and check on your performance and behavior with them. 'Reference checks have become critical,' says Ms. Mohamed. If you behaved badly at the end, that might hurt your chances of getting the new job.
8. Avoid personal attacks. If you have had a specific and ongoing problem with your boss, and it's something that is likely to affect your successor as well, you may want to raise the issue during your exit interviews but 'in a professional manner,' says Ms. Mohamed of SMC, cautioning against making your feelings widely known.
'Venting your anger openly in the office can create a lot of discomfort,' says Ms. Malhotra.
It's best not to air a personal enmity with the boss, though, as that's likely to be seen as a petty attack, which could hurt your reputation.
9. A clean handover. Make sure you hand over all your company assets and documents to your manager and IT department. Your handover should be as smooth as possible, making it easy for your successor to pick up where you left off. Put down the status of projects you were working on in writing and hand that over to your manager, suggests Ms. Malhotra.
10. Say, 'So long, farewell.' Before you leave, write a nice goodbye e-mail to your boss and colleagues thanking them for the opportunities they have provided and wishing them good luck. Your company will always remember your attitude toward them.
Once you're out the door, don't completely forget your old company and colleagues. Keep in touch with them and don't burn any bridges, particularly if you're remaining in the same industry. It's a small world, and who knows, you might work in the same company or with the same people again some day. |
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