Careermemos

Alright, so you have a valid reason for leaving a job. Do you just bolt out the door on a Monday afternoon and never come back on Tuesday? Unfortunately, it is not that easy to leave a job. There are a few basics that you need to remember if you are leaving a job.

Be professional to the end. Leaving a job does not mean totally severing your ties with your present employer or even making the experience as difficult or as traumatic as possible. There are ways to be totally professional about the whole thing.

First, make sure you give ample notice when handing in your resignation. Customary is fifteen to thirty days notice to enable your employer to find a suitable replacement for you. That is the least you can do as your exit should not displace any work in process as much as possible.

Handing in your resignation, do it in writing. Be polite and diplomatic as much as possible. No sense sour-graping to the very end even if you have any reason to do so. Make sure that you thank your employer for the opportunity to have worked with the company. The opportunity had been financial and professional at any rate and you ought to acknowledge that as much as possible.

You would want to maintain the professional relationship so be as cordial as possible when leaving a job. Your professionalism extends to the termination of your service to your current employer. The relationship will extend further, however, as there is always the possibility that you will be relating to your current employer in the future. Who knows, you can be a supplier to your current employer, or even a consultant in the future. Or you may require their services in return, in your new employer.

Before you leave, make sure you make a proper and effective turnover. The turnover should cover not only the gamut of whatever work in process you will leave. It should also include a proper documentation of all files or records that you may have come into possession during the course of your employment. Turnover whatever equipments may have been temporarily assigned to you. This is a professional courtesy you can extend to your current employer, not to mention the fact that you are assured that you cannot be held accountable for any future loss or misplacement of whatever item or record.

If your final days of staying with your current employer will extend to the time when your replacement will come in, you can assist in the transition process. Orient your replacement of the nature of the job, the work in process, future engagements, and the kind of relationships to be maintained, both colleague-wise and customer-wise. The proper turnover and hand-holding procedures will be valued by your customer and work to your advantage when securing a favorable endorsement from them when you apply for a new job elsewhere.

Professionalism in leaving a job will leave a lasting impression. Who knows, your employer after having seen that professionalism extended to them till the end, might just have a change of heart and convince you to stay at your terms, of course.