The Dos and Don'ts of Quitting Your Job and Heading for Greener Pastures

By Adnan Masood

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy

Are you ready to quit your job? Regardless of the reason, how you quit is important as it might impact your ability to get a good reference in the future. When it comes to quitting your job, please take these important dos and don'ts into consideration.

DO make sure you have another job lined up. Or, at least make sure that you are financially secure and able to be without a job for a few months. This economy has made it hard for job seekers. Millions of men and men are currently out of work. While there are jobs available, there aren't enough to go around. So do not count on being able to land a new job right away; plan ahead and be prepared.

DON'T quit your job for a ridiculous reason. Say you got a job offer and that new position pays more; great! That is a good reason to quit your job. However, not good reasons aren't worth the hassle of going through a job search, possibly being unemployed for months, and so forth. Speaking of which, what aren't good reasons? It depends on the situation at hand, but you should never quit your job on a whim because of a dispute with a coworker or boss, unless you feel threatened.

DO give proper notice. This is hard in some cases. Say you got a new job offer but you need to start in one week. What should you do? You want to provide two weeks notice before quitting your job, but what if you MUST start in one week? Tell your current employer right away that you will only be available to work for one more week. Do know though that this might impact your ability to secure a good reference. If possible, provide two weeks notice at the least.

DON'T tick off the entire workplace on your way out the door. If you are quitting your job due to a problem with your boss or your coworker, you might look at your last day as an opportunity to let it all out. Despite that great feeling at the time, you never know when you will come across your coworkers or bosses again. Remember that old saying "never burn a bridge that you might need to cross again?" Remember it!

DO provide your notice in writing and verbally when possible. If you work for a larger company where you rarely see the person in charge, it is okay to turn in a written notice only. However, if you deal with your supervisor on a regular basis, hand in your letter of resignation in person and have a quick chat with them. Explain your reasons for leaving (but put a positive spin on your on-the-job experience). Basically, go out of your way to seem like a model employee because this will help when it comes time to get a good reference.

Now that you got a few good tips on quitting your job, are you ready to start your job search?