How to (Successfully) Leave a Job You Hate
It’s no secret a lot of companies are struggling when it comes to keeping their employees happy and engaged. A disturbing number of employees (at all levels in the company) are thinking about looking for a new job or they’re already looking and interviewing. If you’re even thinking about leaving your job, here are three things to keep in mind:
Leave before you have to
If you don’t love where you’re at, leave sooner rather than later. Don’t wait until your boss “lets you go” or before you get to the point you can’t stay one more month. You want to begin a job search from a position of strength, not frustration or fear.
If you put off leaving too long you’ll lose the edge you have by being able to network, interview, and negotiate from a position of strength.
Leave on good terms
Be sure to do your best work for as long as you’re with your current company. Why? Because that’s what professionals do. Resist any temptation to let your guard down and voice your complaints or to broadcast you’re not happy where you are.
You want to leave without burning any bridges and you want to leave with your reputation intact. You never know when a misspoken word or a bad attitude will come back to haunt you.
Take action now
The longer you think it will take you to secure another job, the sooner you need to get a plan and act on it. Set small goals first and then you can take bigger steps. For instance, do you need to update your resume? Start there. Do you need to reconnect with people in your network? Do it today.
The longer you stay where you don’t want to be the harder it will be for you to leave. Don’t say, “It will take me two years to find the opportunity I want.” Tell yourself, “If it will take me two years, I need to get started today.”