Why It's Okay to Quit Your Lousy Job
This week Sandy tackles a very important workplace related issue: Why and when it’s okay to quit your job. Check out her tips and advice below.
What happens if you stay at a job that is not fulfilling?
If you stay at a job where you are not challenged, you may get dull and not advance professionally. If you are not learning and growing, you are going to miss out on the important things that you should be developing in your career. Working for somebody that doesn’t appreciate you or praise your work can knock down your confidence. which you’ll need when you’re interviewing. You might stay and “stick it out”, but why be unhappy? If you afford it, it makes more sense to leave.
4 signs that you should probably think about quitting your job
- The job is not what you expected it to be or may just be more limited in scope.
- The person that you are reporting to doesn’t seem interested in your development in the role and looks like they are going to keep you squashed in doing something that you really didn’t want to do.
- You realize that you were hired in the middle of some deadly political situation (within the organization).
- The work that you are doing is not challenging or interesting to you.
If you connect with any of these reasons, it’s better to leave early than to plant your roots in an organization for a long time. If you get out really quick, that’s good. If you’ve already stayed for six months then (and you think it’s really not challenging), maybe stay for a year.
How do you quit your job without leaving on a bad note?
Always set up a meeting in person with your direct supervisor who is responsible for you. Don’t go to your bosses’ boss or tell a coworker. Don’t do it via email. Honestly explain to them why you are making the move. Give a two weeks’ notice.
How do you talk about a job that you quit to future employers?
Figure out an “exit pitch” – something that honestly explains the basis of your quitting in a moderate, non-accusatory, non-negative way. Yet make sure it’s acceptable, honest and brief. That may take time to construct so make sure you have it before you start looking. Focus on highlighting what was best for your career -- what you’re looking for rather than what you’re leaving.
Memorize it. Practice it. Don’t say anything negative about the previous employer. Say something along the lines of:
I realized pretty quickly that the job was not really what I thought it was going to be.
I realized that the job was not taking me in the direction I wanted my career to go.
How do you pick the right job?
During the interview process, ask why the job is open. If it’s open because the person in the role before moved up and into another position --is there similar opportunity to you? If the interviewer mentions the person left the company, it might be good to know why the person left. Use Linkedin to see who has been in the role before. See where they went. Did they move up? Is their background interesting? Did this role help them get to a better place?
You can also request to interview with someone at peer level. If you can interview with a peer, you you may get a different perspective on the company, role, environment, or opportunity. You can also pick up on potential problems like jealousy, office politics or general work dissatisfaction.
Try connecting with someone on Linkedin who works (or had worked) at the company. Get an introduction so you can ask that person what working at the company is like.
You can also check review sites like Glassdoor or Vault. People go on there to gripe, but you can still see what people write about salary, benefits, culture, advice they’d give senior management, and more. REMEMBER, do your due diligence before accepting any job offer.
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