To quit your job is easier said than done for sure. There are so many reasons why people want to quit their jobs.
It might be because of the toxic work environment, the horrible commute, the job itself, or maybe you desperately need a pay rise and can’t get it where you work now. I get it!
Quitting your job isn’t as easy as it sounds. There’s a lot of thinking that you need to do before saying the words ‘I quit’ to your boss.
Let me help you by giving you some advice and guidelines to push you through the resignation process.
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Why Do You Want To Quit Your Job?
Most people will experience negative feelings when they are working on occasion, that’s completely normal. If this happens more often and makes you question whether you should quit or not, think about it more deeply when you are feeling neutral.
When you are having a shit day, it isn’t smart to jump to conclusions or make impulsive decisions and immediately quit your job. Don’t head to the boss’s office to say you quit because you are sick of it all. No, take your time to do some reflection and introspection.
If you are experiencing more negative than positive feelings when working, you should dig deeper and see what it is that is really bothering you. Get to know your WHY. Why do you so badly want to quit this job? Make a list of all the things you can think of that are causing you to feel unhappy at work right now.
Get to know the core issues and main problems, and don’t get lost in the little details. Is it the industry that you don’t like, the coworkers, the boss, or the job itself? Spit it all out and discover what really is bothering you and making you miserable.
If the things you hate about your job are only temporary, you can choose to sit it out and wait for better days to come.
If not, start looking for something else. But before you can do so, you should know which things you definitely don’t and do want in your new job. What are the reasons for your unhappiness at work right now and what will a better job for you look like exactly?
Pros and Cons
Making a pros and cons list can help you in the decision-making process. You can make two lists, one for quitting your job and one for staying.
It can not be all bad at your current job. Maybe you live nearby so you don’t spend much time commuting or they pay you very well. It’s also possible that you love the things you have to do but hate your coworkers, or the other way around. If there were no positives, the decision would be too easy!
When you finish writing down all the positives about working at your current job, start thinking about the negatives. This won’t be too hard because you are thinking of quitting, right?
When you are writing down all the positive and negative things, try to dig a little deeper. See what your personal wants and needs are behind them.
Let me give you a few examples.
If you hate your job because all you have to do is talk to customers all day long, you might need some more time alone to spend working on more focused tasks. You might be introverted if you hate constant social interaction and need to spend some time alone to recharge. If you hate your job because you have very tight deadlines every day and keep overthinking about things that could go wrong the next day, you might want a less stressful job and slow pace.
Figure out what your work-life needs and wants are. You should know yourself and the things that you can and can’t make compromises on.
Do Your Research
I love preparedness. Changing jobs is a big decision, so make sure you are well-prepared! You have to do all kinds of research.
First of all, do some reflection and introspection. Use your pros and cons list. What is it that you want to do, you can let the internet help you a little. There are so many sites with personality tests and tests for career change. You can try some of those to see what comes out. You might get inspired and find out what you are looking for all along.
When you know what you want to do, figure out how much time you have to keep working at your current job. This way, you can let your new employer know how long they have to wait for you. If this is possible without handing in your resignation of course.
When you are self-employed but you want a career change, speak with your accountant about the best time to start a new job financially. There might be some things you need to do before you can stop being self-employed. Try to do what is financially best for your personal situation.
After doing all the research about what you have to do when you quit your job, it’s time for the job search!
Find an Alternative Job
The wise thing to do before you quit your job is to find another one. This is wise but not very nice because you probably want to leave sooner rather than later.
Job searching can be exhausting! Prepare for this, know that you will have to spend some time looking and applying for different jobs. Set some time aside during the weekend or take up some vacation days to send out your resume to multiple companies.
Stay positive and keep trying when you don’t get selected for interviews or if you end up not getting the job you wanted. It is hard to do all this while working your current job but it definitely is the safest option. Until you hear the words ‘you’re hired’ you shouldn’t quit your job.
If you have huge savings to sustain you for a while and hate the thought of having to spend another day at your job, you can choose to quit without another job lined up. When you find yourself running out of savings, you might need to the first available job. Just to pay your bills, keep that in mind.
If you want to start your own business, it is recommended to try to start it when you are still working your day job. This means working a lot of hours at first. When you see that your business is taking off, you can leave your day job feeling more secure. If your business is not getting you any money after giving it your all for a good period, you might want to consider doing something else.
Alternative Sources of Income
It’s always good to have multiple sources of income when you lose one. Try building other sources of income while you are working a stable job.
These can be passive or active sources of income. It can be done passively by investing in dividend-paying stocks or ETFs, investing in the housing market to receive rental income, putting your money in a high-yield savings account, selling digital products, advertising, affiliate marketing, etc. Active sources of income can be from working as a freelancer after your regular job, doing some jobs on the side to make some extra cash, etc.
Try to have a backup for when things don’t go as planned!
Don’t Burn Bridges
Never ever burn your bridges! This means that you should leave your current job with grace and respect towards your employer. Although you may not think about this now, it might be possible that you would want to return to your previous workplace.
It’s always best to leave with the most respect for everyone who works there. Maybe you will come across members of the management team at another job after a while and you don’t want to be in conflict then. You should also always be able to return to your previous job. In case it turns out that your new job is even worse, the grass isn’t always greener you know.
When you speak nicely to your coworkers and employer, they might give you a letter of recommendation. It also feels nicer to leave without bad blood. If you are applying for new jobs, it won’t help to get the job if you speak about how terrible your former boss was, this may work in the opposite direction.
You never know if your previous work connections might come in handy! Try to be as nice as you can. Always. But especially when you are going to quit your job.
Conclusion
Is there a right way to quit your job? Yes, there is!
Follow the guidelines in this blog post to help you get through this unpleasant process a little better. Leaving a job is never easy but you should try to make it as good as it gets.
When you want to follow your passion, try a different career, or go for a better work-life balance, you can choose to quit your job. Think deeply about this before taking action but don’t overthink it! If you gave it plenty of nights of sleep and reflection, you should just go for it!
New jobs always take some time to adjust to, give it enough time but if you are sure that this isn’t suiting you, take a leap of faith. By staying in a job you hate, other parts of your life will probably suffer too. You should be able to enjoy your life and your work life as well. If you can’t make up your mind, know that by not making a choice, you are making a choice. You are choosing to stay stuck.
If you don’t change anything, nothing will ever change.
I wish you all the luck in the world with job hunting!