So You Want to Quit…

How many times have you wanted to say, ” Enough is enough!” “Take this job and shove it”. “I am so out of here.” “I QUIT!”? Maybe it was just a response to anger, stress, frustration, and angst in the heat of the moment. Maybe it was an all encompassing recognition that you where in an untenable situation, a toxic environment, confronting irreconcilable differences, engaged in a hostile takeover, or embroiled in an ethical dilemma not of your making. Maybe it was something as simple as you no longer felt effectively utilized or suddenly realized that you had outgrown your situation.

At some time in your life you will have this experience; we all do. You will contemplate terminating a relationship that has irreparably ceased to function. If your dream job has become a nightmare, wake up. When it is time to go, it is time to go. Quitting is not the same as giving up. Quitting is giving in to a needed change in perspectives, priorities, and possibilities.

Try to avoid the spur of the moment decision to resign that you’ll later regret. Before you 86 a job, hit the pause button long enough to do a reality check (e.g. inventory your current level of solvency, financial obligations, potential unemployment revenue streams, benefit loss impacts, etc.), then assure you have a viable exit strategy and timeline in place. In truth, even in the best of circumstances you should maintain a contingency exit plan for all career endeavors.

Your LinkedIn profile, interest groups, and connections should be an integral part of your exit strategy. Use them to reimagine/reimage yourself and follow intriguing companies. Your online profile is more than just a resume. Craft it to reposition yourself in the marketplace, showcase your transferable skills, safeguard your professional reputation, quantify your value proposition, and emphasize your success rates plus achievement potential. If you are an employee under contract, this information concerning your LinkedIn connections is important to know.

When it’s finally quitting time, be prepared for your exit interview. Resist the urge to say those things at the beginning of this article. Be smart, use your emotional intelligence. Leaving diplomatically with grace and dignity is the way to go.

For more career advice, follow our curated content at Heuristics’ Professional Development for the Public and Private Sector and see our presentation on how to create your professional brand .