Image via WikipediaDon't leave your job without being prepared.
Let's face it, just because you're lucky enough to have a job doesn't mean that you aren't looking for a new one. It happens to all of us at one point or another. Maybe you just hate the place where you work or find that your needs have changed and you're ready to move on to the next chapter of your life. Whatever the reason, if you have decided to start looking for a new job in earnest, there are some things that you should do before you hand in your notice.
Here are 5 things you should do before you go:
- Give you best everyday - When you start envisioning what your new job will be like, it's really easy to lose focus and become even more dissatisfied with your current job. This is normal and it's caused by your loyalties changing. Once you have made up your mind to leave, you aren't emotionally invested in your job anymore and it is almost as though the blinders have been pulled off and suddenly things that used to just annoy you start to make you really upset. Accept this and work to overcome it by making sure that you still do your job to the best of your ability as long as you have the job. The last thing you need is to be fired or reprimanded for poor performance before you have had the chance to land a new job.
- Don't talk about your plans - Until you have accepted a new job offer, don't talk about your job search to anyone. I know it's tempting to blab about how much you hate the company and how you are looking for a new job, but it doesn't do you any good. Gossip like this can spread through an office like wildfire and when it reaches your boss's ears, it will have changed significantly. Even trusted friends have been know to blab about these things. So, keep a lid on it until you know for sure that you are leaving.
- Pack up over time - If you're like me, your desk is probably filled with tons of personal stuff. In the movies, you always see someone leaving with a small box of stuff, (somehow they always have a plant in the box, I'm not sure why). In reality, you probably have several boxes of stuff, so do yourself a favor and slowly start moving your personal stuff back home. Don't be obvious about it and don't take the most important things first. Trust me, when you stop using your favorite coffee cup and start using a generic one people will notice. The goal is to have almost everything gone by the time you give notice, that way, if your boss makes you leave rather than work out your notice, you won't be rushed to clear out your desk and be forced to leave things behind.
- Back up your data - You probably should have been doing this all along but especially before you start looking for a new job, you should back up all of your records and anything on your work computer that belongs to you. Be professional about this and don't take company information. Just back up your contact list and any files that are yours using a flash drive. This way you won't lose all of that information, plus, after you give notice, your boss will probably monitor you and they might give you a hard time about taking any data out of the office. It's also a good time to make sure you have contact information for your co-workers and other professional contacts.
- Take a look at your finances - When you change jobs, there might be a lot of new expenses so plan for them now. First, realize that there will probably be a gap in your pay. When you start a new job, it might take several weeks before you get your first paycheck. During that time, you'll still need to eat, still need gas to get back and forth to work and you'll probably need a few new items in your wardrobe. So, start socking away cash now so that you will be prepared when you make the switch. This is also a good time to think about any 401k accounts you have with your current company. Make a list now, when you have access to the numbers for the departments that handle these things so that once you leave, you'll be able to contact them and roll over your accounts.
Changing jobs is exciting and a little scary. Hopefully these tips will help make it a little easier.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for PhillyJobsBlog and Beyond.com, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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