Clients come to me at different stages in their career discover and career job search, and sometimes realise they may have made better decisions if they had spoken with a career coach sooner.

Jeremy (not his real name) contacted my last week. He has a job offer, not really sure if he wants it or not, but says that ‘at least it is something different’. 
He is thinking of just walking out on the job ready to start the new job on the 1st of the month, but he has a 4 week notice period.
I’ve made a note of some of what we covered in our session below as I think it helpful to consider in advance how you will act.

OK, you have made the decision to leave.  Follow these steps to ensure you leave on good terms and can always get a reference in the future.

Remain pleasant.  Once you have decided to move to a new company, continue to be pleasant with the people you worked with and make sure you follow procedures.
Check on the notice period – it could be 1 week or 3 months, make sure you know this before you commit to a start date with the new company.
Give your notice in writing.  Be clear and concise.  You don’t need to note down all the reasons you hate your boss or company.  You may want to work with the person or company in the future.
Think hard before accepting a counter offer.  You may be offered more money to stay. But if money isn’t your reason for leaving, it isn’t going to change the situation and you will be back in the same position in a few months time.
Remain active and positive.  Don’t switch off and get moody.  Continue to be an active team member and continue to do a good job.
Help your manager to train your replacement.  Make sure you leave everything in good order with notes relating to key elements of your job.
Keep the contact details of people you will want to remain in contact with. You may need your boss for a reference in a couple of years time.
A few months on
If the job doesn’t work out, don’t beat yourself up.  Just make sure that you take time to get the decision right next time.  A career psychologist can help.

Denise Taylor is a double award winning career coach and Chartered Psychologist with Amazing People, established in 1998. When you are unsure of your career future, need help with job search or seek to improve your presence in an online world, Denise can help. Denise is the author of 7 books including How To Get A Job In A Recession, Now You’ve Been Shortlisted and Fat to Fantastic
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Published On: November 19th, 2012 / Categories: Job Search /

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