Leaving Your Current Job
You shouldn’t quit your job to job hunt full time.
- Don’t quit first! It’s easier to get another job and negotiate while you’re still working.
- Consider the possibility that you’re going through job burnout.
If you were fired from your previous job before accepting the new job offer:
- Check your state law. You may find that many things are mandated by law.
- Don’t be too discouraged because the state law doesn’t help you. There are many other reasons for your company to offer you severance.
- Don’t sign anything unless you have reviewed it carefully when you were not under emotional stress.
- If your employment contract called for severance pay to be waived if they fire you for good cause, be careful that they’re not concocting a reason for firing you.
- Be aware that if they offer you a severance package and you turn it down, the employer is no longer obligated to offer you that package; although many will do so out of a sense of fair play.
Once you accept your new job offer, be sure to resign and leave your former job in good terms:
- Make your resignation letter short and to the point.
- Give notice with appropriate lead time and make a clean hand off of your duties.
- Never criticize the old company or talk about the new company. Do everything you can to leave on good terms. You will probably need a good reference from this employer.