“Is It Smart To Quit A Job To Look
For A Better Position?”
Career
Cycles
By Joe Hodowanes, Career Strategy Advisor
Of J.M. Wanes & Associates
www.jmwanes.com
Is it ever smart to quit a job to look full-time for a better position? Friends may tell that there is no good explanation for quitting a current job without having another job lined up. You may have heard that you would be viewed as damaged goods. Not so?
There can be a number of compelling reasons for quitting your present job before you have a new position. For instance, jobs in nursing or education make it impossible for some people to make phone calls and schedule interviews. How many nurses or schoolteachers have time to make a number of telephone calls to prospective employers? When asked why you left before you had another position, you may want to say the following: I have always felt that people who looked for another job on an employer’s time were being dishonest. I thought I owed the organization, and my boss, all my time and energy as long as I was on the payroll. How could anyone disagree with this type of answer?
Note: the above-suggested answer does not mention stress, burnout, frustration, or any other emotional or negative issue. Make sure you keep those reasons to yourself. Why raise questions in a prospective employer’s mind about your ability to handle stress or frustration? If you decide that leaving your present job is the most productive way to land a new position, consider the following three suggestions:
1. If your company gives a bonus or distributes profit sharing at a certain time of year, and that time is near, plan to resign after you receive your payouts.
2. Concentrate on what you can do to create a smooth transition. There is no legal principle for the two-week notice; however, it has been customary for the last 40 years to do so. If the boss says I thought you were happy here, simply reply, yes, I was very happy, but it is just time to move on and pursue other interests.
3. Ask for a letter of recommendation. You may want to make suggestions as to its content or even produce a rough draft to go over with your boss before you depart.
Joe Hodowanes, a career strategy adviser in Tampa, Florida, offers a free resume
and career analysis. Fax your resume to (813) 936-0201 or email it to
jmwanes@jmwanes.com For questions, call Joe at (813) 936-0091 or visit
www.jmwanes.com on the Web. All Job Search Advisor articles on this website are the property of
www.jmwanes.com
(J.M. Wanes & Associates). You may download
a copy for personal use. Redistribution without permission is strictly prohibited.
© 2005 J.M. Wanes & Associates.
|
