1. Thinking about Quitting a Job - Before You Quit Your Job Take some time Consider
Some Things You'll Learn About:
Things to consider before you quit/hand in your notice your job
What to consider before you quit your job improperly
We'll review typical reasons why you would want to quit your job
Alternatives to quitting a job
Unemployment possibilities will be discussed and questions answered such as:
* "Can you collect unemployment if you quit your job?"
* How to quit your job gracefully and professionally
* How to quit your job and get the last laugh
* How to quit your job without burning any bridges. This should not be taken lightly!
* If you want to quit your night job, some things to consider that are different from if you wanted
to quit your day job.
You'll want to hear this...so don't quit your night job yet!
Things to know if you want to quit your job to start a home business of any kind Make a game of it!
NOTE: The information you receive from reading this article will give you some things to think
about that you may not have considered but ultimately, remember that nobody can make that
decision for you. You should always do your best to find out everything you can before you take
any action.
Think of this scenario: you now have quit your job and are hunting for another...feverishly,
urgently, with very little time before you go under financially. Now that's stress! Not only that, you
left for the wrong reasons. You may have quit your job because of stress, a bad coworker or boss,
poor conditions, no recognition or whatever it is but it won't matter to the unemployment office
when they have a line of people waiting for benefits. Bottom Line: Do not quit your job before you
have another one lined up! When you have another job lined up then you should quit your job.
Nevertheless, quit your job gracefully and professionally. Let's find out the Ins and Outs of quitting
your job...
The first thing to consider is CAN you quit your job from a financial standpoint? Do you have the
reserves in place (money in the bank) or another job lined up BEFORE you quit? Think of it this
way, the moment you quit, you free that position up for the LINE OF PEOPLE waiting to get your
job! If you do not know how to quit your job properly, depending upon the circumstances, you may
very well burn a bridge. In this day and age that is not a wise idea! After you quit your job it's far
too late to try to retrace your steps and go back begging on your hands and knees should you
need that job back! I'll show you how to resign from your job in a respectful and professional
manner to prevent you from burning any bridges.
If You Quit Your Job Improperly:
You may very well not only burn a bridge, so to speak, but this may also follow you for some time
2. and become a thorn in your side when you apply for a job and well into the interview process.
Even though companies have a very fine line they have to walk when an inquiry regarding a
former employee surfaces it can be difficult at times to prove if something was said during the
conversation since you are not even there.
You will likely be asked in an interview in one form or another some questions about your previous
job. People can tell when you are not being completely honest by such things as your body
language, tone of your voice, even at times when your blood pressure goes up and your heart
starts to race. You may even start to perspire a bit and so on.
If you quit your job prematurely you may very well jeopardize your financial situation. It is easy to
make it worse in one form or another even when you have the right intentions but you merely miss
the mark of what your goals are versus what reality is. That is a hard lesson to learn.
Typical Reasons Why People Quit Their Job:
The second thing to consider is WHY do you want to quit your job? Is it too stressful? Not getting
along with the boss? Just simply hate your job? Is it for health reasons? Do you have challenges
when it comes to performing the job duties? Do you have to move? Are you not advancing as
quickly as you thought possible? Let's address a few of these for starters.
If your answer is somewhere in the "hate my job", "can't advance", "can't get along with the boss"
arena then there may be a better alternative to quitting a job which we will discuss shortly. If it is
for health (including stress) or anything that falls close to this you have a possible reason to quit
your job. Do not take this lightly. If the job is high stress and/or your health is suffering then speak
to your physician about this. There may be medical options available for you that will require your
doctors' endorsement. This may also protect your position/job for the time being. This is typically a
protected area depending upon the state and area you live in. Let's get into the other reasons why
you want to quit your job.
If you are quitting a job to move and the move is a 'must do' or 'no option' sort of thing then it's
pretty much said and done. You should quit your job for these reasons. Just make sure you are
moving for the right reasons. If you quit your job to take care of a family member or for a better job,
to move to a better area to bring up your kids or even just a better area in general then you should
quit your job. Follow the section about how to quit your job gracefully but remember to have
another job lined up if at all possible before you give notice.
Alternatives to Quitting a Job:
Before you quit your job, ask yourself this question... Am I the type of employee I would hire
(meaning you)? Would you hire YOU if you owned a company? If the answer is not a quick yes
then maybe a change in your work activities is in order. Are you on time? Do you take only the
allotted breaks and for only the time specified? Do you go above and beyond what is required of
your job even a little bit? If all you are there for is a paycheck and all that you ever do is the
3. minimum at your job, you will struggle with this quite possibly for the rest of your life. I'm not
kidding. When you step it up just a bit your employer sees you as a bigger asset to the company.
Deliver more than the minimum, do your job as BEST as you can! I don't care what it is, give it
your all and you will be recognized as a great worker! Oh yes, one very simple thing you can do to
really improve how you are perceived is to SMILE! Now, would YOU hire you?
If you are having issues with your Boss or even another worker, get those issues addressed as
soon as possible. If you have a union or some other governing bodies (including your Human
Resources Department) then contact them to find out your options as well as the proper
procedures to follow.
Communication is key and this goes hand in hand with people skills and a little bit of finesse. So,
be polite, be patient and be open for change. Pointing the finger at someone else assigning blame
will not work. I don't care if you were right or wrong, if you create a conflict it will likely compound. I
am not saying to roll over though. Stand your ground (if it's worth standing on) and state the facts.
Not possibilities or speculations, just the facts. Keep any documents that support these facts or
keep a log book if necessary. Remember the old cliche that addresses winning the battle but
losing the war? Keep that in mind.
Your company is likely to have a process to follow for issues like this. Follow them. The chain of
command (management hierarchy) is there for a reason. Use it! Stick with it until you can get
some sort of resolution. There is nothing wrong with respectfully speaking with your boss about
the issue even if you don't get along with him/her and want to resolve it. Any professional will see
it as an attempt to fix a problem and not take it personally. Perhaps you do things that your boss
doesn't like and it is eating at him/her just as much as his/her actions eat at you? Level the playing
field and you will likely be respected as a professional.
Is a transfer to another department or location a possibility? This may save you a lot of grief
versus to quit your job over something that could have been overcome with a simple transfer.
Finally, if you can't seem to get a resolution, then start looking for another job! Don't quit your job
because you hate it, can't get along with someone and so on. That is a foolish thing to do.
However, my own personal 'standard' if you will, for quitting your job is right here:
- Only quit your job after you have another job lined up, then give the appropriate (at least) 2
weeks' notice politely and in written form giving the date of your last day. Keep working hard!
- Only quit your job after you have your financial needs met (like quitting the employee work force
to become an entrepreneur...see the business section below) and also with at least 2 weeks'
notice, in writing, as above. Again, keep working hard!
Unemployment Possibilities:
In general there is only one area that MIGHT allow you to leave your job and that is for medical
reasons. This is an area that can get very convoluted depending upon your state labor laws, so
4. check with them to find out the particulars for your area. If your job is aggravating an injury and the
employer is not accommodating you appropriately or in a timely manner than you MIGHT be able
to quit your job and get unemployment benefits but I would not hold your breath....check it out
thoroughly before you take that step! With people standing in line at many unemployment
agencies they may have even clamped down even further in this area by now so even if you
THINK you can just quit your job and draw unemployment, check with the unemployment office
FIRST.
If you are already working while drawing unemployment then be aware that if you quit a job (or
can't go to work because of requiring a doctors release) the unemployment department may very
well see the drop in hours and halt your benefits while a review of your case unfolds. Remember,
your benefits will typically STOP while they perform this review so be very careful with your
decisions. This review can take up to a month or more!
Ways to Quit Your Job:
How to quit your job gracefully and professionally: Your letter of resignation should only highlight
the positive points of your work at your company. No slander or finger pointing. Simply point out
that you are leaving on whatever date and you enjoyed your time here. If it's for another position,
state it is for another position but leave the company name and such out of it. Keep it general,
positive and professional. There are plenty of sample letters that you can find in a web search.
How to quit your job and get the last laugh: This is more for your own personal giggles and if used
will likely result in you not laughing for long. Do not use this unless you understand the
ramifications and have become independently wealthy. So, here it is. Explain in your letter of
resignation that you have been told by your physician specialist in whatever field (a little research
here to make sure make believe names of ailments match with the right kind of doctor) that you
have been diagnosed with a terminal ailment, disease or whatever. Maybe something like
Caribbean Getaw ay Syndrome or GoN2 Bora Bora Disease. Explain that the first signs of which
are currently appearing and they start with the loss of sight. Then proclaim that you can't see
yourself working for them any more! Righteous!
How to quit your job without burning any bridges: This should not be taken lightly! Even though the
last entry was somewhat comical it is highly recommended you keep that to yourself. DO NOT act
on it. Quit your job gracefully and professionally. Period.
Quit Your Night Job? Are you crazy?
If you want to quit your night job, there is one thing to consider that does not apply to wanting to
quit your day job and that is the shift itself. Sure, it can be hard on your family life, social life and
so on but you have an advantage with a night job. You see, you can not only go on interviews
during the day and keep up the job search but you also have fewer managers during a night job
than you would have on a day job. Try the other possibilities like transfers or addressing some of
the issues you have with HR or similar to keep from just outright quitting your job. Consider it a
stepping stone to bigger and better things! It may even be plausible to address your concerns
5. directly but in a non-threatening, open and friendly way. Do whatever you can to get the situation
either rectified or at least reduced in intensity.
If You Want to Quit Your Job To Start a Home Business, Consider This:
If you have or want to start your own home business ONLY QUIT YOUR JOB after you have
surpassed the gross pay from your job and have one year of wages/salary in savings (again, gross
pay). Oh yes, and no bills! In this regard, when working your business part time (and while you are
still working a job) limit yourself in a new business to 10 hours per week until you get it built up!
Then, up it to 20 hours but remember that it is time spent WORKING your business, not tying
yourself up answering emails, driving to the store to get supplies and so on. That is getting lost in
the 'putting out fires' routine and is not ACTIVELY BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS. The time you
spend should be productive, quality time. You still have a life to live and need a balance between
work and recreation, family time too. You are no good to anyone if you die in the process so create
a balance and spend quality time in each area of your life. Your family and your business will
thank you! When you reach this point (No bills, one year savings, greater pay)then you should quit
your job. No doubt!
NOTE: I recently witnessed a VERY successful speaker divulge a lesson learned that catapulted
her business success. She was working 100 hours per week and making really good money, but
when she cut her hours to 20 hours per week, her income quadrupled! Now, this may not be
typical in the sense that you will get the same result bu tit illustrates how honing her activities to
only those that were productive can result in HUGE results. In essence, she was wasting 80 hours
of her week! Regardless if you double, triple or even retain the same income level for a fraction of
the work, pay attention to the quality of work you are doing. If you are not growing your business
then you are stuck in it and that is too much like a job!
Lastly, sometimes making a game out of your job can help. Not in a foolish sense but sometimes
you just need to create a routine where you need to challenge yourself to make the job more
interesting, and thereby improve your outlook of that job. You may even find you actually like it!
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