Career Management

Leaving your job

Linus, the worldly wise Peanuts cartoon character, shined only the front of his shoes, because he didn't care what people thought of him as he left the room. He was lucky. In senior management how you leave a job is just as important as how you begin.

Most of us prefer not to think about the final days we spend with an employer. Ambitious people are either focusing on their current roles or looking for new opportunities. Yet a well-managed exit can pay dividends later in your career.

The ideal scenario is to leave your current role when you choose and because it's the right move for you. But being in the right place at the right time doesn't just happen by chance.

You need to keep a lookout for changes in your company and your sector that could affect you.

Know when it's time to move

The more advance warning you have, the better prepared you will be to plan your next move – or avoid having it imposed on you. If the main aim of your exit strategy is to be ready with something better to go on to, you need to learn how to predict change and read

The tell-tale signs

Sarah Mulhern, consultant with Spencer Stuart in London, advises executives to have their ‘antennae‘ out constantly, sensing any developments that could impact their job six or 12 months down the line.

Being sensitive to company performance includes ‘Me plc,’as Greg W Welch, consultant with Spencer Stuart in Chicago advises. “You need to be CEO of your own career management,”he

says. He advises candidates to organize regular performance reviews with their bosses to ensure they are on track and provide early warning of any problems.

While you're doing this, you need to stay connected outside your immediate role. This means maintaining links with other networks, such as alumni and professional associations. Build up contacts with the key people in your industry wherever you can.

This includes recruiters. Search consultants remember people who have taken the time to help them – and one day you may need them.

These steps will give you signs as to when is the right time to leave, but making the decision to exit from a job is always difficult. It's human nature to hang on a little bit longer, and when things are going well it may obscure what's best in the long term.

You may well have immediate considerations. If financial security is important to you, it may be worth hanging on until you are pushed. But avoid staying on so long that people forget your earlier successes, like a fading sports star.

No dramatic exits, please

Once you've decided to leave, what's the best way to handle it? It's important to maintain your professionalism every step of the way, no matter how keen you are to move on. This starts with how you break the news.

According to Welch, the aim is not to spring any surprises but to soften the blow. The golden rule of leaving is to defuse potential fall-out that could poison your career trail.

One technique is to ask for a meeting at the earliest opportunity to “discuss some career choices you have made”. Such a remark usually only means one thing and your boss will appreciate the advance warning.

Once you decide to go, see it through

Of course, giving your employer time to react can often mean they come back to you with a counter-offer. This is the next test of your leaving skills.

Reiterate that your decision has not been made lightly and that you are going to see it through in the most professional way. Being persuaded to stay on it may assuage your guilt and buy your boss some time, but it will do nothing to for your reputation – the underlying damage is done.

It's about trust. “Resigning shows that you're capable of quitting the team and you were ready to walk out, ” says Welch. “Senior management will always know that – and the marriage will fail eventually.”

What goes around, comes around

The marriage comparison is apt. You are managing the end of a relationship that takes up most of your waking hours. But, however emotionally charged the situation, avoid getting personal.

Sarah Mulhern says that even high-caliber people can fall into this trap. “Never use the opportunity that you're leaving to tell somebody what you've thought of them, because whatever sector you're in the world is small and it will always come back to bite you,” she says.

Welch agrees, citing the example of a candidate who got into a row with his boss when he decided to leave his bank for a competitor. Four months later, the bank bought his new employer and the candidate knew he was finished. “With consolidation across almost every business, it's important to keep relationships on the up and up,”he says. “Be positive – it'll pay dividends for you,“

Avoid opportunities to unload, for example, at exit interviews. And remember that the way you behave with superiors and peers during this time will often come out during the reference-taking process. Search consultants often use a 360-degree approach. They will contact many of the people you worked with, so think carefully about the impression you leave on people.

Coping when it's not your decision

This is even more important when career change is imposed on you. Many, if not all, of us will experience the pain of being let go at some point. In this situation, it is vital to maintain your professionalism so that people remember you in a positive light.

You may feel resentment towards your company, but don't let it show. Even if it means gritting your teeth, try to stay upbeat. Remember, this could be the last memory people will have of you, so follow the same advice as if you had been leaving out of choice.

Don't leave empty-handed

There are some practical tips to cope with the shock of being let go, apart from the usual outplacement. Welch advises asking your superiors and peers for letters of recommendation before you leave your employer, a tactic that creates something good out of a bad situation.

This gives people the opportunity to do something to help – and you leave the building with something more tangible than sympathy. “If they think you're worth the salt, they'll write the letter, ”he says. “It's a gold, get-out-of-jail-free card.”

Mulhern advises negotiating use of company facilities so you can begin your search for another role. She also recommends that you have several ongoing projects. Your most important goal is career momentum, so use your professional skills while you're job-hunting, for example paid or unpaid consulting.

At the same time, take the opportunity to feed yourself in other ways – learning a new skill, renovating your house or simply spending more time with your family. “You want to look back on this time as a constructive time in your life as a whole,”she says.

Finish like a professional

Anyone can start something. The real test of professionalism is how you finish. Whether or not it was your decision to leave, you owe it to yourself to project a positive professional attitude throughout your last days with an employer. “The critical question in reference-taking, ” says Mulhern, “is would you want to work with that person again?” Making sure the answer is “yes”often depends on how well you manage your exit.

Related Articles

• Lessons learnt: creating a CV
• Working with recruiters
• Working with recruiters
• The successful interview