How to Know When It’s Time to Quit Your Favorite Job

If your job is clearly awful in at least one respect, there is at least one good thing: it’s much easier to understand that you want to quit. But if you like your team, have good perks, a decent salary, and a sensible manager, you will probably have a harder time deciding when to move on.

But assessing your career path and options is always a good idea, and even if you do decide it’s time to quit your job, you probably won’t do it right away. Making a decision to quit smoking actually means starting a job search rather than just making a name for yourself.

If you’ve been in the same position for a while and are afraid to leave, here are some factors to consider before making a move:

Think about your long game

If you are happy in your current position, you may still consider leaving as soon as you consider your long-term potential in your company. Adrian Granzella Larssen , editor-in-chief of Muse, recommends asking yourself a question about these areas:

  • Skills development : what skills are you currently learning? If you are not learning anything right now, could you? How will these skills help you move to the next level of your career?
  • Role growth : Is there room for your role to grow ? Can you take on more responsibility and have more influence and decision-making power?
  • Salary and Benefits : Will the company and your manager invest in your satisfaction when it comes to your salary, including allowances and bonuses? Are there killer benefits that are difficult to find elsewhere?
  • Career Path : Do you or your manager see a clear path in the company? Maybe your manager’s job or a transfer to another team?

If most of these areas do not have a positive outlook, it may be time to start looking elsewhere. Make a list of what you love about your job so you have a solid base to start your search. Granzella Larssen notes that it’s easy to get bogged down in a title or a pay raise, but consider what other aspects of the job and company are important to you so that you can enjoy them in your new position. For example, if your current job has a good work-life balance, or gives you the flexibility to drive your child’s car, you might want to take on your new role as well.

Get ready for graceful grooming

Completing the case well before leaving can help you maintain the professional relationships you have built and enhance your reputation, which is especially important in smaller industries or if you will cross paths with peers in the future.

Be prepared for a few different conversations that usually arise when you say that you are leaving:

  • Why you are leaving : Curious coworkers and your boss will want to know why you are leaving, especially if you were happy in your position. Think about how you want to answer this – sometimes a more vague answer is a way to keep the relationship alive. For example, “I am looking for a new task” or “In [the new company] I will be working on X, which is not possible for me here.”
  • What’s next : Write a one-sentence or two-sentence summary of your new role and where you will work.
  • Counter Offer : You can get a counter offer from your prospective employer. Granzella Larssen advises to think in advance if you are ready to consider such an offer, and what this conversation might be like.

Your manager may ask you to stay longer than the standard two-week notice period to give him time to find someone new and train them, but as New York Magazine reports, your notice period gives you time to jump into anything in the process, so don’t think you have a long notice period. However, you need to make sure that you document your projects well and start getting hung up on who will take charge so that the transition is as easy as possible for your team and boss.

Granzella Larssen recommends keeping a low profile with your new show:

She also invites you to write your LinkedIn and personal email goodbye so you can keep in touch with colleagues. These connections can be critical later in your career, so it’s worth keeping in touch sincerely.

More…

Leave a Reply