You have been waiting for that promotion, trying so hard to get noticed and recognized for your contributions. Your boss tries just as hard to make that happen for you, but tells you that it’s going to take a little longer…again. Your eyes stray to job sites, just to see what’s out there. You update that old dusty CV and go out on a couple of interviews, and then, there it is…an offer.
What is this strange document outlining what another company wants to offer you for your hard work, experience, and contributions that you merely descibed to them? These people hardly know you and yet they want to pay you more than you make at a job where you have been proving yourself for years…and with greater responsibility? What is this craziness? How do you respond to it?
For those of you reading this who have experience moving from company to company every 3-4 years advancing your career, your response is probably TAKE THE JOB! But if you are like many hard-working individuals that have been with the same company for their entire career, that decision may not be so simple. Logically, it all makes sense if you weigh pros and cons of staying verses leaving, but emotionally the scale is skewed one way…to stay. There is no emotional weight in the new job, it’s completely unknown and empty. It’s those emotional ties that keep us from saying goodbye because we simply don’t know how to say “I’m leaving my work undone”, “goodbye friends”, “you will survive without me”, “I won’t ever get that promotion I always wanted & deserved”, and the list of stressful thoughts goes on, and on.
What to do, what to do? Your first instinct may be to talk with your boss who has been working to get you promoted. Maybe knowing you got a job offer will be the final thing needed to get your promotion approved. Now you have another scale to weigh. On one side, you may be able to force your current employer to match your job offer, stay in the company you have always known and understand that the path to advancement is by force, not achievement. On the other side of the scale is the chance your current employer’s policy is not to match outside offers and instead deem those who threaten to quit as doomed employees no longer worth future investment. Either way…you deserve better, so why aren’t you getting it?
The reality is that unless your company has a proven culture and policy of developing employees and promoting from within, your chances of promotion are limited. And to make it worse, the more entrenched the company and its people become in your personal life, the less likely you will be viewed as a promotable candidate. Sure, it can still happen, but you may have to wait a very long time for the perfect opportunity and circumstances to present themselves. That timeline may not be in your best interest. However, you may still make your waiting time productive by looking for ways to improve and get noticed by your current employer or to study online for new careers. Either way, you shouldn't make your waiting time idle and turn it into waste.
Think of it this way. An actor that does a great job in a long-standing show can often get typecast in that character, making it difficult to play a different part and be credible in another role. The same goes for the way we all revert to being seen as children in our parent’s home. It’s hard to break away and be seen as an adult in an environment where everyone has watched you grow up from childhood. Transitioning to a new role in an environment where you are known for something else is difficult, not only for you as you take on responsibility, but for those around you to accept you in a new way. That’s why starting fresh in a new company is often the right answer.
When you get promoted to a new job, at a different company, those new people around you see you only in your new role. The transition isn’t from the past to the future, instead, it’s about standing up as who you are today, propped up by your experience as you apply it to new surroundings. If you are ready to be a manager for the first time, step into a role as a manager. If you are ready to lead a department, step into a role as department leader. A company that develops employees and promotes from within creates an environment to allow for this transition. If that’s not your company, you are responsible for transitioning your career by leaving on your own.
So how do you quit your job? What should you say? What is the best way to go about leaving your comfort zone, your history, your friends?
Here are five steps you can take to quit your job:
1. Formally accept the job offer you received from another company and agree to a start date.
2. Type up a short and simple resignation letter for your current employer. Include the following information:
- This letter is formal notification that I have accepted a job offer with another company.
- My last day at “x company” will be day/month/year.
- I would be happy to work with you and anyone you recommend to transition my responsibilities before I leave. Below are some open issues to be considered for transition:
- Issue one
- Issue two
- Issue three
- Please let me know when a good time would be to review the transition plan.
3. Call your boss (if you have a good relationship with them) and let them know you accepted a job with another company, have your resignation typed up and ready to email to them and HR, but wanted to give a heads-up first.
4. Send the email to your boss and cc the head of Human Resources.
5. Let the response come from them and start getting ready for your exciting future!
With this simple, direct and formal approach to quitting, you maintain your personality and relationships separate from the job transition. Have your conversations, show your personality in person. Your professional resignation letter starts the process to move you forward.
Quitting your job is difficult when your perspective is filled with guilt. That’s why it’s important to understand why leaving is right for your career. Once you quit and move up to greater beginnings, you’ll find the next advancement is a much easier process. Do you stay and wait out a promotion, or seek it out elsewhere? Or, are you just happy staying put in your current role? Every three to four years is the timeframe to consider what’s best for you.
Here’s the good news, a promotion on your resume every three to four years signals to your current employer that you are not to be taken for granted. The likelihood of an internal promotion down the road is sure to improve!
Written by Lisa Woods, President ManagingAmericans.com
Lisa, a thought leader in Business Management and Leadership, founded ManagingAmericans.com in 2011 after 20+ years successfully leading and driving growth in the corporate world. Her objective is to help mentor and develop professionals to be better leaders, managers, team players and individual contributors in a “do-it-yourself” learning environment using unique & practical tools to support the process. Lisa’s career spans from Global Sales & Marketing to General Management of Multinational Conglomerates. Today she continues to consult small business owners through her private practice. Lisa's publications include: • 4 Essential Skills for Leaders, Managers & High Potentials © 2013 • The Cross Functional Business: Beyond Teams © 2015 • Action Item List: Drive Your Team With One Simple Tool © 2016 • Small Business Planning Made Simple: What To Know Before You Invest © 2017