| P2P - that's my shorthand for the four phases of the Job Search Project: Propose, Plan, Pursue and Produce. Here we are, finally, at Produce. The offer is in, you haggled just a little and got to yes. You're ready to move to the new job and start producing. Just a few things left to do before you wrap this baby up.
Leaving Gracefully
It's not enough to give notice verbally. You need to at least put together a three sentence note telling your current employer that you are leaving, when you are leaving and how much you appreciated the opportunity to learn and contribute over the "fill in duration of employment" there. Don't go on and on. Short and sweet is plenty.
Make sure that you give at least two weeks notice. It really doesn't matter if the job you're leaving is the lowest rung of hell - you still need to be professional. And that means offering to stay for at least two weeks to finish things. The notice period is your chance to exhibit model behavior and make everyone really sorry that you're going. You might be a lame duck, but that doesn't mean that you should act lame. Come to work on time, put in a full day and don't act like the short-timer that you are.
The notice period is when you should work your hardest to make sure that everything you were responsible for is completed, or completely handed off to someone else. It's best to leave at a break point in a project, but sometimes that's impossible. Insist that a transition be planned and then hold up your end. Leave good documentation and insure that your replacement not only understands what was happening, but also is comfortable going forward.
Don't be surprised if your two-week notice is received and then you are told that you should leave immediately. This is common, especially in large corporations with proprietary information or practices. As a general rule, you'll still be paid for the notice period, but you are no longer welcome once your resignation has been received. In fact, you may be accompanied to clean out your desk and then be escorted off the premises. Don't be offended, it's policy, not personal.
The Exit Interview
Some companies, especially the larger ones, offer the opportunity for an exit interview. If you haven't been that happy at your soon-to-be-ex-employer, it can be a very tempting opportunity to unload. Trust me, this is always a bad idea. If you choose to take them up on it, you need to be very careful in what you say.
That doesn't mean that you have to smile sweetly and tell them, "Working here was incredibly valuable to my career." (In your head version, "Take your crappy job and shove it. I never want to set foot in this hole again.") On the other hand, outright candor can boomerang on you.
It might seem like the perfect time to relate how you were used/abused and how you think they need to change the company direction/management philosophy/training policy/anything else that sucks. But you need to "go long" before you open your mouth.
|
You wish: | The HR representative who conducts this farce goes directly to the ex-boss's manager to report and the result is just what boss jerk deserves.
| |
What really happens: | The HR weenie goes right back to boss jerk him/herself and reports everything you said.
|
Not good. Especially if you're ever going to need boss jerk as a reference (Shameless plug: this is next month's topic.) It's highly possible that boss jerk thinks better of you than vice versa. Why spoil it? Just keep your mouth shut and use his/her negative example to improve your job performance in the future.
Lessons Learned
Every project, successful or failed, results in some lessons learned. Your job search project is no different. Your lessons are likely to be both about the job search process and about yourself.
Take a couple of quiet hours to think the process over and decide what you got out of it.
Look over the records of your job search project - your research, your notes, what happened after each contact or interview, everything. Ask yourself these questions and record the answers:
- What worked for me? What didn't?
- What's the one thing I wish I'd done differently? How would I do it the next time?
- Which job search task(s) was the hardest for me? How did I get through it?
- What thing did I know I had to do, but avoided anyway? What did I do when I was avoiding? How could I behave differently?
- Who helped me out? Write down a list of everyone, with contact addresses and phone numbers. (If any person was particularly valuable, it's nice to send a thank-you note to let him/her know.)
- Which companies did I contact? What was the outcome of each contact? Were there any opportunities that I wanted, but that I wasn't qualified for? What would I have to do to get qualified?
- What was the question(s) I couldn't answer? How am I going to be prepared to answer it the next time?
- Was there any point in the process where I got into trouble, and then got myself out? When? How'd I do that anyway?
Seriously, write down your answers to these questions. Feel free to add as many others as you'd like to this short list. Voila, your personalized instructions for the next job search project. Put them in your job search file … you will need them again.
Plan Ahead
Yup, you'll be doing this again. Maybe sooner, maybe later. Probably several more times again. There are a few more things you can do to get ready and make job search less painful.
- Go back to the objectives you identified in the Plan stage. Remember all those nice-to-haves that you didn't include in the project you just finished? Which of them look like strong contenders for the next project?
- Any education or training goals? Make a plan to get those underway and set a deadline date for completing the plan. (Hint: the job search project process works for education too.)
- Pick a date three months from now and write yourself a note to update your resume. Do it again for three months from that date.
It's always smart to be ready for the next job search project. And, who knows, maybe the next job will just fall in your lap and you won't even have to work at it. Naah … that only happens to the other guy.
More
If you've gotten through the Lessons Learned task, I'd love to hear from you. It would be great to share some of your thoughts and techniques. Send them to me at jamie@jobcircle.com and we'll publish a list. With or without your name - it's your call. Next month: References? Did You Say You Want References? Happy summer.
Enjoy this article? Read more of JobCircle.com's Career Coach articles.
Jamie Fabian spent more than 15 years as a human resources executive before changing careers to become a senior project manager for a growing IT consulting company. Now in management consulting for a large Pharma company, Jamie would like to be seen as a hybrid of Tom Peters, Tom Jackson, and Tom Wolfe, but spends too much time working, driving carpool and watching mindless TV to write more than this column. You can contact Jamie with questions and comments at jamie@jobcircle.com.
|
