Leaving a job can be stressful for anyone, whether you’re pursuing another opportunity or leaving for personal reasons. But, taking the right steps when you quit can make the transition from one job to another smoother for both you, your career, and your employer. Here are three real-life scenarios where individuals left their jobs in less than ideal conditions. How do you think they could have handled the situation better? We’ll provide you with tips on how to effectively handle quitting a job in part 2 of this series.
Leaving without a plan. Ray felt stuck in his job and had been searching for something else for months but to no avail. He didn’t enjoy his work, received little help from his co-workers, and was stressed to the max. After being away from the office for a few days due to a family emergency, he called in on the day he was to return and gave his notice. He decided not to go back to work but didn’t have any interviews lined up either. He’s still struggling to find a job months later, and he’s running out of money.
Jumping ship without notice. Jessie worked for an acquaintance for several years in a position with no room for advancement. When she found another opportunity that provided benefits, better pay, and career potential, she jumped at the chance. But as a conflict-avoider, she didn’t want to face her boss and tell him she was quitting. So, she simply never returned to work and ignored his phone calls. She already had another job and wasn’t worried about it.
Quitting out of anger. Greg was a strong performer at work, constantly completing projects early, helping others with their work, and moving up within the company. But he had a hot temper, and one day, a co-worker made a remark about his work that offended Greg, who didn’t give his co-worker the opportunity to clarify the comment. An argument began and quickly escalated. Greg was so angry he collected his things, told his supervisor he quit, and walked out the door.
Have you left a job in one of these ways? If so, what happened? How has it affected you or your job search? Did you jeopardize your career, ruin your chances at another opportunity, or lose a reference? Let us know in the comments section below. In part 2 of this series, we’ll discuss effective ways to give your notice.
I was pursued by a company for over one year to work in their tailor shop. When I finally went there to work after turning them down several times, my co-workers started harassing me and I complained. Rather than correcting the problem, I was offered a position for which I have no experience; I accepted thinking I would be trained. They hired another person for my position while I was still in the tailor shop. They refused to train me in sales and fired me two months later for "not learning your job." I ran from my problem rather than recognize that they were jealous of my skills and intimidated by me. I recently found out that the tailor who replaced me quit, another woman worked in the tailor shop for one week and quit and they currently have a male tailor who speaks little English. This company has had 8 tailors leave in less than 10 years which shows that I am not the problem.
I got as job at their competitor making more money. Some of my co-workers overheard a conversation I was having with a customer about my sewing skills. Rather than ask me about this they assumed that I was promoting my own business on company time. The following Monday, I was fired for "promoting your own business on company time." Our conversation had nothing to do with me promoting my own business, but none of management wanted to hear my side of the story.
Now I am really in trouble because I can't use either of these companies as references and am having a hard time getting a descent paying full time job. Both of these situations could haves been avoided with some polite conversation.
Posted by: Colleen Vaubel | October 12, 2008 at 07:33 PM