Tips for a Successful Career Transition

August 20, 2015

Assessing your reasons for leaving

It is important to assess your reasons for leaving the organisation. Common reasons are issues such as:

Limited career opportunities
Lack of leadership
Too much travel
Concerned for viability of the business
Limited work/life balance
Feeling unsupported

Be honest with yourself when assessing your current situation. It might be worthwhile challenging your existing management on some of your issues to see if they can be addressed. If you feel there are no alternatives you may need to look outside the business.

Developing a career plan and making the move

Once you have developed a career plan it is important to think about your options and explore each of these in line with your goals. Read more about developing a career plan and searching for the right job.

Resigning

Many people underestimate the stress of resigning from an employer especially if they have worked there for a long time and built strong relationships. Some key things to remember are:

Make sure you have read your contract of employment and are familiar with the terms including restraints of trade and notice periods.
Be very clear with your manager. We advise meeting face to face to hand in your resignation.
Follow up your resignation with a formal letter which states the last date you will work and the role you are resigning from. Always end the letter positively, thanking your employer for the opportunity.
Leave on a positive note and ensure a smooth handover. You never know if you will need this employer again to act as a referee and the workforce can be a small world.

There are some situations when your employer may try to retain your services by meeting your demands, increasing your salary or changing your work conditions. It is important you go back to the reasons you considered leaving in the first place and not get swept up in the emotion if things truly aren't what you are looking for longer term.