How to Leave a Job You Hate

by Alanna Shaikh · 2009-06-03 00:36:00 UTC
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(photo credit: David Paul Ohmer)

My title was a little tricksy, because you leave a job you hate almost exactly the same way you leave a job you love. Get a new job, resign, say your goodbyes, do some final connecting to the colleagues you respect, document your experience. Your goal is to become a fond memory for the organization you are leaving, no matter how bitter an experience it was for you.

Get a New Job

Unless your job threatens your health and safety, stay until you find another job. Money matters. You don't want to use your savings unless you have to. If your job makes you cry on a daily basis, stay anyway. If it makes you vomit- that's your call. But stay if you can, and hunt hunt hunt for something else.

Resign

Once you get that new job, and establish a start date, you get to resign. Make an appointment with your supervisor to "discuss your future." Then, tell them in person that you are moving on because it's time for you to take on new challenges. This is all you should say. Do not vent about everything you hated. Give two weeks notice. (if you really need to vent, eat lunch off-site and call your mom or best friend) Follow up with a letter or email to HR saying the same brief thing.

Say Goodbye

Make a point of connecting with everyone who helped or inspired you, to thank them. I like handwritten notes for my goodbyes, as something tangible to show my gratitude. Writing the notes also helps me with closure. Don't forget people you supervised.

Connect

Connect to all the colleagues you respected on LinkedIn. Make sure they have your personal email address, and that they have yours. Make a date for lunch in the next month or so. You don't have to lose your peers because you got a new job. If you had subordinates, offer to be a reference.

Document

Firstly, document your job. You'll never remember everything, and you'll need the information later. Write it all down in a detailed job description. Make sure you capture all your accomplishments, and any quantifiable things you achieved. You will need this for future resumes, cover letters, and KSAs.

Next, document your organization. If you hated it, record everything about why you hated it. Budget mismanagement, ethical lapses, poor leadership, employee abuse, whatever it was. Write it down in as much detail as you can. If you loved your organization, document that too. What was so great? What were the organization's strengths?

Eventually, I guarantee it, you'll be working somewhere that wants to ally with your old workplace. If it's a bad idea, being ready with specific information will help you convince people not to do it. If it's a good idea, you'll have the data to structure the partnership as well as possible.

Alanna Shaikh
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