Congratulations, you’ve found yourself a new job!

 

Now what? What should you do before you leave your old job?

 

Hello and a very warm welcome to Episode No 28 of ‘Your Bravo Career’

My name is Mark Crossfield, I’m a Professional Career Coach / helping you to love your job and build a great career.  

 

How you can enjoy what you are doing day each day at work

and how to build a great career along the way.

Introduction

In this episode, I’m going to be talking about what you should do in the last weeks and days of your old job, to end that role well and to get you ready for your next job.

 

In my experience these actions are often over-looked so, even if you’re not about to leave your job, I think you will find today’s content very useful.

 

I will also be discussing a News item which is all about whether more of us are now aligning our career with our ethics – wanting to work for companies for example that have values that align with our own and wanting to do work that has a positive impact on the word.

 

And,

 

As usual I have got some helpful resources to share with you, to help you in your career

 

Ok, let’s move onto Career New.

Bravo Career News

In the news this week there have been several reports about how, more people are now seeking out jobs that align with their values and ethics. 

 

You might have seen some news reports about the ‘Great Resignation’, people seeking out new careers post covid, and perhaps on the back of this, there is now growing evidence that we are seeking out jobs that can have a positive impact on the world.

 

The Evening Standard ran a piece recently and, In the article, they say that a growing number of us are willing to forgo big pay cheques and job security in the name of, ‘aligning career and soul’.

 

Also, Deloitte’s 2021 annual global survey found that we are now more selective on the work we choose to do and ‘are determined to hold ourselves and others accountable on society’s most pressing issues’. 

 

And that accountability extends beyond the personal. 

 

Climate, access to health care, diversity and inclusion — where once it may have been enough to consider oneself an ‘ethical consumer’ who shopped green and donated to charity, now we are determined to make ethical choices in our careers, too. 

 

It follows similar findings from LinkedIn: according to its workplace culture survey, 71 per cent of professionals ‘say they would be willing to take a pay cut to work for a company that has a mission they believe in and with values we can subscribe to’.

The 15 industries that professionals say they would never work for because of ethical or moral reasons, are as follows: 

1.    Advertising and public relations

2.    Alcohol

3.    Cannabis

4.    Defence and military contractors

5.    Financial services and banking

6.    Firearms and ammunition

7.    Gambling

8.    Gig economy

9.    Health insurance

10. Multi-level marketing businesses

11. Oil and gas

12. Pharmaceuticals

13. Pornography

14. Social media

15. Tobacco and e-cigarettes

So what are the career Implications of all this? Well, It might be that now is a great time for you to re-assess your career values. 

Do your values match those of the organisation you are working for. Does that matter to you?

 

Let me know.

 

Ok, let’s get on with the main part of the show.

 

 

What should you do? Who should you speak to? How do you leave a job the right way?

 

It’s easy to think, now you’ve secured a new opportunity, that your work is done, happy days! 

 

No need to give any attention to your departure from your current role or indeed preparation for the new one.

 

This would be a mistake. What happens in the last weeks before your departure can do a lot, and I mean a lot, to cement your reputation as a top performer and, of course, get you ready for the new role.

 

So,

 

Here are 5 practical things you can do to leave your company the right way and to get you ready to start something new.

 

1.  Build confidence in your Decision to leave

When it comes to taking a leap in your career, it becomes much easier when you're confident about your destination. Therefore, this first step is about reminding yourself why you're leaving your current role and, of course, reminding yourself that you deserve to be in a job you love and one that will love you back. No further need to put up with a job you hate or even, for that matter, one that's mediocre. Life's too short to compromise on your job choice. This mindset consolidates your decision and ensures you can make a confident departure.

 

Also, being confident in your decision also helps you deal with other people's opinions about your departure, which although well-meaning could be unsettling in the lead up to your leaving date.

 

Being confident about your decision also helps with the next tip which is to …

 

2.  Tell your manager and make it official

 

Having decided to leave your organisation, you’ll need to inform your manager of your decision. Yep, love the idea of this, or hate the idea, it’s got to be done! You also need to make sure you do this before telling anybody else; your boss finding out from somebody else about your departure will make the process harder.

 

So, the practicals. Arrange a meeting with your manager and prepare what you will say. In the meeting, it's best to get straight to the point and inform them that you will be leaving the company. Keep your statement professional by using phrases such as 'with regret' and 'having given the matter lots of thought'. This will help you keep a positive relationship with your boss and take the edge of any disappointment.

 

You will also need to put your resignation in writing, and this can be handed to your manager in the meeting or sent afterwards by email. At this time, it's also good to agree on a departure date based on the notice period for your post. If the meeting goes well, you will have maintained a good relationship with your manager and at the same time have carried out the necessary practical requirements of leaving.

 

Ok, so the third thing to do is to …

 

3.  Deal with the practical issues

Dealing with the practical issues means having the integrity to end your current role well, making sure nothing gets left hanging, unfinished or without a next steps plan to aid continuity. In some cases, you may even get to train your replacement or at the very least have a handover meeting with somebody that can ensure continuity.

As well as it being the right thing to do, one of the benefits of ending your contract well is that it is more likely that you will receive a glowing reference from your employer.

 

Ok, so when it comes to leaving your job the right way, so far we have

-       One, Build confidence in your decision to leave

-       Two, Tell your manager and make it official

-       And Three, Deal with the practical issues

 

And, in a few minutes, we will look at the final 2 ways you leave your job the right way, but first, it’s time for Career Resources

Bravo Career Resources

Ok, so the resource today is from Resume-now.com, a US site which provides professional career advice.

 

They have some useful information about how to align your values with your career. This ties nicely into today’s news feature.

 

You might also recall I talked about reviewing your values in Episode 12, How to find a job you will love by using your work values – If you haven’t listened to that you might want to go back and give it a listen. I will put a link in the show notes to that episode.

 

But, getting back to the Resume-now values-driven resource, what I like about this is that they divide core career values into four sections, intrinsic (eg. Responsibility, achievement), work environment (Benefits, flexibility), work content (problem solving, helping, leading etc) and work relationship (such as team work, competition or open communication).

 

I highly recommend you take a look at this, and I will put a link in the show notes, as well as re-listening to Episode 12 of my podcast which I have also added a link to.

 

 

 

Ok, let’s get back to Part 2 of the episode.

Part 2

So, the first 3 things we talked about in the first half, the practical things you can do to leave your company the right way and get ready to start something new are:

 

-       Build confidence in your decision to leave

-       Tell your manager and make it official

-       Deal with the practical issues

So now we are going to cover the remaining points.

 

And the 4th way is …

 

4.  Strengthen your network

 

Remember, you are leaving your company, but you are not leaving your connections. Your connections are your connections wherever you are. 

 

So, before you leave your current organisation, it's a good idea to strengthen your connections within that organisation. There are a few reasons why this is a smart move. 

Firstly, it helps to build your reputation in that organisation beyond your departure. It helps people to remember you in a positive light. Your connections talk about your after you have gone, and this can boost your reputation.

 

Secondly, what happens is, over time, many of those connections will move to work elsewhere. They leave and get a job somewhere else. So, your connections begin to become scattered as your career progresses. And this can boost your career possibilities further by being connected to a growing spread of potential decision-makers who rate you as an employee.

 

It’s especially important not to weaken any of your connections as you leave. So, for example, make sure you don't burn any bridges by speaking badly about your current employer or boss. Even if you are feeling bitter towards your organisation, it's essential to remain professional.

 

Ok, the next and final step, step 5 is to,

 

5.  Plan your first steps in your new role

 

Having decided to take the leap, it’s a good idea to do some initial preparation for this new chapter in your career. The first 100 days in a new role sow the seeds for success and starting well will mean you will be more likely to enjoy the new role beyond these first few months.

 

So, start to think about your vision for the role and what you want to achieve, and the more short-term goals such as meeting your new team and delivering a quick win. Some of these ideas will need to be refined when you actually start the role but thinking about them in advance helps you to plan ahead, increase your motivation for the role and of course make success more likely.

 

Finally, an extra sub tip here, if you can, try to avoid ending one role on a Friday afternoon and starting your new role on a Monday morning. Seek to create a gap and some headspace if you can, to prepare for your new challenge and plan out your first 100 days.

 

So, there you have it, the 5 things you can do to take the leap and leave your job.

 

1.    Build confidence in your decision to leave

2.    Tell your manager and make it official

3.    Deal with the practical issues

4.    Strengthen your network

5.    Plan the first steps in your new role

 

And, sometimes you may need additional support to end one role well and in making a great start in a new job. In which case, seek help from those around you or get professional support. 

 

If you need help from a professional coach, reach out to me and let's have a FREE 45-minute chat. I can support you to make the leap into a more enjoyable role.

 

 

 

Your call to action today is to:

 

Review these 5 things you can do to leave your job the right way and make the leap forwards with confidence.

So, that’s it! We’ve come to the end of another episode.

 

I hope you enjoyed the show.

  

You can email me at mark@bravocoaching.co.uk and you can find the show notes at bravocoaching.co.uk/podcast.

 

If you are interested in working with me, you can book a free discovery call on my website.

 

If you haven’t already subscribed, why not do that now. I’ve got a special guest on the next podcast who I’m excited to talk with. I think you will enjoy the conversation as well …

  

Have a wonderful week and I will speak to you again in a couple of weeks time.

 

Bye for now.