It happens so suddenly.  Things seem to be chugging along and one afternoon you come to the drastic realization: “I want to quit my job”.   It may have been percolating for some time. Anger and resentment like to age like a fine wine (mmm wine. Is it Friday yet?).   Maybe something specific has triggered your sudden need for change. Perhaps you’ve had a sudden leadership shuffle or organizational realignment that just turned your work-life upside down. Either way, something has to change and you’re going with the all -or-nothing approach. You want to quit your job.

Okay, sit back and breathe.  This has happened to all of us.  The following 3 steps ensure that you are making the right move, and if the move is real – how to make sure you are prime interview material.

3 Steps to Take Before You Quit Your Job

Assess. Correct. Act.

1) Assess

First things first.  Let’s do some root cause analysis.  Some questions to ask yourself:

• What do you love about your job?
• What are you really good at?
• What could you be better at?
• What makes you think you should be better at them?
• What do you dislike about your job?
• Which one in particular (there may be many, try to pick the one with the biggest impact) would you say is making you want to leave?
• Why [insert answer to your last question here]? i.e. Why do you think your boss doesn’t know how to lead?
• Why [insert answer to the last question here]? i.e. Why do you think your boss has no desire to help you to succeed?
• Why….[you get the picture right]? i.e. Why do you think your boss dislikes you as a human?
• What evidence do you have to support your beliefs/observations?
• Is it possible these are assumptions?
• Where do you want to go?
• Why do you think it will be better?
• What evidence do you have that supports that?
• Is there a person/place/resource that you could use to determine if another agency/consulting firm/hospital etc. will be better?

*Note: This line of questioning will hopefully have you saying things like “Well, I just assume s/he dislikes me because x,y,z, but I don’t know this for a fact.”

2) Correct

Now, finding a job can take a while.  So maybe there are some opportunities in that big list above to make some course corrections.  Make things better.  Maybe they get so great you don’t need to leave, or maybe they just become more tolerable while you are on the hunt for that new dream job.

• What can YOU change about your behaviours/habits/style that could help?
• What skills/experiences do you need to develop to make the transition?
• What tools, resources, people (mentors, colleagues etc.) do you have to help you make changes/get experience and skills?
• What changes would help that YOU have influence over?
• What things do you think can OTHERS change?  Are you willing to have a conversation with them about it/work together to solve it?
• What things aren’t going to change/things you don’t have control or influence over (i.e. policies, organizational structure) ?  Can you come to terms with that staying the same during your transition?
• What things might get in the way?

3) Act

Now do the things.   Make the changes.  Use your influence, tools, resources, and people to help you get what you need. Make the best of the situation.  Now is a great time to “SHINE”.  This will serve a couple of purposes: work will be more bearable, you will have overall better days that make you happier, you will be more confident, and you’ll have people who are willing to give great references. You may love it so much, you decide to stay.

Have you had the sudden urge to leave? Did you act on it? Did you use some of these steps? How did it turn out? What would you have done differently? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below or on Twitter @whiteboardcons #iquit.

Until next time!

Nicole