If you read that title, I know what you might be thinking. “This guy wants me to quit my job, so I have to hire him to write a new resume!” Well… yes. Yes, that is exactly what I want. But I only have your best interests at heart!
The truth is that many people are in jobs they hate or aren’t utilizing their skills correctly, and they stay there longer than they ever should because they’ve become complacent and scared of leaving. This isn’t healthy, and it affects more than your professional life. If you spend eight hours every day in a place where you aren’t fulfilled, there is no way that these feelings will ever be left at the office. Unhappy people come home and make unhappy families, and this is almost impossible to avoid. Or maybe you don’t actually dislike your job, but there’s something you’d rather be doing, or you want a position where you’ll be more active, or work more with people, or be able to work with your hands more. Whatever the case may be, there’s probably something out there that suits you a bit more, and here are some reasons to leave, and some techniques to help you leave the smart way.
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Why You Should Consider Quitting Your Job, and How.
1. Loyalty Only Goes So Far.
You’ve been with this company for years, they were your first job out of college or high school, and they’ve been with you ever since. This is great and romantic and all, but at some point you need to seriously evaluate how well this long-term relationship is treating you. Are you receiving enough opportunities for advancement? When was the last time you were even advanced? Many companies, larger ones especially, will take advantage of an employee once they realize you’re not really going anywhere. There’s even a chance of them refusing to promote you because they think you’re too good at your job, and they need you where you are.
Remember that this is your employer, not your spouse. There’s no reason for you to feel guilty about wanting to leave, or even looking around at other options. Maybe you think you’re completely invaluable to the company, and the office will collapse if you leave. This may be true, but it is not your problem, it is theirs. If you were really that important, they’d put more effort into keeping you. Truthfully, though, there are many people looking for jobs in the world, and your employer may be sad to see you go, but shouldn’t have any problem replacing you.
3. Be Realistic.
Quitting your job and following your dream is one thing. Quitting your job to follow a dream you could not possibly realistically achieve is another thing entirely. If you are a data entry specialist and you want to be a pilot, but you’ve never even flown an R/C plane, that’s probably not a realistic goal. Fortunately, there are other ways to get experience even if you haven’t been to school in a long time. If you want to be an actor, audition for community theater. If you want to work in IT, go get some certifications, and start building computers and setting up networks for people. It may take a while to build up some experience, but having some independent projects will probably make your work much more tolerable, and make your resume stronger.
4. Have An Exit Strategy.
Tempting as it may be by now, do NOT walk into your bosses office tomorrow and tell them to shove it. Make a plan. Talk to your family about it, and assess your goals in order to form a realistic timeline. Pick a date sometime in the near future, from three months to a year, where no matter what, you WILL resign, no ifs, ands, or buts (“…unless they give me more money” may be acceptable.) Figure out how long it will take you to gain the experience or certifications you need to achieve your goals, then set a leaving date a few months after that, and stick to it.
As a second tip, start sending out your resumes and figuring out how much you are worth two-three months before you plan to leave. Many companies start advertising for positions long before they actually plan to hire, and this can make your timeline sync up better. Apply for a few positions you don’t necessarily think you’re qualified for, either. You may be surprised what other people think you are capable of.
No matter what, having the best resume you possibly can MUST be a part of your exit strategy. That’s where we come in. Resumetointerviews.com can take your skills and abilities and present them in the best way possible, with the best professionals in the business offering you guidance and help along the way. Quitting your job is a big step, and like many things that are for your own good, it can be scary. We can take away some of that fear and send you into the world with a little more confidence knowing that you have the kind of presentation employers want to see.