If you’re interviewing, you’re definitely ready to resign from your current job. However, your desire to hightail it out of your present situation may get derailed by practical delays. Whether you’re delayed due to a drawn out interview process, a tighter job market or the need to wait for a bonus check to come in, you’re not fully in control of when you can resign.
Mentally you’re checked out, but physically and financially you’re stuck. What do you do?
It isn’t going to be easy, but the truth is, there is only one thing to do: NOTHING. You must approach your current job as if you’re not planning to leave. Here’s why:
1. If you start slacking in your work, it will be noticed.
Don’t give your manager any indication that you’re looking for a new job before securing your next opportunity. Slacking off is a dead giveaway. It could also erase any positive reputation you’ve worked hard to create for yourself. Last and final impressions are…well lasting and final.
2. You don’t want to burn any bridges.
Having a bad attitude or acting like you’re just plain over it won’t do you or your colleagues any good. If you’re part of a team, you need to pull your weight as long as you’re employed. Other people are depending on you and it’s not fair to negatively impact them because of your personal decision to leave.
Most likely you’ll need references from colleagues and managers. How you leave a company and the way you behave leading up to the announcement of your departure will be their last impression of you!
3. You might change your mind.
You may be so excited about the decision to move on that you’re bursting at the seams to share your decision with your close office pals. Unfortunately, letting the cat out of the bag before it’s official is never a good idea. Talk travels, and you certainly don’t want it to travel to your manager before you’re ready. When the news is ready to be delivered, you want to be sure you’re in control of the message.
Otherwise you may find yourself leaving on very different terms than you had initially hoped for. Not to mention, if for some reason things improve and you decide to stay, no one in your organization will know of your previous plan to leave, which could negatively impact your growth within the organization even if you decide to stay put.
When the time to move on finally comes, do remember to resign professionally.
An earlier version of this article first appeared on Fairygodboss.com
