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Thursday 4 August 2016

10 Things to Know Before Quitting Your Job to Follow Your Dreams

10 Things to Know Before Quitting Your Job to Follow Your Dreams

WILLIAM MORROW
When you become unsatisfied with your job, the most probable course of action is to seek another job. Several factors contribute to employee disengagement -- the most significant being job satisfaction level.
A 2016 SHRM.org employee engagement statistics finds that employment satisfaction among U.S employees is on the rise. With the rise in employee engagement and satisfaction among most U.S employees, fewer people may be changing jobs frequently. However, it's not unfounded to want to pursue your career growth with another company.
Before you say the final goodbye to your current job, here are some things you need to know.

1. Discover your purpose.

Discovering your purpose for wanting something in life is very important. Why you want to pursue an entrepreneurial career might not be connected to how your current job makes you feel. And it might.
Most people begin to look for opportunities elsewhere the moment their current job begins to make them feel inadequate. Finding out what you want in a job can help you stay focused in your new career and avoid coming across similar situations that made you dislike your previous job.

2. Money may bring temporary happiness.

If you're a high performer at work, telling your boss that you're quitting might not be the best news you bring to them. They will try several tactics to see that you stay in the company for as long as they can keep you -- and one of those tactics will include a raise. Have you been offered a raise? If so, is it causing you to have a change of mind?
You should know that money can only give you momentary happiness, but will not raise your job satisfaction level. So if your main purpose for wanting a new job is more income, have you considered getting a side business? Or start freelancing on weekends while you work at your current job or in the new one?

3. How you quit your job matters.

Many young people dream of quitting their jobs in a dramatic fashion. While this might get you high while in the moment, it's the least advisable way to quit a job.
More likely than not, your current boss will still have a role to play in your future employment opportunities. Gone are the days where references are just slapped on resumes. Employers now prefer to get on the phone with your references.

4. Have you informed your colleagues?

Your colleagues at work are people you interact with daily. Some of them may not need to know about your decision to move on from their current workplace, while others have to hear it from you first.
While your boss feels it's their role to inform the rest of the team about your departure, some of your colleagues should hear about this from you first. It's a way to strengthen your relationship with colleagues you will be keeping a relationship with outside of work.

5. You still need to be professional.

Maintaining a highly professional conduct at your current place of work is very important. This means all non-work related stuff -- including talking to your new employer's HR department -- while at your current job should be avoided.
Up until you hand in your resignation letter, the way you perform at your current job will determine how your current boss will speak of you to their colleagues.

6. You need your current boss's blessings.

Staying on good terms with your current employer is important for your career. A senior manager at a large company got an opportunity to head a startup that recently got funded, an offer he took up. Some years later, the company he left acquired the startup and his former boss became his new boss. He was happy he didn't screw things with the boss.
While the story above -- which is completely true -- is rare, your current boss can still be instrumental in your career. Unless you're resigning from your current job because of a breach of trust or improper conduct by your boss, staying friends with them while you move on can be very helpful.

7. Seek satisfaction outside of work.

Job satisfaction is a significant contributor to our social and emotional well-being. While changing your job will help you gain new life experiences by meeting new people and getting new challenges, a lot of other factors lead to a life of satisfaction.
One of the ways to ensure all round satisfaction is by getting adequate sleep. Arianna Huffington, in her popular sleep revolution campaign, has shared that adequate sleep on its own contributes significantly to a healthy and productive life.

8. How much do you know your new employer?

It's important that you arm yourself with adequate information about your new employer before jumping ship. Before you finally decide to leave your current job, have you taken the time to find out how working in the place feels like?
In a world where we've been conditioned to believe that we only need to earn the trust of employers, it's also important that you find out if working with someone makes you feel good. A good place to start is checking what people are saying about them on Glassdoor.

9. Do you have the right experience for the new offer?

Many people in a bid to change their job end up taking offers that are beyond their capacity. The result is that they end up underperforming in their new role. This often leads to depression and low self-esteem in employees.

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