How to Strategically Quit Your Job

In a blog post a few months back, I wrote about Five Signs It’s Time to Leave Your Job. That post seemed to have hit a nerve and that’s no surprise. More and more employees are thinking about quitting their current jobs. What about you? If you’re thinking about it, here are two things you need to know:

You have a choice

Many employees feel trapped in their jobs—but they’re not. Telling yourself you can’t quit your job only makes your situation worse. The longer you stay in a job you don’t want to be in, the harder it becomes for you to take action. Staying in a job that’s the wrong fit for you will wear you down mentally, emotionally and physically. 

The first step in quitting a job is to quit telling yourself you can’t make a change. Just because something isn’t easy doesn’t mean you can’t do it. You are better off telling yourself, “I could find another opportunity if I dealt with my hesitation and fear. But for now, I choose to stay where I am.” However, what’s better is to tell yourself, “I can figure this out—and I will.”

You need a plan

You’ll never quit your job if you don’t come up with a plan to make it happen. If you don’t know how to do a job search, work with recruiters, or know how to interview well, the first step of your plan is to learn these skills. There’s no shame in not knowing how to land your next job. Just don’t let that stop you. Learn what you need to learn from a book, a webinar, a workshop or a great coach.

You might not be able to quit your job now or anytime soon. If it takes you a year to find new work, that’s okay. What’s not okay is wanting to leave your job without developing a plan that will enable you to do so. If you don’t, you’ll be in the same job a year later and you’ll still be telling yourself you can’t quit. You can, but you need a plan.

- Alan Allard, Executive Coach