How to Quit Your Job

In this series, professionals share all the right — and wrong — ways to leave a job. Follow the stories here, and write your own (please include #IQuit somewhere in the body of your post).

Should you quit your job?

There is no right or wrong answer to that question. For every person, that is an individual question. But if you do quit, do it well. I went through this process early in my career. Here is my advice on how to quit your job – especially if it is one of your first jobs.

1. No surprises. When I quit my job, very few people close to me were surprised. My father said he expected that I might quit. Even my superiors at my job were not terribly surprised, even though in Japan it is quite unusual for a young professional to quit a job. When I did, they shrugged because they knew I was always seeking greater challenges and taking on more responsibilities. They knew I wanted more than to be a salaryman. My advice: Do not keep your true goals a secret. Find ways to be loyal when you are in your job, but open about your dreams for the future.
2. Maintain your network. The worst thing you can do when leaving a job is “burn your bridges” by cutting off your old colleagues and clients. Quitting does not mean you must abandon the network you’ve built. Instead, work to maintain your relationships. When I left my job in banking, many of my old clients and colleagues were my biggest supporters of my new entrepreneurial venture.
3. Have a positive reason for quitting. Why are you quitting your job? It helps to have a positive goal in mind. Are you quitting to take a better job? Start your dream venture? Move to a new city? Your transition will be smoother and less controversial if you can articulate a positive goal rather than a negative one for quitting.

Quitting your job is a big step and it should not be approached casually. I am one of many who will tell you that quitting my job was the best thing I could have done for my career at that time. But that does not mean you should quit without thoughtful planning and considerate actions. Quitting your job will have ripple effects. Prepare in advance so that those ripples help you rather than hurt you as you move into your next phase of career.