Leaving Your Job? 7 Items To Take With You

You have either decided to move on from your current role or asked to move on, but now you are embarking on the next phase of your career journey.  It is normal to be both excited and nervous but make sure to be mindful.  As you leave behind your job, think about what should I take with me?

1. Fresh perspective and enthusiasm.  You have the opportunity to start again.  You will be challenged to learn new processes and procedures, learn a new company and meet many new people.  It is important to go into your new role with a positive attitude.  Whether you left your last position on your own accord or the opposite, you have a brand new opportunity right in front of you.  It is most important that you bring your sense of optimism.
2. An understanding of what worked and what didn’t work. In every role you assume, you should be able to look back with a better understanding of yourself.  You now have the opportunity to course correct on things that didn’t work.  Perhaps you became the office “Yes” person, so you took on many tasks that were outside your job scope.  That took time and energy away from what you were brought to the company to accomplish.  Perhaps you found that you loved recruiting and helping with HR functions and these are tasks that you want to make sure are part of your new role.  Make sure to reflect and self-evaluate so you can make good career decisions moving forward and find the right fit.  
3. An understanding of the type of manager with whom you work best.  Many people stay in a position because they have a great manager that they love working for.  Others leave because, although they enjoy the work, they don’t enjoy their manager.  Understanding what managerial style works for you is imperative to your next success.  The best manager I ever had said, “Drive the car and if you hit a guardrail, I will let you know.”  I was given the freedom to make business decisions and could sprint wholeheartedly toward my goals.  I knew he would be there to encourage me and offer support when I needed it but he never had an ounce of micromanagement in his style.  I learned to go into interviews and discuss this great manager because I could watch the reactions of the people who were interviewing me.  If they seemed uncomfortable with the idea of letting go of the control and watching me thrive, I knew this wasn’t the place for me. Make sure you have a good handle on who you want to work for.  A great manager that fits your style makes all the difference in your daily work life!
4.  Line up your references, letters of recommendation and any kudos. Whether you have a new position lined up or you are leaving under different terms, find out who you can call on to brag about your work experience and accomplishments.  It is important to ask your references if they would be willing to speak about you.  Make sure you find people who are enthusiastically pro- you! Everyone has a handful of personal cheerleaders- the people who think the world of you and your work ethic.  Ask them to be a reference, write a LinkedIn recommendation or a letter of recommendation.  These can go a long way as your career progresses!
5. Make a list of your accomplishments. You will have items of accomplishment that won’t end up on your resume.  If you don’t write them down now, you are likely to forget them.  These items can be excellent talking points during an interview.  If  your interviewer asks for a specific example, you can rely on these unique learning experiences, big wins and accomplishments.  You have made an impact at your last company so do your due diligence and write all of those achievements down.
6. Examples of your work. You certainly don’t want to take anything that has become the company’s. Make sure you know what is proprietary information or consult your handbook or hiring agreement.  But if you are in Public Relations, take your press releases with you.  Even though your press releases are public record, make sure you can find them easily to use as work examples.  If you are a sales professional, make sure you have some good statistics to put on your resume or talk about.  If you closed 90% of your business with a meeting, or you were the top producing sales person out of a team of 10, or you grew your gross margin profit every year, make sure you gather that information. If you are an accountant who found a way to reduce costs and saved the company $30,000, note that.  Most creatives are very good at having portfolios, but regardless of your profession, you will definitely have examples.
7. Great relationships.  There is no doubt that you have worked with some amazing people, keep those connections. Building relationships with co-workers and your managers happens over time and moving on doesn’t mean you have to neglect those relationships.  There will be individuals that you want to stay in touch with so make that a priority.  We work with our team 40+ hours per week and often, as time progresses, you really get to know them.  When you walk out the door, keep those friendships alive and well.

The great thing about change is that you can be deliberate in what you take with you.  Learn from the past and move forward with self- reflection and enthusiasm.  The world awaits your next success!