CAREER

Professional Transition

It’s exciting to transition from one career opportunity to another even if it’s also bittersweet to leave co-workers you have made connections with. Work relationships are important. Anyone in your network could potentially help you at some point in your career. A proper exit will help to maintain connections when leaving your employer to pursue other opportunities.

Giving Notice

Allowing time for your current employer to prepare for your departure helps your co-workers and management immensely. The standard time for a notice is two weeks. A two-week notice provides adequate time to finish assignments you were responsible for or help pass along projects you might have led. We all play a key role in our workplace, and when one person leaves, the weight of their absence can be felt if there isn’t a period of preparation to make new arrangements.

Keeping Connections

A notice of resignation helps maintain network connections and not burn any bridges. Those who have worked with you previously know your work ethic, the value you will add to any team, and the passion behind your drive. It’s beneficial to preserve these relationships for future references and recommendations. You also never know where the next opportunity may land you, and your previous associates may be in positions later to help you advocate for you.

What to Include

Although two weeks is sufficient, if you can provide notice any earlier, that is always ideal. Your letter should be clear, providing the last day of work, thanking them for opportunities and/or experience, and your intentions to fulfill, wrap up, or hand off any current tasks and projects. A professional transition maintains the connections you have built to continue them in the future and hopefully use them when needed.

Every experience we encounter teaches, prepares, and strengthens us for what’s coming next. Those experiences often include people who have contributed to that growth, so preserve those relationships with the respect of a proper notice.