Resigning and the counter offer

AUTHOR: David M. Young

You take a deep breath…you have the offer, you have accepted, and you have a start date.  So all that is left in the process is to resign and move on.  Wait… it is not that simple.  For whatever reason, you decided to look for another job.  Now that you have one, do yourself a favor and think long term.  Where you have been working, whether you like it or not, will be with you for the rest of your career.  It will be on your resume, the friends you made will move to other companies, and very likely, you will want to …or better stated, NEED to use this past employer and the people you worked with for a reference.  SOOOOO…be professional…don’t burn any bridges…don’t do that thing you always wanted to do but were afraid of the consequences.

Now that you have a new job, leave the old job with class and professionalism.  Before you walk in to resign, draw up a formal letter.  In the letter, you don’t have to give any reasons.  And if you will be negative, then don’t give a reason.  But if you can, write a simple letter indicating you are resigning, your desired last day, and thank them for the opportunity to work there and to expand your career.  What ever you do, be gracious.  This will go in your permanent file and you never know if you may want or need to walk through the same doors again in the future.  Your goal is to leave on good terms.  Be aware of any employment agreement you may have signed when you started and do not violate any conditions of that agreement in your exit.  By this, I mean, don’t go back and copy your hard drive before resigning.  If you have had a mobile phone, you may want to get your personal contacts, but don’t violate any professional terms by taking a list of clients, company information, or employee lists.  You may want to get personal emails that you have not saved to a personal location.  But otherwise, as soon as you resign, be ready to not have access to your data.

Now that you have the formal letter written, schedule time with your immediate supervisor as soon as possible.  It is appropriate and expected that generally you give “two weeks” notice.  So make sure you are resigning two or more weeks before your start date for your next job.  In that conversation, again, don’t air your dirty laundry.  Be gracious.  Thank them for the opportunity to grow in your career.  Let them know you have decided to take a new position and your desired last day.  Let them know you want to do whatever you can to help in the transition and your exit.  And before you leave, hand your supervisor your letter  Companies handle a resignation in many different ways.  You may have exit paperwork, you may have to meet with others, you may have an exit interview, and you may also need to follow formal resignation protocol.  Whatever it is, be flexible and available.  In some cases, you may be “escorted” back to your desk to get your things and that may serve as your last day.  So be ready…

But, you should also be ready for your boss/supervisor to not want you to leave.  This is when they ask what they can do to keep you.  I have seen this create much consternation and confusion for the person who had decided to leave.  It may seem counter intuitive, but a “counter-offer” as this is referred to, is never in the best interest of the person who is receiving it.  Yes, you may feel like you are being heard and you are getting additional financial benefit.  Or you may be offered whatever it was that forced you to look for a role in the first place, but keep in mind, it is now too late.  Are there exceptions?  There could be…and this is really only on a case by case basis…but a significant majority of the time, this is bad for the person resigning.  You should ask yourself why it took you wanting to leave to get the additional compensation or opportunity.  For whatever reason, you were not valued enough for this to be provided in the first place.  Also, now that you have resigned, the company knows you are willing to leave and you will have a target on your back.  If you stay, words like loyalty, commitment, and dedication will not be associated with you when it comes time for performance reviews, bonuses, or other opportunities.  You may get a short term benefit, but the company will not be thinking of you for the long term.  This counteroffer puts the company in control of your transition instead of you.    Most likely it will take time for the company to find your replacement, and anything they can do to reduce the amount of time for a gap in your position will help them.  The end result is that no matter how you respond, you will not have the favor of the company.

So, rather than consider, be ready for it, just smile, express your appreciation, and let them know that you have committed to your decision and want to help however you can in the transition.  Remember, you are in control.  If you future employer has flexibility on your start date, then if asked to be longer than 2 weeks before your last day occurs, be open to that.  This is part of building good will.  You know you are needed, and you will be looked upon very highly because you went above and beyond when you were wanting to exit.  If something like this occurs, make sure to get it in writing, even if it is just a confirmation email to your boss.  This will prevent any misunderstandings from occurring and will make sure you and your supervisor are in synch.  A respectful refusal of a counter offer and any flexibility you have on assisting in your exit will leave that door open for a future return as well as positive references as you move through your career.

To summarize…document, communicate, and be gracious in your resignation and exit and your long term career will be served well.

Resume is written, what comes next in the “recruiting process”?

AUTHOR: David M. Young
Over the last several weeks, we have discussed networking, email, and have touched on many facets of preparing your resume. So what comes next in the job search?
At this point, you should be actively engaged in building your network as well as learning and exploring the job market and potential job opportunities. Over the next several weeks we will continue to expand out on the job search process. Let me encourage you to do a little research and begin to mentally prepare yourself for what comes next. As you do this, focus around the following components of the search as these are the items that I will dive deeper with you on as you step through this journey (could be short, could be long, but regardless…be prepared).
These next steps include:
– Interviewing
– Follow up
– The rejection
– The offer
– The counter offer
– Acceptance
– Resigning
– Starting the new position
– It’s not over…what next
Stay Tuned!!!!!

I’m looking for a job….WHAT NEXT?

Author:  David M. Young

You have decided to look for your next position. It may be you are being forced to look due to layoff, termination, company shutting down/bankruptcy, or life has brought so much change that you need a career change as well. Or, you may be perfectly fine in your current role, but you have decided it is time to see what else is “out there”.  So what do you do next?

I firmly believe if you are really going to be effective as you explore for your next position, you must be intentional, process minded, and diligent. If you just wait for the position to come to you, you may or may not ever find that great role you are seeking.

So, let’s explore the basics of the job search process. In the coming months, this blog will expand on these individual components of the job search in much greater detail. Let’s first layout the “roadmap” that you need to follow at a summary level and then we can expand as we move forward:

Email – Yes, email is a standard, common, and easy to use form of communication in the job search. But all too often, it is not used correctly, over or underused, or confused for actual job search efforts. Email makes you feel like to talked with someone, but you never know what happens on the other end or the impression made with your email. So what are good email tips? Should you use email? Come back and we will explore this in more detail.

Networking – Whether in the job search or not, the most effective individuals in the professional world have some sort of network. It may be as simple as a technical expert who is recognized online in various forums as the answer guy. Or you may have a handful of past and present associates that you keep in touch with. Many folks go to work and go home. We will dive in more detail on making sure that your professional reach is much greater than just those you see regularly. The most effective people in their job search have at least 10 people that are not only aware they are open to another opportunity, but invariably, these people in your network are where you will find your next position.

Resume – In today’s day and time, you must have a resume. It may be as simple as a linked-in profile, or as standard as a hard copy resume. But regardless, your resume should not just be a history of where you have worked. A well written and targeted resume makes the difference between you and the next person. Check back in the coming weeks as we discuss resumes, tips and tricks, as well as provide some sample suggestions on how to have a power resume.

Actively and Passively searching – More to come on this, some say they are not really looking, but open to new opportunities, others are in an all intensive search. Regardless, we’ll give some insight on how to pursue the market regardless of where you are in the job search.

Applying/submitting – Should you submit your resume blindly on line? Should you trust your friend who “knows” someone? Good questions and there are definitely some keys to making sure your resume is seen by the decision makers.

Interviewing – It is both an art and a science. Some are not versed on either, while others feel that once they are in front of the hiring manager, they will get the job. Well, in today’s economy, we are seeing that this is no longer holding true. How can you make sure you get a job offer when you walk out of the interview? Future blogging Insight will give you the keys to getting that offer.

Offer Negotiation – You have the offer, but the job search is not over. How to negotiate, and make it a win/win for all involved. Too many times you try to negotiate and it only ends up as a lose / lose.

Acceptance and Pre-start – You’ve accepted the job, w is the time you impress and differentiate yourself to your new boss.

Resigning your old position – Are you ready for a counter offer? Are you ready to be escorted out? Are you ready to give two weeks but be asked to stay on to complete the project? Don’t burn bridges and be ready to resign professionally.

Starting – The job search process is not over. You have a start date, but the shining stars continue to want the job even after they have it. We will blog with some further thoughts on how to be the best employee the organization has. Become irreplaceable so that you will always be paid well, happy with your responsibilities, and never need to look for a job again.

After the start, what next? – is the job search over? We’ll address this,

The above parts of the job search process will be surgically explored. Come back to https://davidyoungdy.wordpress.com and we will provide more insight for you in the job search.