How to leave your old job on good terms

Posted on June 03, 2024 by Martin Hahn, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

After talking to my mentor, he talked me through the options, and it was clearly time to leave. I accepted one of the three job offers. What an exciting time. A company that really wanted me and offered more pay and responsibilities.

Now what to do? How do I leave the company that provided me with my firrst training and skill development and where I made my first professional friends? It was a good company, but I had outgrown them.

One of my ex-colleagues had left the company without giving notice and the reputation she left wasn’t good. Team members had to figure out where she had left projects and the supervisor had to start a job search with no time to plan. It was chaos, and although the team really liked the person, opinions soured.

My goal was to leave on good terms, but how would they react? Would there be hard feelings; would my boss think it was something they did; how would this impact my references?

I emailed my boss and asked to see him about a personal matter. The next day we met, and I was direct and brief. “I have been offered a unique position with company A and, after a lot of thought, I have decided to accept it. I value and appreciate my time at the company and your leadership. I will treasure my teammates.”

After some give and take, we talked about timing, project status, communicating to the team, an exit interview, and how I could help with the transition and loose ends. I emphasized my gratitude to her and the company. I made sure my supervisor was in control and had some say in my departure process. That reduced the sting of my leaving and had her focused on the future.

In the exit interview, I remained positive about the company’s future, and recognized people for their contributions. By maintaining a positive outlook and by highlighting those that will continue to benefit the company, I was able to leave knowing that my supervisor felt confident in her new team.

Many years later, I still have close connections and have kept that network alive. Thoughtfully and tactfully leaving my company for a new opportunity has continued to benefit me, as well as those from my old company

The wrong way to leave a job

Leaving a job and company, especially one you like, can be sad, hurtful, scary, and unsettling. But being asked to leave a position, whether as a result of your performance or company downsizing, does not give you the liberty to get revenge, hurt others, or just simply be a jerk about it.

If you are being asked to leave, the decision has been made and was probably made several weeks or months ago. I’ve also been in the position to make those decisions, and I can tell you once the decision is made, there is very little you can do at that point to change the outcome. Therefore, the best thing you can do is act like a professional and leave on good terms so you have a positive experience to share in your upcoming interviews for new positions.

If the job you are leaving is one of your first ones, it’s even more critical because this is one of the few positions you can refer to for comparable experience and offer as a reference. If the relationship is a bad one, how will you point to it as an example of what an exemplary employee you are?

There are ways to leave a job and make it work positively for you.

Imagine what the response may be if you shared a post that reads, “I am no longer at XYZ Company. Working as an Accounting Manager there was a positive experience. I worked with great people and learned a lot that will help me in my next position. I look forward to what the future holds.” You leave with class and show you respected the company and the opportunity it provided you. Who knows, you may have someone interested in speaking to you about a position because of the way you handled your exit.

I hope you are never asked to leave a position before you are ready, but chances are, at some point in your career it will happen to you. If that time comes, remember how you handle yourself may play a large part in how quickly and easily you are able to get your next position.