Are you fed up? Have you given every little thing that you had? A glimpse into the office coffee machine is enough to give you cold sweats?

If lifelong jobs are no longer a thing, then it’s only natural that sooner or later we all end up facing this situation — especially IT professionals like you, with so many opportunities out there!

But before you make your final move, read this article and make sure your decision is rational and well-informed.

What is the reason you feel this way?

Hasty decisions are often a byproduct of those moments when we feel down or upset. It is important that you reflect on the real reasons that have motivated your decision. Is it something you can change? Tiny adjustments sometimes can lead to a totally different experience. Do you really want to move on? Is there anything you can address on your own?

Be informed about your rights and duties.

If you’re thinking of walking into the office and making a big farewell from one day to the next… hold on!

Unless you’re working as a freelancer, you’re required to give 15, 30, or 60 days’ notice before resigning — otherwise, you risk having to pay compensation to the company. If you’re unsure which notice period applies to your situation, check your employment contract!

Keep in mind that:

• If you don’t comply with the notice period, you may have to pay compensation to your company.
• Resignations initiated by the employee don’t include any compensation or most of the benefits associated with a company-initiated termination or a resignation for just cause.
• You can use your vacation days to reduce the number of days included in your notice period.

Act the right way.

Here’s a piece of advice from our COO, Duarte Fernandes:

“This one’s obvious… but the truth is that some things are so obvious we end up ignoring them. Don’t even think about delivering this news by email or over the phone — it’ll make you look like you didn’t have the courage to say it face to face. Is that really the impression you want to leave?

You should do it in a private setting, where it’s just you and your manager/boss. When you get to the office that day, find your manager and say: ‘I need to talk to you today. When would be a good time for a 10-minute chat?’
If you can schedule that short meeting a day or two in advance, even better — but don’t wait any longer than that.

Speak with your manager first and let them decide how to handle communication with your colleagues and the formal process with HR.

If you have multiple supervisors, my advice is to speak to the one who has the most authority or who’s been most directly responsible for managing you. But as always, use your common sense.”
— Duarte Fernandes, COO at KWAN

Gather contacts and information.

Before you leave, make sure you don’t miss a single opportunity. Talk to your colleagues about potential opportunities and take advantage of valuable feedback that may allow you to evolve professionally and personally.

Research the market.

People often go to an interview without knowing exactly how much the market is paying for their position. To take advantage of this, use our salary calculator to avoid taking a “shot in the dark” when asked about your salary expectations.
You must know how much you deserve!

Update your CV and personal branding.

I know, you have just quit your job, and the last thing you want to think about is the stress that comes with updating your CV. But don’t look at it as a simple update and nothing more. Look at things in hindsight and come up with our conclusions from how you evolved in your last position, since, even more important than the position you had, is the experience and lessons you were able to extract from it. After this, you can simply update your LinkedIn profile and use a tool that generates a profile-based CV, such as Resumonk.

Simple and efficient!

Relax and carefully consider the next step.

One of the worst feelings that may emerge when you quit a job is anxiety. The urge to find something new takes hold of us and makes us plunge into the very first opportunity. Ignore this feeling. Properly reflect on the reasons that led you to leave – what you liked the most, what you enjoyed the least – everything that was part of your former job, and then create a list of personal needs for your next challenge. These can be something like a good balance between life and the office, more vacation days, or the possibility of working from home. Don’t be afraid to declare what you want. That’s the only way to make sure the next job will be better than the last.

In short: think carefully before you act — weigh all the factors that brought you to this moment and choose your next step wisely. If you’re certain, then leave on good terms. No matter how burned out you feel, remember your path may cross your current company’s again, so it’s best to give your best even when saying goodbye.