Building Bridges: 5 ways to leave a job with style and grace

I know there is a lot of words written on how to get a job. But this article caught my eye on how to do the exact oppisite: how to move on from a job with as much benefit as possible. Lifehack.org gives us 5 tips on how to leave your job with style and grace.

There’s something to be said for leaving a former employer with style. We’re in the middle of a time when more than a few employers are having to downsize and plenty of people who would otherwise be assured of a job are getting the axe. Just because a former employer may have directed you to the door, however, you can still walk out with your pride intact. The same holds true if you’re leaving an employer willingly. As long as you stay in the same industry, you’re guaranteed to run into people you’ve worked with in the past over and over. It’s not unheard of to return to the same company, or find a former coworker at a future employer.

No matter the reason you’re leaving your employer, do it with a little style and grace. You still need goodwill from your past employers — references, anyone? — and you are likely to have plenty of positive relationships at your old place of employment that are worth preserving. There are a few things you can do to make your transition a little better.

1. Skip the theatrics

The fact that you’re moving on to a new employer is not an excuse to engage in theatrics. I worked with one otherwise brilliant man who took the moment of his resignation as an opportunity to explain at length the faults of our employer. Aside from burning a few bridges, he ensured that the two weeks’ notice he gave turned into two weeks of sheer misery. Constructive criticism is not out of line, but there is a time and a place for it — an exit interview is usually the best choice.

But theatrics can span a wide variety of actions. It seems like every employee bears some hard feelings towards a supervisor — but all in all, try to leave it at the statement that you and your former employer were not a good fit and move on. At the very least, your resume will be healthier in the long run.

2. Write a few thank you notes

It’s not necessary to write a personal note to every person you worked with, but if you had a coworker or supervisor who particularly acted as a mentor or otherwise helped you along, take the time to thank them. People remember the little touches and if they’re dwelling on the thoughtful note you left, any small problems along the way will become so much water under the bridge.

3. Tidy up your loose ends

I’ve seen the greatest argument for leaving things organized for the next person while sitting in a waiting room: a new receptionist was obviously struggling with a mess left by her predecessor. A phone call came for that former employee and the new receptionist mentioned she had left the organization — managing to slip in a comment about how she had left the business in a difficult position.

The person who comes after you will have a chance to discuss your abilities to clients, co-workers and anyone else who comes in the door. Even if you never meet your replacement, try to leave a good impression.

4. Network with your co-workers

Before you leave the office for the last time, you should have the contact information of every co-worker you plan to stay in touch with. There’s nothing wrong with making sure you connect with all of those individuals online through LinkedIn or Facebook. Hopefully, you had a good relationship with your peers: these are people who you share a common interest in your industry, who will hear of new developments and job openings and generally can be good friends to have.

Personally, I’m always in favor of the farewell party: it’s a clear opportunity to exchange contact information and make sure you stay in touch. And do stay in touch — this isn’t high school, when you promised to be friends forever and didn’t talk after senior year.

5. Do something memorable on your last day

Bake cookies. Hand out farewell cards. Do something to remind your co-workers that you will no longer be occupying the next cubicle over. For some people, this sort of action can be a matter of guaranteeing that you have that great business network or reference sealed up.

It’s can be just as much a matter of saying goodbye to people who you’ve spent a lot of time with, shared stresses with and connected to. You may need that little bit of closure before moving on to your next job and it can’t hurt to have a little fun on your last day.

Your Exit

The way you leave is likely to be the thing your supervisors and co-workers remember best about you. At the very least, it’s probably the most recent interaction you had with them. Make the effort to leave with a little style and you’ll find that not only do you have a number of unburned bridges in place, but you also have some pretty solid relationships worth maintaining.

Don’t make your exit all about your resume, though. References and networks really aren’t everything. It’s equally important to make sure that you’re comfortable and happy about your transition. While making it absolutely clear to your boss what you think of him may feel good while you’re telling him off, but, honestly, it’s probably not a step you’ll be happy about when you finish.

Controll the Crisis: Lead Though The Storm

Bruce Poon Tip’s recommendations for managing in a crisis.

People are really important. “Make sure you have the right people actively involved. Usually it’s not the top management that work day-to-day with the people and the issues involved; get your operations people in the war room, those staff members best equipped to get you through the situation. Identify who those people are and make sure you have them in the room.”

Transparency is essential. “You have to be as transparent as possible to disarm people because unfortunately in this day and age, the first reaction of modern media is to punch a hole in the story or to find a flaw. And even if there is a flaw, if you’re transparent and put that information out, you’re able to defend it. So transparency is critical.”

Identify who the leader is. “Managing a crisis situation is about keeping everyone together on a mental level. Everyone’s nerves are on edge, and at that time any kind of weakness in an organization can come out under stress. You have to be able to focus on the task at hand, understand what the goal is and be able to make some really tough decisions under enormous pressure. That’s about leadership.”

10 Quick and Easy Ways to Always Look Sharp

Here are a few neat Grooming “Hacks” to make sure you always look sharp for that big meeting or important interview. Thanks to LifeHacker.com for the original post.

10. Get rid of pet hair and sweater fuzz.

It should be your choice to talk about your adorable pet Mittens, rather than have it be obvious you two are close. If you lack a lint roller (or an over-priced refill for one), you can use the palm of your hand, or a document mailing package laying around the office. For non-mammalian trappings on your most stylish sweater, try using a disposable razor.

9. Track the time between haircuts with automatic reminders.

Nobody’s going to up and tell you that your hair’s in need of a trim, and it’s hard to make it a priority when you’ve got a packed schedule. If you’re Googler Matt Cutts, you still manage to keep up appearances by using a Google Calendar hack to track your between-cut time. Geeky? Yes. Easier to listen to than your boyfriend/girlfriend’s gentle nagging? For sure.

8. Fix your clothing choices with hangers.

We all make mistakes when it comes to clothing choices—busted gray T-shirt with khakis, huh?—but you can fight your own worst instincts with nothing but a few hangers. You can, for example, use them to weed out clothes you really don’t need any more. If you have to dress for co-workers’ scrutiny every weekday, you can arrange a left-to-right closet to avoid over-wearing outfits. Best of all, using these tricks frees up space for important stuff—like DIY projects.

7. Give your shoes a drill-instructor-approved polish.

Nice leather shoes stop looking so darned crisp with time, or after being actually worn and walked around in. Restoring their luster isn’t hard at all—you just need a can of the black stuff, a horsehair brush, a newspaper and a rag. Check out the Art of Manliness’ polishing guide and queue up the boot camp marching songs. No time for the rag routine? You can still pull off an acceptable shine in five minutes. Photo by abchbum.

6. Get a sharp-looking suit on the cheap.

Sometimes, advanced common sense can pay off big. Brazen Careerist blogger Penelope Trunk notes that for those who will only wear a three-piece once every job, spending a lot of dough just isn’t necessary. Spend your time instead looking for a good tailor; buy a passable suit, have it cut to fit, and don’t hit the Wii Fit before the interview.

5. Freshen your breath without mints.

At many white-cloth Indian restaurants, customers are given a dry assortment of herbs after the meal, or between dishes. That’s because herbs like coriander seeds and spearmint do a heck of a job destroying harsh breath. MSN Health points out that yogurt, fiber-rich fruits and veggies, sugarless gum, and snacks stocked with vitamin C are similarly potent at knocking down post-meal remainders. Photo by yoppy.

4. De-grease unwashed hair.

Maybe the alarm didn’t go off, or the night went a bit late—however you ended up with greasy hair, you can pull off some one-minute triage. Throw some baby powder (or talc, or even corn starch, if you’re out) into your palms, run it through your hair with a comb or fingers, and wipe off any excess white dust. eHow’s got the details, but our commenters have got their own bad hair how-tos.

3. Learn to shave with a straight razor.

If you want to look good, save money, and feel like an old-fashioned man’s man, learning how to shave with a straight razor is your ticket to all three. It can be a bit daunting, but it’s the closest and cleanest shave, and quite a bit greener, too. If tackling your face Sweeney-Todd-style is just a bit too intimidating, you can still avoid razor bumps and get twice as much life from disposables.

2. Get a black belt in tie-tying.

Maybe the reason so many people never quite master the art of tying a tie is because it’s embarassing to ask—it’s a total head trip in helplessness. Luckily, there are lots of ways to get your tie on without ever having to admit naivete. For straight-up, diagrammed knots, check out Tie-a-Tie.net, with a basic video tutorial at YouTube. For advice on what style and knot go with which occasion (or face structure), try the Kinowear blog’s guide. Feeling confident, grasshopper? Learn how to get it done in 10 seconds.

1. Pack for wrinkle-free clothes.

Hotel room irons—they’re small, leaky, and not very good. Avoid them altogether by packing like a pro. Travel firm Fodor’s suggests separating hanger items with bags. Then there’s the Advanced Hobo-jitsu of the bundle wrapping technique, and the mind-blowing skills of the Japanese turbo-fold for T-shirts. If you’re fearing the worst, no matter how skilled your packing, you can avoid giving Downy their pound of flesh and whip up your own wrinkle releaser.

I know alot of these tips were geared toward the fellas, so ladies have any cool tricks or tips on how to always look your best? Post them in the comments and share!

Pick Up the Check, and a Whole Lot More: Build Business Knowledge One Lunch at a Time

This post is by Ramit Sethi, who writes about personal finance and personal entrepreneurship at I Will Teach You to Be Rich.

If you want to start a business, the best $20 you’ll ever spend is to find successful entrepreneurs and take them out to lunch. They can be from your industry or other industries — it doesn’t matter. For example, if you’re interested in hospitality, you could pick up a hospitality magazine and see who’s doing interesting work. Then email them and ask to take them out to lunch.

Spend 90% of the time talking about them:

• Ask them how they did it.
• Ask them what mistakes they made along the way.
• In the final few minutes, you can ask about your idea. Is it crazy? What should you be thinking about?

After you meet two or three people, you’ll start to see patterns that you hadn’t recognized before. And that’s when you realize how powerful it can be to ask others for advice.

Yes, advice is cheap: Most people love talking about themselves. But entrepreneurs have a curious fascination with helping other entrepreneurs succeed. (At PBwiki, a Silicon Valley collaboration startup I co-founded, a bunch of us spend time each week meeting with first-time entrepreneurs and helping them brainstorm…and this is a common thing in Silicon Valley.)

People want to help you. All it takes is you reaching out.

Is it in you?

This article was originally posted by Mr. Chu on March 25th, 2008. For the original post with corresponding comments, please go here.

Down by one. Bottom of the 9th. Bases loaded. 2 outs. 3-2 count…

You dig in one more time and the payoff pitch is thrown. There’s only a split second to react and it’s a curveball. Will you -buckle on the break or -read the seams of the ball and be ready for the pitch? Do you -freeze and watch your dream go by or -send the pitch back up the middle, bringing across the tying run. Does the game end with the bat on your shoulders or do you inch closer to the win?

Life seems to throw different pitches in different situations and being ready to deliver in the clutch is up to you. Success doesn’t come easy, just ask your family or boss, so be prepared to put some time in the cages.

Frederick Zappone’s The Secret of Champions sheds some light on what it takes to come through when it counts. Although we may not be that successful entrepreneur or billionaire yet, remember who you are and the situation you’re in; if you want it, go get it. It’s yours…

Preparation = Analyzing the Situation

People who are successful in life never quit, they never give up. They have their vision of what they want from life and like a powerful magnet they let their vision pull them forward. When obstacles and roadblocks show up in their life they notice them but never take their eyes off their vision of what they want. People who fail, in life, focus on the obstacles and roadblocks, that come their way, until they become so large they are overwhelmed by them and allow them to stop them dead in their tracks.

If you focus on your vision of what you want out of life, it will inevitably come to pass. If you focus on the obstacles and roadblocks you encounter along the way, you will bury your vision underneath them and in the process bury a part of yourself.

Obstacles = “Personal Trainers”

Obstacles and roadblocks are not your adversaries; they are your “personal trainers”. They are training you to be smarter, brighter and stronger than you ever thought possible. They are training you to develop more stamina and endurance so you will have what it takes to make your most heartfelt dreams come true. They are training you in becoming more focused on your vision of “what will be “rather than “what is or what was”. They are training you to be the Champion that you know in your heart you are destined to be.

When most people hit obstacles and roadblocks they reduce the size of their dream. The problem with this approach is, if you keep reducing the size of your dream, pretty soon it will disappear from view and what you will be left with is nothing more than discouragement and regret.

When I hit an obstacle or roadblock, I persevere and make my dream larger. Every time I hit another obstacle, along the way, I increase the size of my dream once more. Eventually my dream becomes so large and so powerful that nothing or no one can stop my dream from manifesting itself into my physical reality. This attitude I use allows my word to become law in the Universe.

Game Time = It’s Up To You

You may never be a champion in basketball like Michael Jordan, You may never be a champion in acting like Nicole Kidman but in your world, in what you do, you can be that Champion if you persevere and never, ever, give up. If you choose to eliminate failure as an option from your life, you will be blessed with health, happiness and prosperity far greater than you could possibly imagine during your loneliest and darkest hours. The choice is up to you.

So…

Is it in you?

-Mr. Chu