More than 3.5 million Americans decide to quit their jobs every month and move on to better opportunities or set up their own businesses. Now, is it time for you to join them? It could be an exciting time for you, and you probably cannot wait to walk out of your office for the last time and never return after months of feeling burnt-out. But, when it’s truly time to leave, it’s always better to exit on a good note than to burn some bridges. Why? Because your reputation matters! Here are a few tips on how to successfully quit your job.

Talk to Your Supervisor or Line Manager

When you know it’s time to quit, your first step should be to communicate your intentions to your supervisor or manager – not your closest colleague or other higher-ups. It would not be suitable for your boss to hear about your plans from others despite your current relationship. That might not favor you in the end, as you would lose control of the narrative you wish to have. Ensure that once you have made up your mind, your supervisor should be the first person to talk to and give them a reasonable explanation for your decision to leave. Even then, it would be best to keep it between yourselves until Human Resources announce your resignation. 

Submit Your Two Weeks’ Notice

This is a standard job resignation etiquette. Sending in your two week’s notice gives employers the chance to find your replacement before you leave, if possible. If you decide to quit abruptly, that might force them to find someone new hurriedly, and it is not a good look on you. If possible, try to stay for the entire two weeks unless your organization shortens the two weeks and requests that you leave much sooner. Ideally, you should use that period to prepare any handing over notes for your replacement. Sometimes, you might even have to train your replacement before departing. 

Have a Back-Up Job or Plan

Quitting your job itself is scary as you are not sure what the future holds. It is a significant risk, which gets even more frightening when you do not have a back-up job or plan to rely on. Plus, your colleagues might always ask you where you are going or what your next steps are. Now, that is entirely up to you if you want to share that information with them. But, to keep having a stable income, it is better to have another job waiting for you, whether it is in another office or you are starting your business.

If you are quitting with no plan, do not worry. There are several jobs you can apply for right from home. You can try your hands at online forex trading, drop shipping, tutoring, and picking up writing jobs. They might not yield much in the first couple of months, but you can quickly build a small business out of it. 

Leaving your job can be daunting, even sometimes awkward. Along with these tips listed above, ensure that you leave on good terms with your former colleagues and not to burn any bridges that might affect you in the future.

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Life is too short to be unhappy, and one of the things in life that can make us unhappy is our job. Perhaps it’s a change in your working environment, or you feel like you’ve outgrown your role. Here are the telling signs that it might be time to find a new job.

You’re Already Thinking Of Leaving

Pretty obvious right? But you’d be surprised by the amount of us who’ll be thinking about leaving but don’t. Instead, we’ll usually make a number of excuses as to why you shouldn’t leave. If you’re thinking about leaving then it means that deep down, you know it’s time to move on. You’ve likely made that decision subconsciously already!

Sleep is Disrupted

Whenever we’re stressed out or worried about something, our brain goes into overdrive, and that can make it impossible to get to sleep. And sleep is important to our bodies because the lack of it can affect our mood and the way we work. This can make your current job feel worse than it already does and you might find yourself performing worse. This, in turn, might pose a threat to your job, and you’ll want to leave your employment on a positive rather than negatively.

Comfort Eating and Drinking

One of the ways some of us tend to cope with stressful situations is to comfort eat or maybe drink a little more than usual. We do this to ease our worries or to escape from whatever’s eating away at us. Whether it’s an extra couple of glasses a week or overeating, neither is going to be good for your health. It only makes those feelings worse when they do come back.

You Wake Up Not Wanting To Get Up

The thought of actually being in work might make you question whether to even get out of bed. This can be quite upsetting because no job should ever make you feel like it’s not worth seeing the day. If this is something that’s happening, then it is certainly time to draft up a letter of resignation, so that you can look after your mental health. Although it’s wise to secure a job before moving on, sometimes it’s best to take yourself out of the situation immediately. Companies like Pure Staff are great for finding work if you suddenly find yourself out of a job.

Related: Quiz – Are you Ready to Quit your Job?

Taking It Out On Friends And Family

It’s heartbreaking when you lash out at friends or family members in any situation, but it’s also a horrible feeling when you do it, and you don’t mean to. The ones that are closest to us usually get the brunt of our anger or upset. It can also be the same for your work colleagues, and you might find yourself snapping at them.

We work for the majority of our lives so, in order for us to have happiness in our careers, the job in every aspect should be positive. If ever you feel any of these or all of them, then perhaps it’s time to think about a new adventure. You never know what might be around the corner and that in itself is exciting!

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Careers are difficult to balance. While your job might provide you with a comfortable living, you might dislike the people you work with, you might hate your company’s message, or you might just be sick of the industry your industry. There are plenty of legitimate reasons to quit your job, but you might be making a huge mistake if you haven’t considered all of your options.

Here are five reasons you should not quit your job right now:

1. You Haven’t Figured out What You Want to Do

You’ve probably heard conflicting information over whether or not you should follow your passions. If your passion is art or music, it can be difficult to make a living following your dreams, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible—it just means you have to work much harder to make a living doing it than with other careers.

If you aren’t sure what you want to do with your career yet, you might be better off to stay where you are and “bloom where you’re planted.” Look for opportunities to try new things in your own job. Ask your boss for a new project, and let her know that you’re wanting to try a variety of tasks. If your boss is a true leader, she will help you expand your horizons. If not, then maybe it really is time to quit. 

2. You’re Angry or Emotionally Compromised

If you’ve just had an argument with your boss or a fellow employee, then it might be natural to suddenly hate your job.; however, that’s not good enough of a reason to quit. If you’re seriously offended by someone’s comments or feel like your rights have been violated, it’s worth getting in touch with legal advice such as Optimum Employment Lawyers to help you seek justice. Don’t quit your job over a few bad eggs in the workplace, fight for your rights and stand proudly in your corner.

Be careful not to make decisions based strictly on emotion. Don’t just storm out of the office, triumphantly slamming the door in your wake. We all have that fantasy, but the truth is, it burns bridges, massacres your chances at good references, and makes you look immature. Make a rational decision about quitting before you take that plunge.

3. Your Job is Teaching You Something Important

Not every job is ideal–we all know this. Some jobs are less desirable than others, but at the end of the day, anything you do will build character. Even working at McDonald’s can teach you some valuable lessons as long as you’re willing to stay the course and stick with it. It’s not what you do that builds character, but how you do it.

If you’re at the point in your career that you’re going to be miserable in any job for which you’re qualified, jumping ship to another crappy job probably won’t help you. In fact, it could damage your resume. In this case, figure out how to gain more skills so you can change to a different line of work. Colleges and trade schools both offer online classes, so you can work at your own pace when you find pockets of time. It’s tough to work and go to school too, but think of the long term investment—you may never have to flip another burger once you’re done with your education.

4. You Simply Need a Break

Changing jobs is a major stressor. In fact, it makes the top-ten list of stress-inducing life events. If you’re feeling tired, try taking a break and seeing if it makes a difference in how you feel about your job. Take a week off and completely disconnect from work. If it doesn’t help, then you know it’s time to quit.

Related: How to Write a Resignation Letter When You Hate Your Boss

5. Job Opportunities are Scarce in Your Industry or Area

While the job market look positive right now, not all industries have ample opportunities. For example, medical transcription jobs are drying up as doctors move to more automated dictation systems. If you’re in this kind of industry where scarcity is a true reality, staying in your job while you gain new skills is a good idea.

Some areas have more jobs than others, too. If you live in a rural area where finding a job takes months, quitting on the fly is a bad idea until you have another job offer. 

The point is, before you tell your boss to take this job and shove it, make sure you’ve thought about your options logically and methodically. You don’t deserve to be unhappy, but you don’t deserve to be broke either!

Pursuing a career with passion is a beautiful thing. What better way to love the life you live and live the life you love? Pursuing any career we care about is the best chance we all have at happiness.

Of course, when you start out, you may have a relatively limited idea of your goals in any given field. Most of us embark on the working world with only a rough idea of our end point. If you’re lucky, you’ll manage to secure a job in your industry early on, and build yourself up from there.

The truth is, though, that few of us stay with the company we start in. It may be that, over the years, you outgrow your first firm. Or, you may get a counter offer which pulls you away.

This is all part of a competitive industry. Many would argue that accepting counter offers is essential for progression. The only issue is, a company may try and woo you without having the substance to back things up. And, once you leave a position for a competitor, there’s no looking back. So, how can you make sure hopping careers won’t leave you worse off?

Don’t Let Pretty Promises Fool You

If a company has reached out to you, they obviously like what you do. And, the chances are that they’ll say anything to get you on board. The only trouble is, pretty promises don’t always materialize. It’s not unusual for companies to offer the world, then retract it once they have you onside. As such, you should always ask for proof before making new commitments. Bear in mind, too, that even getting something in writing doesn’t set it in stone. Companies often use ‘offer letters’. These aren’t typically binding, and could still lead to a retraction. To make sure it doesn’t happen, you can turn to the Law Offices of George Birnbaum and others like them who can help see those offers to fruition. Whatever you do, don’t just take promises at face value. You’re sure to pay for it later.

Compare the Companies

It’s also essential you take time to compare your current company with the one making the offer. Everything, from the number of employees to the deals they’ve secured, should come into play. If your current company has more deals on the table, for instance, you’d be mad to move somewhere smaller. The thing to bear in mind is that any move, even a career hop, should be a step forward of some kind. If you’re looking at going backward, you’re getting something wrong.

Consider Future Prospects

Of course, the issue isn’t black and white. Given most of us are working towards progression, you should also bear this in mind. A smaller company, for instance, may offer a better chance of promotion down the line. So, your final consideration should be your chances for advancement. If a new job doesn’t provide an opportunity for a promotion anytime soon, it’s probably not worth taking.