St. Louis Business Journal
You are remembered by the way you leave the job

By Anna Navarro

November 2003 - From the time we are children, we are taught the importance of first impressions. But last impressions matter just as much, especially when you are leaving a job. Whether you are leaving by choice or are forced out, the long-term effects of how you depart are likely to be significant. The impact can be profoundly positive or negative, depending on how you handle yourself in the last weeks and days.

Even under the best of circumstances your departure can pose a challenge. If you are well liked and leaving for a promotion, resist the temptation to feel guilty about it. That guilt can make you act in an apologetic fashion, which just isn't appropriate in today's workplace, where both employers and employees are expected to fend for themselves.

Instead, thank the people you've worked with for their help, the opportunities you've had, and what you've learned. Explain why you are leaving. Do everything you can to ease the way for those who are left behind, including your boss, co-workers, customers and even vendors.

This can mean helping find a replacement for yourself, briefing others about how to pick up the work, and leaving your files and other records in excellent order for the person who follows you. It also involves being pleasant and upbeat with everyone as you say goodbye, even people with whom you haven't gotten along. You want their last recollection of you to be positive.

It's hard work, but leaving with goodwill is well worth the effort. There is a very good chance that these people will resurface in the future. For example, they might:

Be employed in a company where you are seeking a position, and be able to put in a good (or bad) word for you.

Become customers, and buy goods and/or services from you.

Become vendors who go to extra effort to provide what you need.

Serve as a contact for information or source of help to make an important decision.

The way I am suggesting you leave requires a good deal of self-restraint and discipline. And that is even truer if the circumstances of your departure are less than ideal.

Randy had been hired by a prominent downtown accounting firm. Initially he enjoyed a great deal of rapport with his boss and even began to believe that he might replace him when he retired. Instead, the firm brought in a new boss, who in turn brought in a staff. Randy clashed often with both his new boss and his new peers. Soon he was given notice.

In the two weeks before his departure Randy "made nice" with the new boss and his cohorts. He disciplined himself not to say or do anything nasty. They had worked out a reasonably fair severance package and agreed to what the boss would say when he was called for a reference. Randy didn't want to jeopardize his future.

But his bitterness found an outlet in his comments to other people in the firm. He let them know exactly what he thought of the new boss and his associates. He failed to realize that often people who aren't listed as references get asked for their input.

He found a good job without difficulty. His former boss kept his word and gave Randy an even-handed reference, which, combined with his prior track record and glowing recommendations, made him an attractive candidate.

Five years later Randy had been promoted to partner in his new job. A major part of his compensation was based on new business development. He worked diligently to get a large piece of business from a major company in town, and thought the deal had been struck. But it came unglued in the final stages and he couldn't figure out why.

He asked a friend inside the company for a post mortem. He learned, to his dismay, that he had been blackballed by someone who had worked for his prior employer and now worked for the company whose business he was trying to get. It wasn't his prior boss or peers that caused him problems, but rather one of the other people to whom he had confided who described him as immature and bitter.

Randy learned the hard way that no one needs enemies, and that people are often remembered by the way they leave.

Anna Navarro is the founder of Work Transitions, a nationwide career consulting firm that trains independent career strategists and consults with individual clients.

This column was originally published by the St. Louis Business Journal. The actual title of the column and date in which it appeared in the Business Journal may be slightly different from what appears on WorkTransitions.com.