Most of us discuss, plan and exercise caution while joining a company. We check out the job profile, we inquire about the work culture; we benchmark the salary and other perks before giving our nod to join a company. Further, we also ask for time to join and seek help to settle down. All this while, companies are usually considerate and allow us to take our time. However, we often fail to do the same when we are about to quit a job in that company.
It is an irony that the same people who take extreme care while joining err while exiting the company. Read the below instances as to how people quit a job and think about how it impacts your professional credibility.
Leaving for wrong reasons:
If you quit a job from a company, you must have genuine reasons. Leaving in a huff or for some emotional reasons may not augur well for your professional growth. Therefore, one must be careful in timing the exit as well as trigger for exit. When caught up in an emotional swirl, it might be tempting to run away from the job, a moment of pause will bring back the balance and help your professional standing. Another aspect that one must pay attention is to check if they are leaving behind some meaningful contribution. If not, they must realise that it is not an appropriate time to quit.
Leaving in a hurry:
It is often seen how excited people become when they get an offer for a new job. As they are delighted about the new job, they make a mistake of showing excessive hurry to leave the present job. Some executives who are good with numbers will quickly work out some arithmetic as to how much extra they would earn if they join the next job with higher pay. They seldom remember how much time they had taken at the time of joining.
While it is not wrong to be more concerned about one’s own career and earning, the move should not be in haste. Just as you need to regulate your negative emotions, you need to maintain your balance even during happy moments.
Early switch off and disengaging:
The moment they decided to quit, some people show it up in their body language. They become very casual, they turn up late, they take excess leave, and they skip meetings and so on. It all amounts to shirking responsibility and disengagement. Many a time, it surprises the organisations how quickly talented people switch off with the least concern to the ongoing issues. They become insensitive to the fact that they are still serving the notice period and that they are receiving the salary. Probably, it is their psychological comfort of their next job that gives them confidence to behave this way. However, they need to realise that how they carry themselves even after securing the next job speaks of their professionalism.
Snapping ties with people:
You do come across some people who behave very differently, rather indifferently, with colleagues soon after receiving a plump job offer. Their style of interaction almost indicates as if they don’t need you any more for their career advancement. 
One need not be excessively expressing gratitude towards their manager or colleagues; at least, they need not be callous towards them. Such people may not realize that the same colleagues or manager may cross the roads at some stage of their future career path.
Think how would you feel as a manager or as an organisation if one of your employees demonstrates any of the scenarios described above; what would be your impression on such an employee? To be a true professional, one needs to plan and execute the exit process also as meticulously as joining a new job. Important points to keep in mind while planning the exit will include:
1. Don’t over celebrate. 
2. Keep your personal issues as a second priority and focus on some logical closures for the tasks on hand
3. Continue to be cordial and work with an intention of sustaining the relationships
4. Be committed till the end of your notice period; continue to contribute as much as you can; do not shirk.
5. Leave a positive trace of you behind.
This article was published in:
HR Mirror, Hans India
Follow Dr. Raj on Twitter @drraj29
