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Tip #101: “Exit Interviews Can Only Hurt You”
Do not say anything negative in an exit interview. The reason is that you are leaving and any problems at this job won’t be yours once you walk out the door, so you literally have nothing to gain. Move on. You may want to return one day and a bitter exit interview can come back to haunt you. Even if you really want revenge on some staff, venting is unlikely to achieve anything.
Tip #102: “People Get Weird”
Once your departure is known, some people get weird about it. For example, they might no longer speak to you anymore than necessary. It’s as if you have personally betrayed them. You might stop getting invited to casual group lunches or the morning coffee routine. If you were in a clique, you may be instantly out. It’s as if you died and your ghost is haunting them and they’d just like you to go already. The day you give notice is the day your job ends in many ways, even if you will still be there for 10 more, painfully long working days. Don’t take it personally.
Tip #103: “Leave Good Notes”
A good handover of your work to your manager, replacement, or team members is a great way to leave a strong, positive final impression. It’s a way to remind them of what they’re missing as you go. These will often be reviewed before you leave, but you can still omit something without them realizing it because you did give them a lot and they might be none the wiser. This can be a good compromise if you really hate them and want nothing to do with the request to do a handover.
Tip #104: “Ask for References Now”
Sometimes people will offer to be a reference, but most of the time, you will need to ask. You should already have a sense of who is going to say yes. Unless you have no other choice, there’s little sense in asking a reluctant person, who might agree but then never return a reference check call. Or who will have less than stellar things to say. Choose wisely. All of this can be a reason to exit a job before it goes bad.
Tip #105: “Be Prepared to Take Your Stuff”
This might seem obvious, but some people do actually forget to take personal belongings, or some of them, when exiting, or they make it hard on themselves by not having a small box to do it in one trip. It is often good to do this before the last day, making a final exit easy because you are not carrying around a box while shaking hands one last time. Make the exit a baggage-free departure. It’s both symbolic and practical.