oliviatamccue

How often are we in situations with a current job and another job waiting? I call it luck.

Come to think of resignation, I have only done it once before.   Back then, it was different outlook towards life – leaving a reasonable job in a big company and figuring out what the next job would be, after three years of working.  As the years go by, we have more responsibilities and more need for security, than in the younger days where the (perceived) opportunities were abundant. 

Some says it is better to do resignation on a Monday than a Friday, so as not to upset other’s weekend.  That is thoughtful.   As simple as “I have taken another offer”, it is a delicate situation to do it without hurting feeling, and exit with a decent sentiment on both sides that may cross path again.   Whatever one feels about the company, the reason for departure, if asked, is better expressed by the excitement in the new opportunity.

As to the question “Are there something I can do?” –  If a person informs the supervisor about a job offer before accepting, there is a fair probability in the department of retention.  In situations that the offer has been accepted, it would be less chance the person would change mind.

When the resignation is accepted, the discussion of last day would be the final piece of puzzle.   How do we settle any gaps?  Guiding the discussion towards “what needs to be done?” would be a lot easier than answering “when would you leave?”  It is simply a matter of writing up the areas of responsibilities and how long the transition could take if a warm body is available.

How do we break the news to others?  For the few close contacts, a personal update would be nice; otherwise, better to leave it to the boss.  The news network is powerful.  No-one is indispensable after all.

The imminent possibility of a job offer, after rounds of interviews, is weird territory.  It is exciting, it is huge boost to self-belief; it is also tantalizing.

It is a road much less traveled.  Many go through phone interviews and never heard from the recruiter again.  A small number of phone interviews, ends up with onsite interviews, and even that often end up not going anywhere, other than another experience. In an even smaller subset, there is a call from the recruiter informing “you get it”.    Like a tennis tournament, there is only one person getting the trophy; the early rounds are resumes, cover letters, email, maybe phone interviews; and the latter rounds are equated to on-site interviews.  Disappointing as it may be, losing in early rounds is less damaging than losing a close final. .

How would one live the days, when the recruiter tells “you get it” and “you would be presented an offer a few days later”

The first moment of knowing is huge and is among the moments of life, not much different from receiving an admission letter from the college of the top choice. The heart would beat at a rate in par with where the position and the company rank among the wish list.  The excitement is followed by a challenge to focus on the present.  The mind, wonder towards the new world, presents an uneasy barrier to stay in the present.  Not just that, it draws a different orbit for all future meetings and future due dates at work, with many of those futures you would no longer make happen.  Along the way, there are questions and doubts too – “would there be change in the decision?”; “what would the terms of offer be?”; “what is the decision criteria to accept, negotiate or deny?”; “would the new position warrant a change”; “what are the adjustment and adaptations required?”. Until the final decision is needed, it is not always obvious on how much we fear or embrace a change in landscape.

The more excited the opportunity, the tougher this transitional period could be.  It is stressful but a positive kind of stress.