Before You Leave: Tips to Remember Before You Transition Into a New Role
You already accepted another position and your 2 week notice with your current role has been submitted. It is safe to assume you are happy the recruiting process is over, excited for new times ahead, and ready to wrap up the final weeks in your current role.
Although your next career move is likely the last thing on your mind, there are a few things you need to remember before packing up your desk that will make future job search much easier.
In addition to the convenience factor, proactively engaging in the following activities could also lead to higher earning potential due to an increased ability to convey your worth on a résumé, LinkedIn profile, or during future interview processes.
Use these tips now, and you will thank yourself down the road!
Archive Applicable Information:
In your current role, you have surely accumulated quantifiable and qualitative data which demonstrates your work and associated achievements. It is difficult to recall specific information years later and oftentimes uncomfortable or not feasible to contact previous employers in order to obtain such content.
Before you transition out of your current role and lose access to everything, do yourself a favor and review your emails, server contents, and hard files.
Having a hard time figuring out what information is important? Think through the following questions to help determine what information may be beneficial to store away:
How many individuals have I trained, supervised, or led?
Have I spearheaded any notable projects or initiatives? If so, what was my budget, what were the outcomes, and how many individuals were involved?
How many and which large-scale accounts have I managed?
What process improvements have I initiated and what were the results?
Have I spurred any cost reductions or revenue increases? If so, how did I do so and by how much?
What were my key performance indicators (KPI’s) and how did I measure up against them?
Have I won any awards or been formally recognized? When and why?
Note: Be sure to familiarize yourself with your company protocol with regard to confidential or proprietary information before collecting such information.
Obtain Physical or Digital Content:
Depending on your field, you may have physical or digital content that could be utilized to demonstrate your work. Alternatively, it is possible certain documents you utilized or created may be helpful to reference in your new position.
Content that may be beneficial to collect includes:
Articles, publications, or reports
Marketing deliverables including ads, flyers, videos, pictures, etc.
Sales, client, or internal presentations
Performance reviews
Charts, graphs, and tables
Templates
Emails
Note: Double check your employee handbook, client agreements, or applicable contracts to ensure you are not breaking any protocols. Assuming you are good to go, make sure to save all applicable files or make copies to take home.
Collect References
Talk to your coworkers, supervisors, and clients to see if they would be willing to serve as references. While you may not need references during another hiring process any time soon, your LinkedIn profile is a fantastic (and public) place to store testimonials!
Be sure to send recommendation requests via LinkedIn to obtain testimonials while your professional skills and successes are still fresh on the writer’s mind.
While you are at it, obtain their contact information as well. Personal email addresses and phone numbers are important to record for future use when you are in a formal hiring process again.
Update Your Résumé
Get your résumé updated now with your responsibilities, accomplishments, and applicable information such as job titles, promotions, and associated dates. While you may think you will have no issue remembering this content down the line, many of my résumé and LinkedIn clients can attest to the fact that their memory is not as sharp as they thought years later.
Updating your résumé sooner rather than later with hard data and associated skills could lead to increased earning potential in the future due to your ability to demonstrate your worth effectively.
* About the Author:
Brittney Beck, CCELW is Senior Associate Résumé and LinkedIn Profile Writer and Recruitment Strategist for Vocamotive, Inc. She has an education in strategic communications, as well as considerable experience in writing, career development, and personal branding. Brittney is highly talented in assisting her clients achieve their professional goals and the materials she creates quickly result in interview opportunities. Her dedication to her craft and expert business writing abilities result in top-tier products.
Follow Brittney on LinkedIn at: www.linkedin.com/in/beckbrittney/
Contact Brittney via email at: bbeck@vocamotive.com
Obtain professional Résumé and LinkedIn profile writing assistance by contacting Brittney directly, visiting Vocamotive’s website or by calling (630) 789-2519 to schedule a free consultation.
Follow Vocamotive on LinkedIn and Facebook and read Vocamotive’s Blog to hear about our latest career and resume development tips and offers!
* Research and Editorial Assistance Provided by Adam Zajac, NCRW
Last Updated on March 25, 2022 by Voca_GC