Tuesday’s post talked about the tornado that often hits when a great employee resigns. Never has there been quite so many people in your office, suddenly letting you know how valued you are, how much everyone loves you, how more money/a better title/higher-profile assignments were JUST ABOUT to come your way! Suddenly everyone has an opinion about the company you’re joining – it’s a sweatshop! They’re about to have lay-offs! I knew someone who worked there and hated it! The world will end if you actually leave!

 

It’s incredibly hard to withstand this pressure. A candidate motivated to leave will stay on script, accept the compliments gracefully and deflect the criticisms elegantly. She might say “I know, I’m probably crazy to go, but I have to do this. For me.” Within a three or four days, people will start leaving you alone to finish out your lame duck period.

 

Watch out -- that’s when it gets bad.

 

Even the most motivated person has tiny doubts. You’re leaving something you know for something you don’t know. Your mind starts racing.  What if they’re right? What if it IS a sweatshop? What if they ARE about to have lay-offs? And what if the only person you didn’t take to during your interviews there becomes your boss and you hate it?

 

I’ve had candidates call at all hours, nervous, confused, and emotional, and frantically trying to devise an exit plan – how can they get out of this? Even the ones who don’t call often ruefully confess later their roller-coaster of emotions.

 

While there are circumstances where it really might be better to wiggle your way out of that new job (serious, non-gossipy information, for example, which significantly changes the playing field), it’s best to know that buyer’s remorse will happen and you will get over it. It took a lot for you to get that job – often numerous interviews over a long period of time, a good deal of thought, and significant issues at your current workplace which led you to job-hunt in the first place. Everything that brought you to this point is still true. Calm down and think logically. This is an exciting new opportunity. Change is nerve-wracking but especially when you bring it on yourself, it’s almost always for the better.

 

Start work at the new place you chose. Throw yourself into it with an open mind and great spirit. How can it not be a great experience?

Oh No. What Have I DONE??