This article is the first part of a three part blog series on how to find your next role after your contract ends. Below I have linked the following two posts.

1/3 - 💔😢 How to break up with your job

2/3 - 🤯 Deciding what industry/job to pursue

3/3 - 💸 🙋‍♀️👔 Interview prep like a pro

This is based on my experience and perception, feel free to embrace and/or ignore it. I would read it, think about it and decide what parts suit you. One assumption of this post is that you care about leaving on a good note and having access to the partners in the future if you ever need their help (you may). Most people handle this in horrific fashion, don't be most people.

There are 3 steps discussed in this article.
1. The Decision
2. The Communication
3. The Departure

Let’s get straight into it.

Step 1: The Decision

Two situations here: if you’ve decided you’re leaving, go to step 2 now.

If you're not sure if you should leave or not, you should probably just bite the bullet and leave. Most people who are indecisive end up wasting time in work and annoying the senior management by pretending they want to stay and then bolting at points when they’ve put you in their plans. When they ask you if you want to stay, they think there's a good chance you will, which means they allocate potential clients to you. If you leave unexpectedly, that makes a mess of their plans.

These are two questions I would ask myself if I was in your position again:

1. If everyone was paid €20k a year no matter what, would you stay in this job? If the answer is yes, ring 999 (lol). If it's a no or maybe, you should probably leave unless it really suits your personal life (lol).

2. If you think you want to leave but can't decide what to do, I'd take that same question and say what industry would I find the most interesting?

One final piece in the decision: The people you ask for advice.

The are usually 3 types:

1. Recruiters 

2. People in work

3. People who have left 

Recruiters want you to leave so they can make cash, that’s easy. Ignore them. The other two generally want you to make the same decision as they did. If I was you, I’d talk to people in work and outside about what they do. The worst question you could ask them is whether you should leave or not. They'll just reiterate the fact they've no regrets about their decision and it worked out so perfectly for them etc

They don’t know your scenario and will never understand it fully. You are the best qualified to make that decision. What you want is for them to give you information upon which you can make that decision. Some random questions I would ask - What hours do they work, is it hybrid, is there free tea/coffee, how often are meetings scheduled, how much is the bonus, what's the team like and so on.

Step 2: The Communication

There’s only three things I have ever heard that were accepted without any animosity in work. 

1. I’m going travelling 

2. I’m moving home or abroad for personal reasons (family, sport, try a new adventure)

3. I don't think this suits me, so I'd like to leave. Have you any advice on what may suit me from people who have left in the past and if you need me to stay to cover a few jobs after my contract I'm happy to do help 

Anything else causes problems. Here's why.