11 Questions You Need to Ask Yourself to Before Quitting Your Job

Before you call it quits with your job, have you thought about everything that might occur in the process and the aftermath? Don’t leave just yet if you are not fully decided. Why don’t you evaluate yourself once more to know how ready you are?

Quitting your job is an inevitable part of your journey to success. It is a crucial point of career development that leads you to greener pastures. However, don’t jump from one company to another to continually look for a better position. The perfect job isn’t something you look for; you embody it.

Why Employees Quit

You might want to recount why you came down to this decision. It’s normal to reach the point where you’ll part ways with the company that opened so many doors for you. In fact, according to a Mercer survey in 2018, 51% of millennials voluntarily quit their jobs, followed by Generation X with 25%, and Baby Boomers with 19%.

There are various reasons why one decides to leave. A recent study by Gallup shows that only 34 percent of employees feel engaged in their work, while 13% of them are actively disengaged. Imagine how these figures lead to employee separation.

Besides being disengaged, here are some other factors why employees quit:

  • Lack of recognition
  • Difficult boss
  • Stress-inducing environment
  • Boring and unchallenging tasks
  • Overall corporate culture
  • Unreasonable expectations
  • No opportunity to grow
  • Insufficient benefits
  • Career change

The questions to ask yourself before quitting your job

Here are a bunch of questions that will help you rationalize your decision.

1. Is this a need or a want?

There is a fine line between needing and wanting to leave your job. It is a need when everything’s taking a toll on you—whether it be professional, personal, emotional, and financial. You’ll need a puff of fresh air from all of that.

However, you should be more careful if you want to quit your job. You may just be bored or have come across a good offer outside your work. The point is you need to contemplate if this want is worth leaving your current job.

2. How long have I thought about this?

When you ask yourself this question, you are recounting since when you started considering your resignation. This gives you an overview of how long you’ve wanted to leave your work. When you are considering it for the longest time you know, that makes it easier to decide.

On the other hand, when you realize you are only considering out of impulse and boredom, why don’t you let it pass for now? Don’t fall into the death trap of impulsive decisions. It takes months to understand what you need to do, and you should give yourself the time.

3. Is your unhappiness permanent?

Before you make the decision, reflect on things that made you unhappy. When you list them down, you can come up with solutions that can ease them.

When you give more time contemplating about what caused your stress, you familiarize yourself with what you need and what to avoid. The worst-case scenario is finding yourself on a different job that induces the same stressors.

4. How long have you been employed?

The duration of how long you have stayed in a company is a crucial matter for your next job. If you only worked for less than six months, you might have a hard time looking for a company that can trust you. It automatically gives you a bad reputation for having short-term stays.

You see, six months is decent enough to put in your resume. But having at least a year appeals more to hiring managers.

5. Have you built enough experience?

One of the reasons why you need to stay long in your job is because you are building up your expertise. Hiring managers will find it hard to believe that you have accomplished much in a short time. So, before you even start to think of quitting, think about your portfolio.

You have a better shot of landing jobs when you can market yourself confidently. And that is possible through ensuring that you have maximized your stay by building up your credibility and nurturing your skills.

6. What time of the year are you quitting?

Don’t risk it when you are planning to quit in the last quarter of the year. You are turning away from a potential bonus and other compensations that are only given at the end of the year.

Also, do not quit at this time when you have no potential leads for your next job as there are fewer companies who hire at this time. The ideal time would be anytime except for October, November, and December.

7. Have you found your next job?

Securing your next job before you officially leave your current work is a smart move. It saves you from months of no income due to unemployment. Use your turnaround time, which usually lasts for 30 days, to find your next job.

Don’t start looking for jobs when you are already unemployed. There is uncertainty as to how long you’re going to look for a job. Make sure you have a job lined up before you bid goodbye to your current work.

8. How much is your safety net?

If you are one to resign without a job lined up for you, have you thought about your expenses in the next coming months? You will lose your main source of income (unless you have other income streams), and you must be prepared for the financial burden this will cost you.

Weigh in how much your safety net can accommodate your expenses while you are still looking for a job. It is recommended to have at least 12 months worth of your living expenses. You never know what will occur during your unemployment days, so you better be prepared.

9. Are you ready to forego company benefits like health insurance and retirement contributions?

If you stop working in the hopes of freelancing or starting up a business, you should think about the benefits you’ll lose in the process. Starting on your own is daunting enough. You’re about to cut health insurance, retirement contributions, and other compensations for good, and you should prepare for that.

Are you going to buy your insurance or fund your retirement? These are some of the financial woes that will be passed onto your shoulders when you leave your company. Plan out how you will handle losing them.

10. Is this a step towards betterment?

A lot of professionals decide to leave their job to pursue what their hearts desire. Whether it be for passion, dream job, better offer, or more—you deserve a job that will provide you the fulfillment you aim.

If you are leaving for a job that offers similar roles, culture, environment, and benefits, are you really leaving? You are just changing locations and co-workers. And worse, you might end up regretting quitting your job.

11. Have you taken enough time to prepare yourself and the company?

Leaving your job means the company will need someone who can replace you. Ensure that you formally filed a resignation to lessen the burden of the company in finding and training your replacement. You can’t just leave the company just because you wanted to; it’s still your responsibility to let them know.

You are only tarnishing your reputation if you leave your company all of a sudden. Give them the turnaround they deserve and leave a good trace. After all, your future ex-employers might receive a verification call, asking for how well you did.

When you have justified your reasons for the above-mentioned questions, you can then make your final decision. This last evaluation is the key to knowing how prepared you are in terms of personal, professional, emotional, and financial capabilities. Remember, quitting a job is not a one-time decision you’ll make. Rather, it requires tons of cross-checking to help you reap only the best.


About the author: Hazel Joyce Santos writes about personal and career development topics that seek to empower professionals in their careers. Currently, she works as a Content Writer for Skill Success. She believes in the potential of hard work and intellect to achieve goals in life.