job & interview

Don't Quit Your Job Until You’ve Accepted a New One

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Don't Quit Your Job Until You’ve Accepted a New One</h1>
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Yet to accept a formal job offer? Here are four reasons why you ought to stick around.</h2>
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Hold it! If you leave without a new job secured, you'll be at risk for prolonged unemployment.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">Have you ever been tempted to quit your job even though you don’t have another one lined up yet? Maybe you’re sure you’re about to</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;"> </span><a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/06/02/how-to-evaluate-a-job-offer" style="color: #005ea6; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/06/02/how-to-evaluate-a-job-offer">get an offer</a><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">, or maybe you just can’t stand working for your current boss. It can be tempting to give your notice on the spot, but it can also be an enormous mistake if you don’t have another job formally locked in yet.</span></div>
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Here’s why you should never resign from your job until you have an official job offer – one that you’ve finished negotiating and have accepted.</div>
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<b>1. It might take you a lot longer than you think to find a new job.</b> If you expect to find another job within a couple of months, think again. Finding another job can take a long time – often much longer than job seekers expect. In fact, in this market, it’s not uncommon for a <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/07/28/5-ways-to-modernize-your-job-search" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/07/28/5-ways-to-modernize-your-job-search">job search</a> to take a year or more. That means if you quit your job without first securing another, you might end up with a large gap on your resume, which can make it harder to get hired. It can also drain your savings and leave you in a precarious financial position – one where the pressure to find another job will quickly become greater than ever.</div>
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<b>2. It's much easier to get another job when you're still employed.</b> Rightly or wrongly, most employers prefer to hire people who are already employed. Many assume that people who quit their jobs without another lined up did so because they were either fired or about to be fired. Or they may think the candidate walked away when things got tough, which <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/04/21/9-ways-to-make-your-new-boss-regret-hiring-you" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/04/21/9-ways-to-make-your-new-boss-regret-hiring-you">worries managers</a>, because every job has challenges. That doesn’t mean it’s an instant deal-breaker, but it’s highly likely to raise questions from employers and potentially make your job search harder.</div>
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<b>3. The job offer you’re counting on might fall through.</b> Sometimes job seekers are so sure that an offer is forthcoming that they go ahead and give notice to their current employers. Sometimes this works out just fine, but other times it ends badly when the offer falls through. And if you’ve already given notice, your current employer may have already made plans to replace you, or they might not be willing to let you rescind your notice – which can leave you without the old or <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings">new job</a>. Because of that risk, you should never resign until you have an official offer in hand from your new employer – not a promise that an offer is coming, not very good signs that seem like they’re leading somewhere – but an actual, formal offer. Better yet, wait until you’ve <i>accepted</i> that formal offer, because otherwise it’s possible that your negotiations could fall apart.</div>
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<b>4. You might not pass the background check.</b> Sometimes an employer might tell you that a new job is a done deal, but you’ll notice fine print in the offer letter that says it’s contingent on you passing a background check or reference check. Even if you’re confident both of those will go fine, that’s never guaranteed. Sometimes mistakes are made in background checks, or a reference call doesn’t go quite the way you assumed it would. Until any contingencies like these are cleared, your offer could still hit a snag, which means you might not want to risk <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/02/12/how-to-know-its-time-to-leave-your-job" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/02/12/how-to-know-its-time-to-leave-your-job">resigning your job</a> at this stage.</div>
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Perhaps a new employer pressures you to give notice while the offer still has contingencies attached to it. In that case, explain that while you don’t expect any problems with references or in the background check, you’re not comfortable giving notice until the offer is finalized. You can say something like, “As soon as the offer is firm and without contingencies, I’ll be able to give my employer two weeks notice. But I can’t resign my job until the new one is certain.”</div>
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<i>Are there any times when it’s OK to resign without a new job?</i></div>
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There are a few limited circumstances when it might make sense to quit your job before you’ve secured a new one: if you’re being subjected to egregiously abusive or harassing treatment, if your safety is being compromised or if you’re being pressured to do anything illegal, unethical or unsafe. But aside from those limited cases, you’re far better off job searching while you’re still employed.</div>
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<a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/08/11/dont-quit-your-job-until-youve-accepted-a-new-one" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

Don't Quit Your Job Until You’ve Accepted a New One

Don't Quit Your Job Until You’ve Accepted a New One Yet to accept a formal job offer? Here are four reasons why you ought to stick a...

How the Holiday Season May Make You a Better Employee

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How the Holiday Season May Make You a Better Employee</h1>
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Close out the year on a productive and generous note.</h2>
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<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">Between Thanksgiving and the New Year, the glacial-like work pace in some offices may cause employees to slack off. On the other hand, they may use the period to catch up on work that has long been on the backburner. According to a 2012 survey of 3,000 U.S. workers by Regus, an office space company, 58 of percent of business employees think staff will use the time over the holidays to catch up on unfinished tasks.</span></div>
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But your productivity doesn't have to taper off or be strictly relegated to overdue work. Rather, finding new projects that "require creative and deep thinking are perfect for this time of year," says Lynn Taylor, workplace expert and author of "Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant."</div>
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By tapping into your holiday cheer, here are some ways you can become a more productive, thoughtful employee before the year closes.</div>
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<strong>Get close to your boss. </strong>Swamped with work, your boss may have passed on requests for one-on-one meetings during the year. But with both of your schedules opening up, you may finally have a chance to capture his or her attention. "Your availability during the holiday season can really be a rare opportunity to brainstorm [with your boss] about new initiatives or even gain traction on your existing ones," Taylor says.</div>
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<strong>[See: <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/10-things-only-bad-bosses-say" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">10 Things Only Bad Bosses Say</a>.]</strong></div>
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<strong>Establish ties with a mentor. </strong>If you can't get close to your boss, try to forge a bond with a seasoned co-worker whose work you've always admired. Since each of you have some spare time, book that coveted meeting to find out what you're doing right and what you can do better. "Get some feedback as to how they see your performance, and gain some ideas from somebody who you respect and get their take on what you might focus on in the next year," says Anna Ranieri, career counselor and co-author of "How Can I Help?"</div>
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<strong>Spread knowledge. </strong>If you're an avid reader of material surrounding current and future trends in your industry, pass along important links to your boss, colleagues and clients. According to Taylor, sharing substantive information "shows that you have leadership qualities because you can mentor others on what's happening." Moreover, your boss, preoccupied with meetings or frequent travel, will appreciate you sending articles he or she would never have time to dig up.</div>
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<strong>Carefully consider additional time off. </strong>With family coming from out of town or your kids having a swarm of school holiday activities during work hours, the opportunity to take days off will be inviting. But your employer should provide you with a fair amount of time off. According to a Bloomberg BNA survey from last year, 58 percent of 628 employers scheduled at least three paid days off for the 2012-2013 holiday season, up from 42 percent in 2011-2012 and 36 percent in 2010-2011. Before requesting additional time off, it's a good idea to consider staff needs and current projects.</div>
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<strong>[Read: <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/11/21/the-top-10-holiday-aggravations-at-work" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">The Top 10 Holiday Aggravations at Work</a>.]</strong></div>
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<strong>Cover for a colleague.</strong> Inundated with personal activities, a co-worker may need some additional time off. If you're lacking personal obligations and don't mind putting in some extra hours, volunteer your services. "That's a great way to sort of build teamwork with people and gain further standing in the group by offering to do something for somebody who can't be there," Ranieri says.</div>
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<strong>Be flexible on your raise. </strong>Having put in some excellent work over the course of the year, you may be set on asking for a raise. But if the company you work for is in a financial slump and your personal finances are in good shape, you may want to hold off. Raise the issue with your boss and try to pinpoint when it will be financially feasible for the company to increase salaries. "Sometimes people have to moderate their own desires for the good of the team," Ranieri says.</div>
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<strong>Invite everyone to a holiday event. </strong>As the organizer of a potluck or a lunch out with co-workers, you may be tempted to exclude one or two colleagues you don't like. Instead, take the high road and invite everyone, and don't rule out the possibility of stirring up a conversation that mends fences. "By being inclusive, you might even start a new leaf with someone you've had conflict with throughout the year," Taylor says. "You can even use this as an opportunity to reach out to people who have been difficult to work with."</div>
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<a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/11/20/how-the-holiday-season-may-make-you-a-better-employee" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

How the Holiday Season May Make You a Better Employee

How the Holiday Season May Make You a Better Employee Close out the year on a productive and generous note. Between Thanksgiving an...

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Don't Quit Your Job Until You’ve Accepted a New One

How the Holiday Season May Make You a Better Employee

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