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Do You Want to Quit Your Job? 4 things to never do

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The time may come when it is time to move on. After you have exhausted all other options, quitting may be the only thing left for you to do. While you may have wished things turned out differently, making the choice to leave your job and pursue something new is nothing to be ashamed of. As in all areas of life, making decisions that empower you and bring you to new heights in your overall well-being and development are smart ones.

But before you call it quits, keep in mind the things you should never do. Even if you are leaving on what you consider to be bad terms, professionalism and poise are always key to a smooth and sophisticated exit.

Here are four things you should never do if you are planning to quit your job. You may be fed up or just "over it," but quit like a class act and you'll be a better person for it.

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Don't Lose Your Cool

You may be at your wit's end, but once you lose control and say something you regret, you'll want to bury your head in the sand. Stay level-headed and be as calm as you can, even if you are quitting at a time of great stress or frustration.

As per The Balance, "Don't tell your boss and co-workers off… even if they deserve it. It is not just about being the bigger person. You never know who will turn up in your life at some point in the future. You may have to work with one of these people again. Even coworkers who are your allies may be put off by your behavior and may form a negative opinion of you."

Take a deep breath and go into the situation with discipline and directness, but never cross that line and risk damage to your professional reputation.

Don't Badmouth or Complain About Your Boss

If you know you are planning to leave the company, keep all thoughts about your boss to yourself, whether that means during "water cooler" chit chat among co-workers or with a potential new employer. It does nothing to help your cause or credibility.

Similarly, do not badmouth the company as a whole either. It stinks of pettiness and lack of appreciation. Instead, The Motley Foolsuggests, "Stay positive. Focus on the exciting opportunities you have and how much you will miss your colleagues. Even if employees make a practice of badmouthing the company over lunch or post-work drinks, don't participate."

Remember, you are quitting anyhow, so name-calling is nothing but juvenile and mean-spirited. The rules of kindergarten always hold up.

Don't Sever Ties

You have your valid reasons for leaving, but that does not mean that the relationships you have built and contacts you have collected must be tossed aside and forgotten. If you depart from the company in a classy and friendly manner, you can keep those connections solid as you move towards the next step on your career path.

As per Wishing Well Coaching, "Don't burn bridges. Your network is one of your most valuable career assets.Keep the relationships you have and build new ones in your new place of work. No matter how sure you are that you're never going back to where you are working now, don't do anything you'll regret."

Don't forget, "You may need the company for references," as The Motley Fool notes. Keep in touch.

Don't Give Zero Notice

As per Wishing Well Coaching, "Quitting a job without notice is a sure way to burn bridges with your manager and co-workers, who are all left to pick up the pieces after your departure."

Your employer deserves respect and a decent amount of time to process your decision to leave and find a replacement. Walking in to your boss's office and walking out for good immediately after is in poor taste, unless something truly horrendous has happened.

The Motley Fool suggests, "You should give proper notice -- two weeks in most fields, but more in a few others. During your notice period you should make every effort to tie up any loose ends. Think about what the next person in your job might need and leave a hand-off note containing the relevant info."

You may be eager to move onward and upward but doing the right thing will end your time with the company on a high note.

Quit the quality way. And good luck in your next position!

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5 things you should probably leave off your resume

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We are always being told what to include on our resume, but there are things we ought to leave off as well. More is sometimes just more - not necessarily useful, and some items can be exhibited more clearly and concisely, as well as projected more professionally.

As per The Balance, "Recruiters can take as little as thirty seconds to conduct an initial review of your resume. You should avoid cluttering your document with unnecessary information which might make it harder for the employer to find the most qualifying elements of your background."

Redo your resume by letting go of fillers and wording that doesn't represent the best version of yourself and your accomplishments. Potential employers will be impressed with you before they even meet you in person!

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An Objective

Many resumes start off with an objective, which usually consists of a generalized statement that nearly anyone would agree is sensible, but not specific. "I'm seeking to grow with your company," or "I will use my education and experience to excel at a new position," are not particularly useful or give any indication of how you'll add value to the business.

The Muse suggests an alternative. "Craft an executive summary or 'Who I Am' section that showcases your overarching value proposition and speaks directly to the stuff you know the target audience is going to care the most about. This is your chance to make it clear you're a strong fit."

This summary of qualifications, "encompasses your skills, abilities, professional expertise, and what makes you most suitable for the position," as per The Balance.

"Big" Words

Stick to the facts of what you have done thus far using simple and straightforward language that gets the point across clearly. Now is not the time to show off your broad vocabulary or former spelling bee champ internal word database. All this will do is become a distraction, making your resume harder to read, not to mention, borderline obnoxious.

According to The Muse, "Using non-conversational words doesn't make you look smart; it makes you look like someone who spends too much time in a thesaurus."

Let your background speak for itself. If you need to adorn your experiences with "bells and whistles," perhaps you need to rework how you layout your past responsibilities, so they reflect your work ethic and valuable skills and experience.

Insignificant Jobs

Depending upon how long you have been in the workforce, there may not be a need to list every job you've ever had. If you are applying for a senior-level position, those two months of scooping ice cream the summer after college aren't going to sweeten the deal.

According toU.S. News & World Report, "Short-term jobs raise red flags for hiring managers, who will wonder if you were fired, couldn't do the work, or had trouble getting along with co-workers. Plus, a few months on a job won't typically be useful in showing any real accomplishments or advancement anyway."

The Muse adds, "Unless something you did more than 12-15 years ago is vital for your target audience to know about, you don't need to list the entry-level job or internship you held in 1994. It's totally OK to leave some of the life history off."

Personal Info

While a resume is all about you, it must be related to work experience specifically. This is not your mini-autobiography. Not only can adding non-professional info be "TMI," but it may make your resume super-long and difficult to peruse.

For instance, asInc. suggests, "Don't list hobbies on your resume--save these for interview conversation. And any awards you list should be from community service or previous work." Even more importantly, "Don't include things like date of birth, ethnicity, religious affiliations (unless the job you're going for is somehow related), reasons for leaving your previous job, specific street addresses, or phone numbers of previous employers."

Additionally, "Unless you're applying for a job as a model or actor, photos of yourself have no place on your resume. Since your appearance has nothing to do with your ability to do the job, including a photo comes across as naive and unprofessional," notes U.S. News & World Report. The interviewer will have plenty of time to see your face if you are asked to meet in person.

Silly/Unprofessional Email Address

If you still have that same email account from high school or college made up from a nickname or something silly, stupid, or scandalous, now's the time to get a brand new professional email address. Start things off on the right foot without embarrassment or being passed over altogether.

As Inc. recommends, "[email protected]," may have been fun to use at one point in your life, but in the professional world, it's a miss.

And perhaps an even worse idea is to use an email address from your current place of employment, as noted by The Muse. "Nothing says, 'I job search on company time' quite like using your current work email address on a resume. Unless you own the company, it's poor form to run your job search through your company's email system."

If you still think your resume can use some fine-tuning and refreshing, let TopResume take care of your resume for you. Get a free expert review, career advice, or have them rewrite your resume for you. TopResume guarantees they will get you two times more job interviews within 60 days by signing up with one of theirresume packages.

Revamp that resume and get the job you're seeking. Good luck!

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3 Perks of Working the Night Shift

Most of us work the typical 9-to-5, waking up at sunrise and going to sleep as dusk sets in.

It makes sense due to our natural body rhythms and the way the majority of the working world tends to run. But there are plenty of jobs and careers where a night shift is necessary and available. Think nurses, security guards, convenience store employees, and bartenders, to name a few.

Often known as the "graveyard shift," working during these wee hours of the night isn't for everyone... the nickname doesn't help. Then again, are those night owls who thrive on being active and productive past midnight, but most people prefer to be fast asleep as the moon and stars make their nightly appearance. But if you're a morning person with a new lease on life, you may want to consider switching gears and applying for a night shift job. Working while most of the world's in a slumber has its perks, and these three may awaken your inner vampire longing to take a bite out of the nightlife!

Make More Money

A major reason most of us work is to make a living. And working the night shift can help you fatten your wallet faster than a daytime gig. As perRethink Staffing, "Night shift differential is around 10% of the employee's regular wage per hour. If you're working as support staff at night for $10 per hour, then you'll be earning a dollar more than your co-workers in the daytime." This can add up fast, making those late shifts quite profitable.

The Outsourced Accountantnotes some promising ways this dough can pay off. "Vacation trips, signing up for classes, taking on a new hobby, business, savings, and retirement," all cost money, and with the night differential, these things will come your way before your daytime counterparts reap the rewards.

Avoid Traffic

There are few things as aggravating than sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the way to and on the way home from work. Getting in late always causes issues and wasting time on the highway when it could be spent with family is a drag. Opting for the nightshift will get you to and from work in a jiffy – road rage- and stress-free.

As per The Outsourced Accountant, "There's significantly less traffic at night. Since most people are headed home, you're more likely to have a more breezy (and faster) commute to work because you're going the opposite way. And because you're not chasing cabs or buses or jostling your way inside trains, you won't be disheveled when you come to the office. You'll look and feel a lot fresher." Fast and fresh, sounds appealing.

Career Addict adds, "If you drive, you also save on (gas) as your driving will be more economical." So not only will you make more money, as noted in perk #1, but the low volume of traffic can save you more of it.

Fewer Interruptions

In general, there are fewer people around working the nightshift. That's why there is a high demand for people willing to take the job. And with fewer people comes fewer interruptions. This will give you more time to think clearly and get your work done productively.

According to The Outsourced Accountant, "You can get tasks finished quickly and have more time to do some advanced work or simply relax." Just think about all the time that's wasted due to gossip and office chit-chat, questions from colleagues, emails, and phone calls.

Career Addict notes another perk, "Most companies hold their meetings during the day. Working the night shift saves you time you would otherwise spend attending meetings, allowing you to pay more attention to your work."

What do you think? Can you go from early bird to night owl? These perks are tempting, so consider going to the dark side… in a good way. You may find that the night shift is just the career shift you've been looking for!

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What's the best graduation advice you've received?

Graduation season is upon us and young adults have spent their formative years learning, growing, and striving to reach their dreams. The world is at their fingertips and opportunity awaits. There will be struggles and triumphs, valleys and peaks, and lots of time spent in-between. Graduation, while the end of one era, is the start of a new beginning, full of hope and full of questions.

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