that for the most part has treated you well, and it's not to go to a competitor (it's to move out of the area), how do you handle it? is it okay to tell clients and people who call and you interact with frequently that you are leaving in a few weeks? is it okay to tell them you already have another job if they ask? i don't want to make anyone upset.
i had a former boss who was a total control freak and wouldn't let me tell anyone i was leaving, because she thought some of the needier clients would panic. she said she'd tell them. well, when they all called in one day and i was no longer there, that's when they panicked! she hadn't told anyone and no one knew i was leaving and i got all these messages on my cell phone saying "why didn't you tell me?! you just disappeared!"--so the end result was that it made me look bad. i don't want that to happen again.
I'm not sure what the right thing to do is, but what I've personally done is wait until the last 2 weeks before telling anyone. I didn't initiate contact with most people, but if they contacted me in that last 2 weeks, I mentioned I was leaving and told them who they should contact from then on. Also, if I was in the middle of a project for them, I e-mailed them and whomever was taking over to transition the project over. I figured anyone needy or that I had a close relationship with wouldn't go 2 weeks without contacting me.
I don't think I'd feel comfortable not telling people I was leaving. I wouldn't want them to think I just deserted them. Plus, if I was working on something with them, I want to make sure that it is properly transitioned. Even if I'm not working there anymore, I want the people I have worked with all along to still know I was a trustworthy person and made sure they were in good hands with someone else.
When I was in that situation (a job that required alot of client contact) I told the clients I was leaving. I felt like I had developed a relationship w/ them over the time I was there and it just seemed like they should know. If I hadn't told them, they might have got the impression that I was terminated suddenly, or suddenly quit, neither of which looks good for me or the company. I think my boss was a little weirded out (she was also kindof scary control freaky person) when I started getting going-away gifts from the clients, but she realized it was for the best ... i would just have a little convo with your boss and tell him you'd like to tell the clients that you're leaving and see what s/he says.
I think it is important to tell the clients. You have probably spent a lot of time developing a relationship w/ them and maybe you don't want to burn those bridges. When boss left two years ago and I took on all her projects, she took the time to call her contacts and let them know that I was the person they should contact from now on. This also gave her a chance to tell them that I was competent and that they didn't need to worry about their projects. I think it really helped.
I think it's totally appropriate to advise your clients that you'll be leaving. As for telling them you've got another job, I'd just that 'you're relocating to an out-of-state position'.
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Elle wrote: I think it's totally appropriate to advise your clients that you'll be leaving. As for telling them you've got another job, I'd just that 'you're relocating to an out-of-state position'.
Agreed. I got fired (laid off, whatever assholes) & didn't contact some of my customers - still 2 years later I feel really guilty about it because I kind of did just fall off the face of the earth for them. If you are in contact with all of the time I'd let them know.
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