Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Well, this is it. Almost.
Today will more than likely be my last full day with my employer. Tomorrow we’ll all go to lunch (even the bitter and angry co-workers can’t turn down a free meal), then I’ll quietly ride off into the sunset. Happy trails to me!
But before I go, I do have one last appointment: a meeting with my friendly neighborhood HR rep for an exit interview.
Surprisingly enough, I’ve never worked anywhere before where I’ve had to give an exit interview. Usually I’m either laid off or I just march out the door, middle finger in the air. So this will be a first.
I know one of the first questions that will come up will be “So why are you leaving?” And oh – I have a response ready. I’ve got 5 really good legitimate answers to that question, buddy.
But instead of going in and sounding like some disgruntled idiot with a chip on his shoulder, I’ve decided I’m going to play it cool and keep my mouth (mostly) shut. No sense in burning bridges if I don’t have to, right?
True, this place has been rotten to us over the years. No pay raises, no proper titles, constant layoffs, cheap-o benefits, you name it. I certainly wouldn’t recommend to any of my friends that they apply here, unless they’ve done something to really piss me off, and I’m looking for some passive-aggressive vengeance.
But in a lot of ways this place has been good to me, too. When I started 9 years ago I had very little writing experience, and they gave me the training, the tools, and the ability to take my career a long ways. Although I’ve been stalled for the last 6 years or so, I did move up quickly in the organization in the beginning, and they let me take the ball and run with it, showing them (and myself) what I was truly capable of. So I’m thankful for that.
Plus, they did pay for a large chunk of my college education, through their tuition reimbursement program. I can say with all honesty that there’d be no way I was moving on to a bigger (and much better) position with the new joint without that college degree.
So I won’t be a total grouchy old bastard at the end. They really don’t deserve it, entirely. Instead I’ll be polite, smile a lot, and thank them for the opportunity.
In the end I’ll be happy knowing that I was able to make this change on my own terms, and not after a layoff. I’m one of the few people in the last few years to be able to walk out on their own accord, a fact that I am really proud of. And maybe some day they’ll get their act together, make a profit, and take good care of those poor souls left behind.
I’m not holding my breath for that, mind you, but anything is possible.
In the meantime, I’m done packing my stuff and just biding my time. Then the REAL fun starts.
Today will more than likely be my last full day with my employer. Tomorrow we’ll all go to lunch (even the bitter and angry co-workers can’t turn down a free meal), then I’ll quietly ride off into the sunset. Happy trails to me!
But before I go, I do have one last appointment: a meeting with my friendly neighborhood HR rep for an exit interview.
Surprisingly enough, I’ve never worked anywhere before where I’ve had to give an exit interview. Usually I’m either laid off or I just march out the door, middle finger in the air. So this will be a first.
I know one of the first questions that will come up will be “So why are you leaving?” And oh – I have a response ready. I’ve got 5 really good legitimate answers to that question, buddy.
But instead of going in and sounding like some disgruntled idiot with a chip on his shoulder, I’ve decided I’m going to play it cool and keep my mouth (mostly) shut. No sense in burning bridges if I don’t have to, right?
True, this place has been rotten to us over the years. No pay raises, no proper titles, constant layoffs, cheap-o benefits, you name it. I certainly wouldn’t recommend to any of my friends that they apply here, unless they’ve done something to really piss me off, and I’m looking for some passive-aggressive vengeance.
But in a lot of ways this place has been good to me, too. When I started 9 years ago I had very little writing experience, and they gave me the training, the tools, and the ability to take my career a long ways. Although I’ve been stalled for the last 6 years or so, I did move up quickly in the organization in the beginning, and they let me take the ball and run with it, showing them (and myself) what I was truly capable of. So I’m thankful for that.
Plus, they did pay for a large chunk of my college education, through their tuition reimbursement program. I can say with all honesty that there’d be no way I was moving on to a bigger (and much better) position with the new joint without that college degree.
So I won’t be a total grouchy old bastard at the end. They really don’t deserve it, entirely. Instead I’ll be polite, smile a lot, and thank them for the opportunity.
In the end I’ll be happy knowing that I was able to make this change on my own terms, and not after a layoff. I’m one of the few people in the last few years to be able to walk out on their own accord, a fact that I am really proud of. And maybe some day they’ll get their act together, make a profit, and take good care of those poor souls left behind.
I’m not holding my breath for that, mind you, but anything is possible.
In the meantime, I’m done packing my stuff and just biding my time. Then the REAL fun starts.
posted by Tommy G at
11:01 AM
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