How to Leave a Job

Question
I've been working at my current job for 2.5 years during which time I was promoted (I started right out of college). For various reasons - personal as well I'm interested in a new professional challenge - I have decided to relocate from NY to DC.

How do I approach my employer with this information knowing that I will also be asking her to be a reference? And does my resume absolutely have to be 1 page or can I squeeze it to 1.5 pages? -- Renee-Lauren

Answer by Roberta Rosen, Career Coach
I’ll answer your resume question first. I suggest you read over your 1.5 pages with a very critical eye. Ask yourself, “Is everything I’ve included important to help convince my next employer that I can do the job well?” If anything in your resume doesn’t pass this test, take it out. As Susan Ireland says, “Your resume is about your future not your past.” If everything on your resume is necessary to make your case, then two pages will be fine.

Now for your question about how to tell your employer that you want to leave. If you are planning to go to a different company that’s located in D.C., then you needn’t tell your boss until you get the new job and are ready to give your two-week notice.

If, however, you are leaving for another branch of your current employer’s, which is located in D.C., then you might tell your supervisor you’ve enjoyed working for her but would like to move to another city for a new position and a new challenge. Tipping her off ahead of time will show that you are someone who deals with change and growth in an honest and forthright manner. This is a very positive trait in today’s job market where change is common but not always embraced easily.

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