On "Not" Burning Bridges

Strong feelings often dictate or accompany job changes. Regardless of how you feel about your soon-to-be former employer, always try to leave a job in the most professional manner possible. By that, I mean give appropriate (usually two weeks) notice, do your best to finish up -- or hand off - whatever work you have left, and say goodbye nicely. Otherwise you will burn an employment bridge unnecessarily. While there may be hard feelings between you and your employer that make it difficult to maintain your integrity and professionalism, your reputation travels with you. While you can't control what other people say about you, you can control your own actions and responses.

And then there's the issue of references. While many companies have internal policies that define what employers can and cannot say about former employees, those rules are usually generated by the Human Resources Department to serve as guideliness. Contrary to popular belief, employers also have a First Amendment to free speech. They are free to offer documented and honest opinions. However their rights are not absolute. If what they say about you may influence a future employer to discriminate against you (on the basis of age, sex, race, ethnicity or other federally-protected categories), they can end up on the wrong end of a lawsuit.

Because of their concerns about lawsuits, many employers have adopted a minimum requirements standard. They will verify the dates of employment, job title, and salary history. But they won't comment on performance. While this is good news for employees with skeletons in their employment closet, it actually imposes a problem for people who have nothing to hide because future employers may erroneously read something negative into the silence.

You can circumvent this problem by thinking through your references carefully. In many cases, it makes sense to choose a former colleague or manager or executive who can speak openly about your performance because s/he no longer works for the company. Of course I am assuming that you will choose someone who you trust to say great things about you. You can also "prep" your references by letting them know what job you have applied for, and who will be contacting them. That way, they can be prepared for the call.

The bottom line: Don't give your enemies any ammunition that they can use against you. And then make sure that your friends/supporters are saying all the right things on your behalf.