I have a better growth opportunity out of my current company, I need to let my manager know of this move. Can someone share how to initiate the conversation. I absolutely like my manager and my team/company. Just that they don’t pay me enough plus outside role has more growth. How can I structure my conversation so that I don’t burn any bridges?
Have you spoken to your manager before about your career goals? If you have, that could be a conversation starter - “I’ve been wanting to do xyz and have this opportunity for growth. Although I really enjoy working here , I do want to make the next move in my career.......”
Yes, I have talked about my career goal with my manager. Just that the type of growth I’m looking is not possible in a bigger company. Also, I have tried to talk about increasing the pay but always get a diplomatic answer
“This is really hard for me to tell you because I love this team and the company. However, I’ve accepted an external offer and my last day will be X. I wasn’t looking to leave, but this opportunity came up and it really fits best for my long term career growth and includes a substantial pay increase. I will put together a transition plan next so that there aren’t any loose ends due to my departure. If this doesn’t work out I would absolutely want to come back, but I really feel this is the right decision for me at this time.”
Should I tell that the pay is high? Won’t it burn the bridge as they will think im jumping ships due to money?
Of course, you want the story to be that the growth opportunities are the reason but you’re also getting more money. You want to be clear that you’ve made your decision so no time is wasted trying to convince you that you’re wrong. They might start promising you a bunch of stuff to stay, but that rarely ends well. Leave busting your ass to make them think you are fantastic and will want you back in the future (even if your manager or team behaves in a way that isn’t supportive). You may have some short term pain, but after you go you want them to think highly of how you handled your departure.
I left one of my best managers ever because of an unfortunate change of technical direction that came down from on high that would have made the job a lot less interesting. After a couple months of "they are REALLY doing this" discussions, the resignation was not a surprise. I made it clear that I enjoyed that manager and the team, worked my butt off to leave them in a good place, and kept in touch afterwards. Fast forward and that manager is now in a new spot, and I am very much considering a spot on that manager's team.
Tell them you have this great opportunity and you’re going to take it and your last day will be X. Then stop speaking and let them talk. Don’t say more than necessary. Their response will tell you if they are happy for you or selfish and angry about it. Anyone who thinks you’re supposed to ignore opportunity just because it’s more convenient for them is not a good manager and has no true interest in you. A smart manager will try to change your mind with a counter or at least be happy for you and leave the possibility open that you might want to come back to work for them somewhere else in the future.
Congrats on your opportunity! I would be open about the opportunity you have there. And, sometimes one doesn’t have to have all answers. You can say I want to try something different and new. If it’s consumer based company - say I’ve been in enterprise now time to learn something other side. Or, the scale at which that other company operates (small or big). At the end of the day, you want to keep good connections to your teams, peers and managers. It’s not just about coming back but valley is small and most opportunities work through common connections. So, having an open and transparent about the new opportunity and move on. Hope that works out well and you don’t have to think about coming back.
I was in the same boat last week. Probably googled ‘how to quit your job’ a billion times. At the end I just kept it simple. I told my manger I had accepted a position at a different company. Explained to him that I really like my job and my team but this is a great opportunity for me. Told him I would do my best to help with the transition. That was the easy part. The real headache comes when they started throwing a bunch of stuff on the table trying to retain you.
That's why you have to make it very clear in your initial conversation that you don't want a counter-offer. Assuming you have a reputation for keeping your word: "I've already given my commitment to $new_company so I will not be interested in any counter offers" has been pretty effective for me. As a supplement for "how can I help ease the transition" (and genuinely following through). Again this advice applies to the situation described here (liking company and team). In situations where you'd rather nuke the bridges and pee on the ashes, all bets are off.
Well if they like you they should understand and be happy for you. If they don't then your manager/team ain't so good after all
Ah, counting on good intentions is your suggestion? Meh