Before You Update That Resume…

Something was wrong, very, very wrong! It was my first summer working in public accounting. I joined the firm the September prior as a Talent Advisor, coaching employees of various experience levels throughout the firm. I had been warned about busy season and the expected stress levels that come with February, March, and April, but despite a few exceptions, I was feeling great about the morale in the firm. And then the resignation emails started.

There didn’t seem to be a week that went by that summer without another surprising resignation with an explanation of “pursuing a new opportunity.” I knew these folks, coached many of them and saw little to no signs of them being at risk of leaving. We were working on promotion plans and setting goals for the future. I was dumbstruck by what was happening. After some reflection I decided this was a fluke and I was certain the “summer of sorrow” was a one-time event. And then as the temperatures were getting warmer the following year, it happened again.

Technically our turnover stats were still at or below industry average, but I still smelled some BS and got curious. What was I missing? There were no huge issues from exit interviews, and employee engagement scores looked solid, so I changed my tactics. If we were surprised by a resignation, instead of waiting on the exit interview, Talent Advisors started asking the departing employee, “What specific event transpired that made you decide to update your resume?” This was a game changer, here were some of the more common responses:

• Other people were leaving so I thought I should consider my options.
• I was contacted by a recruiter.
• I wanted to change my area of specialty but didn’t feel like I could transition out of what I’m doing now without disappointing my current team.
• I want more work/life balance.
• I didn’t get the raise or bonus I expected.

See a theme here? It became clear that these employees didn’t feel empowered to clarify what they wanted and/or did not know how to ask for it. We started changing our coaching approach to address these needs and turnover dropped dramatically.

Over the next several months this article series will explore career management. I’ll explain how to get clear on what you want from your relationship with work and provide guidance on how to communicate it to your leaders.

If you are currently in a moment of struggle and can’t wait for the additional articles to be released, RUN – don’t walk to meet with your HR leader or a coach, or a leader you trust to share your current state of mind. I promise they want to hear from you. You won’t get into trouble and chances are that at some point the person you are talking to has had similar thoughts about leaving the firm. If it’s the right time for you to move on to another company, at least you explored the opportunity with someone who cares about you.

Stay boundless,

Danielle