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In 1977, Johnny Paycheck hit the number 2 spot on the country music charts with his hit, "Take this job and shove it!" Since then, many have chanted the lyrics of this song as they think about the bad day they just had at work.

Unfortunately, if you follow the advice found in the song, you may lose more than just your current job. If you have made the decision to quit your job, the better advice would be to not burn your bridges behind you. Regardless of how much you despise your job and/or your boss, you must maintain your professionalism to avoid potential future problems.

One of the most important ways to keep your professional reputation intact is by making sure to give the appropriate advance notice (or more) before your departure. At a minimum, you should give at least a two-week notice of your resignation. If your job requires special knowledge and/or training, you should increase the notice to give your employer sufficient time to find and train a replacement.

You should also ensure that you have documented all the 'quirks' for your position. Though almost every job has specific policies or procedures that must be followed, most people quickly find minor issues when complying with those policies or following the procedures. These little 'quirks' should be documented in a manner that the person who replaces you will be able to quickly understand the issue and the manner in which you addressed it.

One of the easiest ways to maintain your professional reputation while also maximizing your chances for a good reference is to volunteer your services even after you have left the position. Though this means that you will probably be called many times to answer some stupid questions (oops, there is no such thing as a stupid question!) from your replacement, but answering those questions cheerfully (even when you don't want to) will help them be successful, and will minimize the negative impact of your departure. Though this may take a good amount of time in the first couple of months after you quit, it should taper off once the new employee gets accustomed to the position.

The benefits of maintaining your professionalism when leaving a job can last for a long time. The way in which you depart may allow you to use your ex-boss or other former coworkers as either personal or professional references when attempting to get a loan, earn a scholarship, or even find yet another new job. Though it may seem irrelevent after you have departed your old job, but you never know when you might run into one of your former coworkers, or you might learn of a new (and better) position back with that same company.

Once you burn your bridges, there is no going back. Maintaining your professionalism will help ensure that a five minute song such as, "Take this job and shove it!" doesn't come back to bite you several years down the road.

Learn more about this author, Alan Fernald.
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