Your Final Week Checklist
Earlier I shared a Week 1 Checklist of things to do during your first week on the job. Equally critical is what to make sure you do on your last week on the job. Whether you quit, you’re an intern/temp/contractor and your time at your current job has come to an end, or you’re stepping away from the workforce for a while, make sure you bookend your experience with this Final Week Checklist.
1. Update Contact Info for Benefits: Make sure you update your contact information to a personal email and phone number so that you can access your benefit accounts after leaving. This may include retirement accounts, health savings accounts, an HR portal for tax documents, etc. Additionally, make sure your employer has an up to date mailing address for any final documents or tax forms.
2. Collect Contact Info from Others: One of the best ways to network is staying in touch with people you have already met. Send yourself an email with contact information of people with whom you’d like to stay in touch. Connect with them on LinkedIn.
3. Review Legal Obligations: Re-read those NDA’s, non-competes, non-solicitation agreements, and intellectual property agreements you signed, likely at the beginning of your job. If you have any questions, get in touch with an attorney who isn’t working for your current company to understand your obligations. It’s not uncommon for companies to include outdated, illegal, or unenforceable clauses in documents like this.
4. Review Your ‘Before I Quit’ List: So, how did you do? Were you able to accomplish what you wanted before you sign off for the last time? Take some time to reflect on how you were able to leverage your final few weeks or months on the job.
5. Thank People: Regardless of your reasons for leaving, try to leave on a positive note. Thank anyone who you worked with who took time to help you. Don’t just think of peers and leadership, include people from other departments, cafeteria workers, janitorial staff, HR, the recruiter who helped you land the role in the first place, and more!
6. Gather Your Belongings: Make sure you don’t leave those desk mementos behind! If you let coworkers borrow books, tools, or equipment, make sure you get them back. Also make sure you’re allowed to take anything containing company material with you.
Post Final Week Bonus Task: Once the dust has settled after leaving, update your network. Major professional transitions are a great time to reach out to peers, old coworkers, mentors, and friends to keep them in the loop about where your career is going next!