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Updated October 11, 2023You’re reading an excerpt of Land Your Dream Design Job, a book by Dan Shilov. Filled with hard-won, personal insights, it is a comprehensive guide to landing a product design role in a startup, agency, or tech company, and covers the entire design interview process from beginning to end, for experienced and aspriring designers. Purchase the book to support the author and the ad-free Holloway reading experience. You get instant digital access, commentary and future updates, and a high-quality PDF download.
If you already have regular one-on-ones with co-workers, now’s a good time to sync up for the last time. Take advantage of these to express your gratitude and thank your co-workers. This is your last opportunity to give feedback, highlight their successes, and share the good times you’ve had together.
One of the things that I appreciate about our design industry is its tight-knit sense of community. Investing in and developing professional relationships, regardless of the company, is key. These people may follow you later. Or you may follow them to another role in a new company. You never know. Companies come and go, but relationships last.
On that last point, make sure to send out an email thanking folks, and leave contact info (usually a personal email) to stay in touch.
On the other hand, you may totally hate your job. This gig has been driving you nuts. You feel underappreciated and overworked. No one really seems to care. If that’s the case, resist the urge to (metaphorically) flip a table.
Yes, this situation isn’t good. A two-week notice isn’t required but is typical. Do the best you can and wrap things up. As Tina Seelig recounts in her book, What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20, an employee who was quitting refused to help during a critical time and as a result, “the damage she did to her reputation during the last weeks of her employment dwarfed all the positive things she had done in prior years.” Take the time to wrap things up as best you can and move on.