The last movement of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 is one of the most recognizable works of classical music. It is also one of the classiest “Take this job and…” messages ever sent to an employer.
The backstory explains it all.
First of all, there are no violins in this piece. Bach wrote it for violas, instead.
This was unusual because in his day the viola, a slightly larger and lower-pitched version of the violin, wasn’t considered a lead instrument — think backup singers — and in performances was often played by the household servants.
And this was the case in the household of Prince Leopold Ludwig, who was Bach’s patron and who held the baroque period’s equivalent of a “franchise player” employment contract on the composer.
Bach also knew that his patron, a musician himself, liked to sit in on performances, playing the viola da gamba, which resembled a super-sized guitar played vertically with a bow, more or less like a cello. By selecting violas instead of violins to lead the concerto and including the viola da gamba, Bach’s last movement of the last concerto would leave his employer in a sort of baroque jam session surrounded by his own servants.
It is not absolutely certain that the backstory is accurate, nor is it clear that the piece was even performed when submitted. Perhaps his employer, Prince Leopold, took one look at the musical score and recognized it immediately as a “Take this job… and play it in Bb,” piece and wasn’t having any part of it.
Apparently he got the message, though, and Bach was soon released from his obligations and on his way to a new job.
In today’s world, “Take this job…” messages, no matter how clever or imaginative, are not recommended. There was only one J. S. Bach, back then or ever, and we live in a world of highly interchangeable people. We also live in an Internet world where negative personal information enjoys eternal life.
Employers naturally prefer to hire someone who didn’t have issues with management in his or her previous job.
With a “Take this job…” letter or record attached to your Internet tail, then, you become an un-preferred job candidate.
Have there been times in our economy when it didn’t matter? Yes. Sometimes the job market heated up to the point where employers would hire anyone with a pulse, but except in special, localized situations we aren’t likely to see those days again anytime soon.
The way to avoid the temptation to write or say negative things to your employer as you are leaving is to consider your departure record as part of your personal marketing campaign.
Take the good things about your job, and there are almost always some, and make sure that you include them in your resignation letter.
One way or the other, that letter is going to find its way into your personnel record and become a part of you and part of your personal marketing program.
It will shape how your current employer feels about you and how your next potential employer will see you.
There are no set rules for leaving a job, but these recommendations work for most people in most situations.
Do not discuss your plan to leave with supervisors, managers, co-workers, or anyone else in the company until you have your next position locked up.
Let your supervisor and manager be the first to know.
Tell your supervisor and manager the truth: that you see a new and different set of challenges and opportunities for growth at your new position.
This information, just as your resignation letter, will shape how they view you as an employee and put you, and your record, in a more positive light.
If you have any thoughts about the quality of leadership, management, and supervision in the company you are leaving, keep them to yourself. There is no payoff for you in providing your frank opinion. Provide adequate notice. That varies a lot, depending on the job and its responsibilities.
Depending on company policy, you may continue working during the period between your giving notice and your actual departure. Treat this period as one in which to show off your work ethic and sense of responsibility. Your effort will not be wasted or forgotten.
The overarching commandment when you are leaving a job is the same one that referees give to boxers at the beginning of a prizefight: protect yourself at all times. Stick to the truth, and do not offer opinions about your current job and its sources of discontent.
Leaving a job is part of your resume. Make sure that it presents an accurate picture of you.
James McCusker is a Bothell economist, educator and consultant. He writes a monthly column for the Herald Business Journal.
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