Will you pull a “naked resignation”?
After the Spring Festival, the social phenomenon of “Luo Ci”– Chinese for “naked resignation”–among young white-collar workers has received much attention in the mass media.
As a buzzword coined in recent years, “naked resignation” means quitting a job before finding the next one. In their interviews, many young people talked about different reasons for doing this. Some have been planning to quit their jobs for a long time but will wait until the annual bonus is given out before handing in their resignation to take a career break. Others, after talking to family members during the Spring Festival vacation, have a new understanding of their career development and therefore choose to leave their current jobs. Another pull factor that will intensify young people’s dissatisfaction with their current jobs and eventually lead to their resignation is the comparison of their working situation with that of their friends.
Nevertheless, for whatever reason, before giving your “naked resignation notice” regardless of all the other concerns, we suggest young people to carefully and thoroughly consider the following points:
Firstly, do you have enough money saved to live for a period of time without income? By referring to your current living expenses, try to estimate how long you can live comfortably without income while searching for a new job.
Secondly, be well aware of the labor market situation so as to find out whether there is a large demand for talent in the near future.
Thirdly, assess your competition. Make an assessment of your overall competitiveness in the talent market by taking into account all your abilities such as professional expertise and English skills. Being fully aware of your capabilities and advantage over others can prevent you from making careless and wrong decisions when facing job hunt setbacks.
Fourthly, do you have temporary alternatives such as part-time work opportunities if you fail to find an ideal job within your estimated time period?
Although it is good for young office workers to keep seeking their career “pathways”, we still suggest that they should stop impulsive decision-making and try to think calmly and rationally before a “naked resignation”.
