process to apply for the new job. In other cases,
you may want to change companies and jobs.
Whenever you are looking for a new job
while still in your old job, you must have
integrity. You must continue to fulfill all your
obligations to your current employer. Avoid car-
rying out any job-hunting activities on your cur-
rent employer’s premises. If you need time to
interview, you should take vacation time.
Once you have obtained a new job, you
must be professional about leaving your old job.
Most businesses require that you give at least
two weeks notice before you leave a job. The
two weeks gives the employer time to find
someone to take your place, 23-32. It also gives
you time to finish up your projects and leave
instructions for the next person. Giving notice
means notifying your supervisor that you
intend to leave your job. Usually, this is done by
writing a letter of resignation. The letter should
be addressed to your supervisor. A resignation
letter should express appreciation for the time
you have spent with the company, express
regrets about leaving, and state your last day on
the job. Then, take the letter with you when you
tell your supervisor that you are leaving.
Explain that you are leaving the company,
express appropriate appreciation to your super-
visor, and leave the letter with him or her.
Balancing Multiple
Roles
Each person has many roles in life. A role
is a set of responsibilities and expectations that
go with an aspect of your life. For example, you
currently have the role of a student. In your role
as student, you are expected to go to school,
548
Part 5 Careers
MultiCultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance
23-31 Professional associations are one of the main ways to keep up-to-date in your profession. Megaly
Petersen-Penn, Burger King Corp. (left) and Sugi Randall, Noodles & Co., Inc. (right) discuss issues in
hospitality at a professional meeting.