By Ben Kellerman

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Allie Fendrick of Minneapolis and Kate Meehan had been working for years in corporate marketing roles. They were already considering changing their career paths.

The COVID-19 epidemic followed.

“I think there’s nothing like a global virus to really make everyone take a hard and meaningful look at what we’re doing,” Fendrick said.

Fendrick and Hush Collaborative were founded by two ex-colleagues. Fendrick says the venture is “very much a pandemic product,” that aims to re-shape the status quo in the industry by embracing emotion in brand strategy.

They are just two of the millions of Americans who have left their jobs during the health crisis, a phenomenon dubbed “The Great Resignation.” Nearly 4.3 million people quit in August 2021, the highest level on record dating back to December 2000, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Tuesday.

Farnoosh Torabi is a personal finance expert and editor at large for CNET Personal Finance. He says that lockdowns, home offices, and other disruptions have made it more common to consider changing jobs. This starts with asking yourself why you want to quit.

“Sometimes we think we should quit…maybe we don’t see any other path. But sometimes that’s driven by fear, too,” Torabi says. “We’re afraid of confronting our employers and saying ‘Hey, I’m burned out. I need time off.’ We’re worried that might project some weakness or a sense of us not being a team player.”

Torabi says workers who want to take a step up should consider changing their current jobs. This could mean more work or less time.

It is helpful to imagine how the next job interview will go if you quit without a new job.

Torabi advises that you should have a compelling story to justify the gaps in your resume.

“Talk it up in a way that serves you, that shows that you’re somebody who is proactive…and that in the time in between, you’ve been doing something to keep yourself busy,” Torabi says.

This does not mean that it is less important to be able to manage stress, particularly if your work environment was overwhelming. But do this with the understanding that you will soon be seeking work.

Hush Collaborative was a huge success for Fendrick, Meehan and the others who worked with them.

Torabi recommends that entrepreneurs wait to develop ideas and start a business before quitting a job. It could be creating a business strategy, building relationships around the brand or even testing the product before you leave.

Also, it means getting your finances in order before you make the plunge. Torabi suggests entrepreneurs have a year’s worth of essential living expenses saved before taking the plunge.

“You want to be able to afford some risk in the beginning,” Torabi says. “You wouldn’t want to have to feel constrained because you only give yourself a month or two months’ worth of living expenses.”

The founders of Hush say being completely transparent about each other’s living expenses gives them a sense of control.

“I might as well be married to you,” Meehan quipped to Fendrick.