Resigning from your job is no simple or straight-forward task. Navigating your resignation can be stressful for both you and your family as you contemplate all the changes in your life that are about to occur. How you resign will have ripple effects that extend throughout your career, so make sure when you do resign, those ripple effects are positive! Do not burn any bridges. Here are four key tips that will guide you through the proper resignation process.
Be Professional
The first thing you need to do is draft an official resignation letter. The letter must contain the official date highlighting your last day of employment. It is also important to give your current employer adequate time to find your replacement. The recommended time is at least two weeks. If you can provide more time and it works for you and your future employer, that is great! Remember, you may shake up the organization internally and they will need time to replace you. Even if you are leaving because you hate your job, give a proper and professional two-weeks’ notice. It is the right thing to do.
Be Polite
Politeness goes a long way. Not just in the beginning of your resignation process, but also in your remaining time with your current organization. When you deliver your resignation letter, deliver it in person and be polite about it. If possible, try to schedule a sit-down meeting with your boss at a time of the day that works for both of you. Do not just leave a surprise resignation letter sitting on his/her desk or sneak up on them and give the letter at a bad time. This could lead to an emotional response that does not benefit you or your boss. Simply put, it is neither professional nor polite.
Be Humble
After you deliver your official notice, you still have a job to do. While you continue your responsibilities, continue to do them well, even if you think it does not matter because you have a better opportunity on the horizon. Be humble in your work. Yes, you may be leaving for a bigger company, more money, or a better compensation package. Whatever the reason may be, keep it to yourself. If it is a better opportunity for you, be humble about it. There is no need to brag or boast.
Be Grateful
This is the most important! Being grateful and giving thanks highlights the point of being polite. Your current employer took time and money to invest in you. Their investment likely gave you the tools and skills necessary to acquire your new role. Be sure to thank your employer for this! Try to thank everyone individually, in person, if possible. If in person is not possible, a brief phone call, email or a quick text is acceptable. Also, be sure to thank those around you within the business. Each one of them likely contributed to your growth in one way or another.
Sticking to these four tips will ensure your reputation as an employee remains positive and in great standing. As mentioned before, you do not want to burn any bridges. It is entirely possible and very likely that you may run into someone from your current organization later in your career. How they remember you may influence future opportunities. Your reputation will always define you. Be professional. Be Polite. Be humble. BE GRATEFUL!
Written by Cole Minard
The Denzel Group