The Proper Way to Resign
Once a new job has been accepted, you need to consider the timing of your resignation. Since one months notice is considered the norm, make sure your resignation properly coincides with your start date at the new company.
Try to avoid an extended start date. Even if your new job begins in ten weeks, don’t give ten weeks’ notice; wait six weeks and then give your months notice. This way, you’ll protect yourself from disaster, in the unlikely event your new company announces a recruitment freeze a month before you come on board.
Your resignation should be handled in person, preferably on a Friday afternoon. Ask your direct supervisor or manager if you can speak with him or her privately in their office. When you announce your intention to resign, you should also hand your supervisor a letter which states your last date of employment with the company. Let them know that you’ve enjoyed working with them, but that an opportunity came along that you couldn’t pass up, and that your decision to leave was made carefully, and doesn’t reflect any negative feelings you have toward the company or the staff.
You should also add that your decision is final, and that you would prefer not to be made a counteroffer, since you wouldn’t want your refusal to accept more money to appear as a personal affront. Let your supervisor or manager know that you appreciate all the company’s done for you; and that you’ll do everything in your power to make your departure as smooth and painless as possible.
Finally, ask if there’s anything you can do during the transition period over the next two weeks, such as help train your successor, tie up loose ends, or delegate tasks.
Keep your resignation letter short, simple, and to the point. There’s no need to go into detail about your new job, or what led to your decision to leave. If these issues are important to your old employer, he’ll schedule an exit interview for you. Be sure to provide a carbon copy or photocopy of your resignation letter for your company’s personnel file. This way, the circumstances surrounding your resignation will be well documented for future reference.
How to Leave a Job GracefullyImagine a co-worker who trashes their desk or plays practical jokes on his replacement on their last day of work. Is this a person you’d recommend to a prospective employer? Or expect your company to rehire? Or want to work with again? Probably not.
When faced with leaving a job, it’s best to exercise decorum, whether the move is voluntary or forced. To make the best of an awkward situation, here are some tips to remember:
• Keep your mouth shut. Leaving a job is strictly a private matter.
• Stay cool. Even in the context of a “confidential” exit interview.
• Keep your distance. Soliciting support from your co-workers might create the impression of a conspiracy and unwittingly implicate innocent people.
• Burn bridges at your own peril. The company you left yesterday may need your services tomorrow. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it.
It’s easy to be gracious when everything’s rosy, but it takes an extra dose of character to act like an adult when the going gets tough. If you’re ever caught in a sudden employment shift, try to maintain your composure and consider the consequences of your actions.
Workplace trends like flexible schedules and casual Fridays may come and go - but good manners are forever.
Your Resignation: Beware the Retaliatory Strike If your intention to make a job change is sincere, and nothing will change your decision to leave, you should still keep up your guard.
Why? Because unless you know how to diffuse your current employer’s retaliation, you may end up psychologically wounded, or right back at the job you wanted to leave.
The best way to shield yourself from the inevitable mixture of emotions surrounding the act of submitting your resignation is to remember that employers follow a predictable, three-stage pattern when faced with a resignation:
Tactic #1: Your boss will express his shock. “You sure picked a fine time to leave! Who’s going to finish the work we started?” he might say. The implication is that you’re irreplaceable.
Tactic #2: Your boss will start to probe. “Who’s the new company? What sort of position did you accept? What are they paying you?”
Here you must be careful not to disclose too much information, or appear too enthusiastic. Otherwise, you run the risk of feeding your current employer with ammunition he can use against you later, such as, “I’ve heard some pretty terrible things about your new company” or, “They’ll make everything look great until you actually get there. Then you’ll see what a sweat shop that place really is.”
Tactic #3: Your boss will make you an offer to try and keep you from leaving. “You know that raise you and I were talking about a few months back? Well, I forgot to tell you: We were just getting it processed yesterday.”
It may take several days for the three stages to run their course, but sooner or later, you’ll find yourself engaged in conversations similar to these.