How to Resign from Your Job — Tip #4: Do not Get Lazy at the End

Keep working hard right up to the very end — do not become complacent or lazy in the last few days. If you have always been a hard worker, it will reflect poorly on you if you suddenly stop putting forth the same level of effort you demonstrated throughout your time at the company. Remember, your last couple of days are the last impression your colleagues will have of you. Make them count!

How to Resign from Your Job — Tip #5: Recommend a Replacement

While this may not always be possible, another idea for how to resign from your job while making a positive impression is to recommend a colleague or someone in your professional network who may be an ideal replacement. Pointing your existing employer toward someone who has the applicable knowledge or experience to perform your role can help them save time and money when hiring your replacement.

How to Resign from Your Job — Tip #2: Provide As Much Notice as Possible

Taking a new job and telling your existing employer that you will not be coming into work the next day is not only unprofessional, but it shows a lack of respect. When leaving a position, it is customary for most jobs to provide two weeks’ notice; however, some industries and higher-level jobs may require more lead time.

For example, if you are a high-ranking employee within your organization, it may take additional time to extricate yourself — requiring two or three months’ advance notice. If you are planning to retire, you may want to provide ample notice. This allows your existing company to have the time they need to take appropriate measures to ensure that no work suffers until they can hire or promote your replacement.

Finally, consider allowing your manager to take the lead concerning what to say when you resign when informing your colleagues. They may have a crucial reason to hold off on telling other employees about the change.

How to Resign from Your Job — Tip #3: Assist in the Handoff of Your Existing Duties

A professional courtesy we always recommend to candidates who are transitioning jobs is to make the process as easy as possible for their current employer. A few ways to resign from a job that will leave a positive impact include:

• Training your temporary replacement on some of your duties;
• Creating a guide or reference document for any helpful information (such as a full list of your responsibilities that may not have been included in your original job description, or a list of all client accounts for which you are responsible); and
• Offering to answer questions by phone or email for a brief period after you have left.

In addition to showing your character, it also may help you land references and help strengthen your relationships with your supervisor.

As a professional recruiting and staffing agency, we work with a variety of small and large employers across nearly every industry. Over the years, we have seen positive and negative examples of ways to resign from a job. 

First, we will cover a few recommendations for how to resign from your job gracefully. Then, we will share our advice on how to write a resignation letter that helps you leave on a high note. 

5 PROFESSIONAL WAYS TO RESIGN FROM A JOB THAT MAKE A POSITIVE IMPRESSION

How to Resign from Your Job — Tip #1: Make a Plan

Much like other big decisions in life, it is essential to have a plan in place for how to resign from your job professionally. You have many things to accomplish before walking out the door for the last time. Such a plan can include (but not be limited to) the following considerations:

Confirm that your new job is 100% certain

 Do not quit until you have final confirmation from your new employer concerning when you will start your new position. You do not want to tell your boss that you are leaving, only to discover that your new employer reneged on their job offer at the last minute.

Know exactly who you are going to tell about the new position (and in what order)

There is no such thing as a secret in the workplace. Much like other juicy office gossip, news about employees quitting or being fired travels like wildfire among employees. Avoid the temptation to spill the exciting news to your office BFF and make sure your boss is the first person you tell.

Write and collect letters of recommendation for/from colleagues and management

Part of leaving a job on a good note is soliciting letters of recommendation for your coworkers and managers. Equally as important is writing letters for them, as well.

A management-level staffer at an independent advertising agency walked into her supervisor’s office and informed him that she accepted a position at another company. That was no surprise, as it is common for talented employees to pursue other opportunities. What did shock the supervisor, however, was the lack of proper notice of when she planned on leaving; she would depart the next day.

According to the agency, which shared its story in an advertising trade magazine, the agency had seen three other team members leave with a notice period significantly shorter than the standard two weeks. Other firms in the region had experienced the same trend. Generally, ad agency executives said, the shortened notices were from junior employees with three to six years of experience who possessed in-demand skills like digital media and content development.

Understandably, the executives quoted in the story admitted the abrupt departures left a bad taste in their mouths.

Regardless of how much experience you have – and no matter how exciting a new opportunity feels – it is unprofessional to announce you are leaving your current job and then immediately exit. Climbing the corporate ladder and pursuing a new job with more responsibility and better compensation is part of any profession, but it is important to exit your current position with grace and end your employment on a positive note that helps preserve connections that could be valuable in the future.

Multiple surveys illustrate that the manner in which you resign from a job has a monumental impact on your future career opportunities. A favorable impression is just as important when you depart a company as it is when you start your new job. So, it is important to think carefully about how and when you will resign. 

When deciding how to resign from a job in person, there are different things to consider:

• How much time do you give your existing employer?
• How do you know what to say when you resign? And
• Do you want to have the option of working for your current employer again in the future?