I was recently asked by a young family member how to go about resigning with class. I'm glad she asked this question as too many people tell their employers to take this job and shove it in more ways than I can count.
Here's how to exit with class and perhaps a future reference in hand:
- Always give two weeks notice. There are very few valid excuses that make not doing this okay, so please just do it!
- Hand your notice to your boss, if at all possible. Notice how I didn't say have your friend give it to the boss or have your mom call to tell the boss you won't be coming back.
- Include the effective date in your letter so your boss doesn't have to guess what day will be your last day.
- Keep it short and sweet. No need to go into long details here. Simply say you are leaving to pursue other opportunities.
- Put the past behind you. This is NOT the time tell the boss what a crappy organization she is running. Simply thank the boss for the opportunity and get ready to move on.
- Should you decide to go through the exit interview process, be mindful of what you say.
- Lastly, or maybe this should go first, if you are resigning because you believe you will be receiving another offer, make sure you have that offer in writing before saying goodbye. Lots can happen in a day.
Now go forth and resign in style!
Roberta
