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Resignation
The Proper Way to Resign
How to Leave Your
Job Gracefully
Your Resignation: Beware the Retaliatory Strike
Sample Resignation Letter
The Proper Way to Resign - By Bill Radin
Once a new job has been accepted, you need to consider the timing of your
resignation. Since two weeks’ 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 10
weeks, don’t give 10 weeks’ notice; wait eight weeks and then give two
weeks’ notice. This way, you’ll protect yourself from disaster, in the
unlikely event your new company announces a hiring freeze a month before you
come on board. By staying at your old job for only two weeks after you’ve
announced your resignation, you won’t be subjected to the envy, scorn, or
feelings of professional impotence that may result from your new role as a
lame-duck employee.
Some companies will make your exit plans for you. I know a candidate whose
employer had the security guard escort him out of the building the moment he
announced his intention to go to work for a direct competitor. Fortunately,
he was still given two weeks’ pay.
Your resignation should be handled in person, preferably on a Friday
afternoon. Ask your direct supervisor if you can speak with him privately in
his 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 him know that you’ve enjoyed working with him, 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 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, at which time you can hash out your differences ad
infinitum. 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.
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How to Leave a Job Gracefully - By Bill Radin
Imagine a co-worker who trashes his cubicle, plays practical jokes on his
replacement and slinks off with the copier on his 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.
Bad behavior degrades the employment experience for the rest of us.
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 (like ending a personal relationship)
is strictly a private matter; and waving your dirty laundry serves no
purpose.
• Stay cool. Even in the context of a “confidential” exit interview, there’s
nothing to gain from scorching the Earth.
• Keep your distance. Soliciting support (or fomenting dissent) from your
co-workers might create the impression of a conspiracy or coup d’etat—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.
Sure, 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.
Otherwise, Shakespeare wouldn’t have written, “A person is remembered for
his entrances and exits.” top
Your Resignation: Beware the Retaliatory Strike - By Bill Radin
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. The company might as well
ask, “How will we ever live without you?” To answer this assertion, you
can reply, “If I were run over by a truck on my way to work tomorrow, I
feel that somehow, this company would survive.”
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.”
To this you can respond, “Gee, today you seem pretty concerned about my
happiness and well-being. Where were you yesterday, before I announced my
intention to resign?”
It may take several days for the three stages to run their course, but
believe me, sooner or later, you’ll find yourself engaged in conversations
similar to these. More than once, candidates have called me after they’ve
resigned, to tell me that their old company followed the three-stage pattern
exactly as I described it. Not only were they better prepared to diffuse a
counteroffer attempt, they found the whole sequence to be almost comical in
its predictability.
Counteroffers:
As flattering as a counter offer may sound, remember why you began to
interview in the first place. Even though immediate change may be promised
and even accompanied by a salary increase, it takes companies time to change
philosophies and work environments. Take note, over 80% of those candidates
accepting counter offers were not with the same company six months later.
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Sample Resignation Letter
July 15, 2xxx
Mr. John Franklin, V.P.
ABC Corporation
155 Corporate Way
Minnetonka, MN 55555
Dear Mr. Franklin, The purpose of this letter is to inform you of my
resignation as a Field Service Engineer with XYZ Company effective (date).
I have decided to accept a position elsewhere. This was not an easy
decision and it took much consideration. However, I am confident that my new
role will help me to move towards some of my other career goals.
I have appreciated both being part of the XYZ team and the opportunities
that I have been provided with during the last six years.
I wish XYZ nothing but the best in the coming years. Please let me know
if I can be of any assistance during the transition.
Sincerely,
Joan Smith
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