Ask a Recruiter: Take this job and…

I got the job!  Now, how do I tell my boss I’m leaving?

Regardless of whatever feelings may have led to your impending departure, it is always advisable to leave things on good terms with your employer when you resign.

What does that mean?

Make it official. You need to submit a letter to your supervisor, and you should prepare a copy for HR as well, in order to announce your resignation. The letter should be polite, gracious and above all, appropriate; you don’t need to explain why you are leaving or where you will be going, just that you are.

Give a reasonable amount of notice. In some positions—sales guys, I’m talking to you—odds are, you’ll be shown the door immediately no matter how politely you quit, but you should never put yourself in a position to give fewer than two weeks notice.

Leave your position better than you found it. Do what you can to ease the transition: train someone on your essential job tasks, tie up loose ends, make things easy to find and leave clear instructions about what needs to be done once you’re gone.

Be thoughtful, professional and discreet. Don’t take this opportunity to tell your least favorite person in the office how you really feel. And even after you’ve gone, don’t air your dirty laundry—it will reflect poorly on you in your new position and you never know who might be listening.

Remember, most industries are smaller than we give them credit for and networking and references are invaluable in all of them.


Find some sample resignation letters here:

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/resignationletters/a/resignationlet.htm