How do you write a professional resignation letter?
We know that telling your boss that you want to leave the company is not an easy conversation to start, but writing a proper resignation letter can help you avoid saying that ‘amateurish goodbye’ and on the other hand help you create a healthy, long-lasting relationship with your employer.
We understand that it could be tempting to just walk away from your current job especially when you have this on your mind;
“I am not leaving on a good note, and I even have a better job, so what do I care?”
Whether or not you are leaving on a good term, you need to write a resignation letter. Writing a short ‘scrappy note’ in the name of a resignation letter is something that you should not do at all.
Even if the aim of writing a resignation letter is to inform your employer that you are leaving the job, you can still use it as a tool to build a better relationship with your employer and the company too.
After you must have given your employer at least a 2 weeks’ notice and had a one-on-one conversation with your employer, then you can send a resignation letter that is worthy of consideration.
To help you write a powerful resignation letter that will set a positive tone, we created these resignation letter writing tips, examples, and templates.
I know that the question on your mind is; “But how can I write the best resignation letter?” I know that you are anxious, we are also anxious to help you too. This article includes:
Start by introducing yourself in the first paragraph.
Give details of what you do.
Thank your employer and reflect on positive experience.
Explain in details your handover plan.
Outline your current workload and your current tasks.
A letter of resignation is a formal letter that is written to announce ones intent to leave a job. It is a formal letter that is sent by the employee to the employer to give a notice that the person will no longer be working with the company.
In simple terms, a resignation letter is a formal letter that gives the notice that one is quitting his or her job.
Writing a resignation letter is one very important aspect of your resignation process that you should take seriously. First of all, you should write a resignation letter because that is the right thing to do whether you are quitting on a good term or not.
A resignation letter will help you notify your boss that you are leaving, and so the company needs to get someone to replace you and take up your responsibilities. These are other reasons why you should write a resignation letter:
Now that you know what a resignation letter is, how do you go about writing a good resignation? With these tips, you can write a powerful resignation letter:
To start writing your cover letter, you have to begin by stating your position in the company. After talking about the position that you occupy in the company, then you can go ahead and introduce the reason why you are quitting.
Example: “I would like to notify you that I am resigning from my position as team lead for the marketing department in ABC Group of Companies”
After introducing yourself and the position that you hold, you can go ahead and give other details like; the date you resumed your job in that company and the date that you wish to leave. You need to give these details because those are the details that the employer looks forward to.
Example: “I would like to notify you that I am resigning from my position as team lead for the marketing department in ABC Group of Companies, effective September 1st, 2019.”
If you want to ensure that a positive relationship will exist between you and your employer, then you should thank your employer for the opportunities and privileges that you were exposed to.
To thank your employer well, you can reflect on your positive experiences in the company. To do this, you have to take time to remember what you liked the most about the company all the while that you were there.
You should also remember to be precise when you are writing your resignation letter, you can include professional development opportunities or the amazing work environment the company provided you with.
You should thank your employer for the time and resources that the company invested in hiring you.
Example: “I would like to thank you for the opportunities that you have given me to learn more about marketing and proper customer retention strategies over the past 4 years.”
I have enjoyed my time with ABC Group of Companies, ranging from the awesome work environment to my immense exposure to the world of marketing. I feel honored to have been a part of an amazing team.
You need to state in your letter your willingness to assist in the transition. As much as you need to volunteer to assist in the transition process, you should also be careful not to say something that you cannot do.
You can just write a few lines to explain how you will ensure a proper wrap up of your duties. Volunteering to help with the transition process shows that you are still very concerned about the company’s process.
Example: “Please let me know if I can be of help during the transition process. I will be available to help onboard my replacement if need be. I will also ensure I give all the necessary details that will help with the transition.”
This aspect of your resignation letter is optional, but it can come after stating that you would love to hand over.
At this point, you should state in clear terms your overall task as regards your position in the company and the current project that you are working on.
This will help your employer or manager have an understanding of what you are currently working on, and how to get a new person on board.
Below is a resignation letter example to give you an idea of what a resignation letter should look like:
A Simple Resignation Letter Template
Sandra Williams
Marketing Lead,
ABC Group of Companies,
12 Allen Avenue, Ikeja,
Lagos.
Dear Mr. Paul,
I would like to notify you that I am resigning from my position as team lead for the marketing department in ABC Group of Companies, effective September 1st, 2019.
I would like to thank you for the opportunities that you have given me to learn more about marketing and proper customer retention strategies over the past 4 years.
I have enjoyed my time with ABC Group of Companies, ranging from the awesome work environment to my immense exposure to the world of marketing. I feel honored to have been a part of an amazing team.
Please let me know if I can be of help during the transition process. I will be available to help onboard my replacement if need be. I will also ensure I give all the necessary details that will help with the transition.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to work for ABC Group of Companies. I look forward to the success of this company. I promise to still keep in touch.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sandra Williams.
If you do not want to use the resignation template sample above, here are the most important thing that your resignation letter should contain
We know you just can’t wait to leave your current job and move on with life especially when you have a better one. Moving on is not all there is to resigning from your job, it is ‘how you move on’.
There are right ways and wrong ways to resign. It is always important for you not to burn your bridges, because who knows where the next big gig will come from?
To make sure you resign the right way, we decided to add the resignation letter dos and don’ts to help you check your wrongs and rights:
When you decide to resign, take your time and think deep regardless of your reason for leaving. These are the things you should do when resigning from your job:
You should give a notice when you want to resign especially if you hold an important position in the company, or if you are the only one that does what you do in the company. This will give your employer enough time to get a replacement on board.
Most times, a 2 weeks’ notice is the standard, but you can give more depending on your position.
When you are planning to resign, you should not forget to leave office equipment in clean states. If you were working with the office computer, then you should delete all personal files, email, etc. before leaving.
Always have a conversation with your manager or employer if you are working with a smaller company. Having a conversation first with your manager or employer will help both you and your manager/employer understand the reason for your resignation.
It will also help you know how the organization wants you to relate this message with your colleagues.
Even if you have had a conversation with your manager/employer, you should still write a resignation letter. The resignation letter stands as a piece of formal evidence that you resigned from your job and did not abscond.
Writing a resignation letter shows that you are professional, and it will also allow you to express yourself sincerely.
As soon as you decide to resign from your job, you should make sure that you inform your colleagues that you are leaving.
You should inform your clients that you would be leaving the job too, so that They can get used to it in case there is an information you have to transfer.
Remember to be professional when you are telling your colleagues that you are leaving. Always give everyone the same reason why you are leaving your job.
When you are leaving, you can ask your manager or employer for a reference. You should decide the best person to ask for a reference.
If you cannot get a hard copy of the reference letter, you can ask for an online reference. Your employer can endorse you or recommend you on LinkedIn.
Regardless of the circumstances surrounding your resignation, there are still some things you should never do to avoid creating a more complicated situation.
Remember you have to leave on positive a note, and to make that possible you should avoid doing the following:
As excited as you may be about your new job, you should not be in a hurry to give notice of your resignation when you are not yet sure of your new job.
Until you get an offer from your new job, and you accept the offer that is when you should start thinking of giving notice.
Even if you did not get the best experience in your current place of employment, you should still not leave with spite and hate.
Regardless of what the experience was, you should never leave complaining or regretting about the company. You should always thrive to leave on a positive note, who knows where the next big deal will come from.
As much as you think that your new job is better than your current job, you should never brag about your new job.
Bragging about your new job can jeopardize your relationship with your colleagues. You should never brag about your new job, or rub it on the face of your colleagues.
Bragging about your new job may be uncalled for.
It could happen some times that your employer may ask you to leave before the set date on the resignation letter.
When this happens, you should not burst out in anger. You should rather respect their decision and say goodbye to everyone before you leave to maintain a good relationship with everyone at least.
In some company’s usual practice, an employee will be interviewed when they decide that they want to leave. During your exit interview, you should be truthful and respectful at the same time.
Some companies are keen about improving their employee experience, so telling the truth about your experience will help the company to review their staff experience.
Just like when we talked about how you should write a resignation letter, we advised that you should volunteer to help with the onboarding process of your replacement.
Even if it is good for you to volunteer to help with the onboarding of your replacement, you should also be careful not to promise to do something that you cannot do.
You should simply make your company understand that you are willing to put in your best as much as possible.
Knowing the dos and don’ts of writing a resignation letter will help you stay checked and will also help you avoid some resignation letter pitfalls. Make sure you take a good look at this resignation letter dos and don’ts so that you can dot your “I’s” and cross your “T’s”.
We understand how awkward it can be to tell your employer that you are leaving your job, and submitting a resignation letter can even make the process even more difficult.
No matter how uncomfortable you may feel to start your resignation process, you mustn't burn your bridge.
Writing a good resignation letter that will help you leave your job on a good note may not be very easy, but with a resignation letter template, you can write a professional resignation letter.
These resignation letter templates will help you create an amazing resignation letter:
Short Notice Resignation Letter
Career Change Resignation Letter
Better Benefit Resignation Letter
(Click the link to download resignation letter template)
We understand that by now you already know the importance of a resignation letter template. Using a resignation letter template makes the work of writing a resignation letter easier.
As easy as using a resignation letter template makes resignation letter writing look, it is important that you know how use a resignation letter writing template.
These tips will guide you on how to use a resignation letter template:
Most time, the resignation letter template will be saved with a generic name like; “Resignation letter template”. As soon as you are done editing the information on the resignation letter template, you should save the letter with your name.
You can use this format (name + surname +Resignation letter).
As much as it is a template, and it is recommended for you to use, you should also check for typos and errors. Even after you have made some edit, you should still go over what you have done.
You should also know that the information on the resignation letter template are mostly generic, at other times you may find a dummy text. So you should be careful to edit aspects of the template that contain dummy text.
You should also change some of the information to suit your own situation.
After making all the possible edits on your template, you should save your file in a compatible format. Saving your file in a compatible format will help your employer to access it without using any special software.
You can save you file in compatible formats like MS Word and PDF.
Using a resignation letter template properly will help you achieve your goal of writing a great resignation letter that will ensure that you leave your job on a positive note.
Regardless of your position in your company or the reason you are leaving the company, you should be professional and polite when you are writing your resignation letter.
Showing appreciation to your employer, colleagues, etc. and pledging your support to the company will go a long way in helping you build a lasting relationship between you, your employer, and even other colleagues.
The last thing you want to do when you are leaving your job is to burn your bridges and crash future opportunities and endorsements.
This resignation letter writing tips and templates will definitely help you leave on a good note while you build your professional network as you take the next step in your career.
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