How to Quit A Job?

You should follow the "avoiding burning bridges" strategy. This is of utmost importance. You can never know when will your former contacts come in handy.

Resigning from your job is not always without frustration. Sometimes it can get really stressful, but it doesn't have to be! First you need to take a deep breath. If you still have your reasons to quit (whatever they may be), you need to write a resignation letter. You should compose it in a friendly way to avoid burning bridges. A good resignation letter can be really helpful in the future. Situations can occur when your former boss is your future business partner. Funny, isn't it? Here you can watch a Tim Tyrell-Smith video about How to Quit Your Job on Good Terms. There are several "Quit" videos on Youtube as well. The most popular is probably Marina Shifrin's video, but I would not recommend to follow it, especially if you are a professional dancer.

Some additional good advices: when you are searching for or writing your letter, you should calm down and consider the whole situation in context, for instance when you are looking for a letter sample only because you're angry or you don't like your boss. When all is said and done, you can still download resignation letter sample from this site. Timing is crucial: you should hand it in only when you already have your next job offer. Are you unsure what to say when handing in your resignation letter? Always secure your personal data on your last day!

Don't burn bridges!

How to Resign Gracefully?

Many people have always wondered if there is a correct protocol for resigning from a company and many others have kept pondering what to write in the body of the resignation letter and if there is a standard outline for resigning. Well, the truth is, there isn’t a perfect or standard outline for resigning form a company. However, you should apply some basic rules and principles regarding how you should conduct yourself and what you ought to say or not at your exit interview. Below are the rules:

Don’t create enmity. You shouldn’t burn your bridges because you are not certain what the future holds. In the future, you might need the company for a reference or later you might decide to change your mind and come back. It is even possible that in future you will encounter the people you leave here down the road or at your next job. So when quitting, don’t burn down your bridges.
If you are fed-up with being treated unfairly and you want to leave because of this and plan to sue also, don’t let on. Quietly gather your evidence and afterwards look for a lawyer.
Study the employee benefits literature and the employee handbook. In doing so, you will get an idea what you ought to be paid after resigning, things like unused vacation time, etc.
Give your deadlines date. Know when you have to go back to the company on certain issues such as COBRA. If your resignation is due to termination, then you should go to the unemployment comp office.
Get someone in the company to agree to be your reference later in the future. Most HR offices of companies will just hand-out your date of employment and name.
Stay connected with your business mentors and contacts, not just your friends. You need to begin keeping a list of contacts of people that might be likely to help you out in future. Most people usually overlook this but little did they know that top business executives always do it. No wonder why they make big bucks!

Featured article: 8 Questions to Ask Yourself before Resigning

How to Write a Resignation Letter?

You might be on your way to claim a new better position or you are fed-up with your current job and just want to leave; no matter your reason for quitting, you ought to write a letter of resignation.

The main aim of your resignation letter is to let your employer know you are leaving and your reason of leaving. However, there are benefits attached and the underlying benefit is for you to strengthen your relationship with your colleagues/ supervisor and resign on a positive note. When writing a quitting letter, let it be as if you are writing a thank you note. Below are some tips that will help and give you an idea about what to write in the letter:

The introduction

The introduction of your letter should show that you are resigning and also include your last day of employment. An example is:
"Please accept this letter as notification of my resignation from my position as [job title]. My last day of employment will be [date]."

The body

This is where you should state and possible explain your reason for leaving. Here too, you should express your gratitude for the experience you have gained from the job. Based on your situation, below are some examples to state that you are leaving:
Found a New Job: "I have accepted a position as [job title] in [location], which will give me the supervisory responsibilities I have been eager to assume."
Partner Relocation: "My wife/husband has been offered an excellent job opportunity in [location], and we have decided to move there so that she/he can accept it."
Starting School: "I regret having to leave [employer name], but I am strongly committed to earning my [degree type] and have been accepted to [school name] for the fall term."

Whichever your situation you might also like to mention that you’ll love the opportunity to work with your supervisor and other team members. Be careful however not to omit any name if you are dropping names.

The closing

You have to end your letter expressing your interest in keeping in touch and also kind wishes.
For instance: “I hope that we can continue our professional relationship and that we meet again in the future. Best wishes to you and to the rest of the staff.”

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