How to resign

Careers advice: how to resign

Handing in your resignation is never an easy thing to do, even though you may be excited about your new opportunity. It is normal to feel guilty and as if you are letting your current employer down, especially if you have a good relationship with your boss. Take a deep breath, have your resignation letter ready and get straight to the point. You will feel better as soon as you have done it.

Be prepared to receive a counter offer – this is where your current employer offers you more money and/or career opportunities to persuade you to stay. Beware of counter offers – these are seen as a quick fix by employers to keep talent within the business but they rarely work. You may feel flattered but extra money is unlikely to make other problems such as career progression or working environment go away. After a counter offer employers can start to feel resentful and question your loyalty. Your job may be less secure, particularly if redundancies are made in the future. 99% of our candidates who receive a counter offer come back to us within three months because the promises and extra money have not materialised.

You will need to resign in writing. Below are some examples to help make the process easier for you.

Short and sweet:

Dear…

As required by my contract of employment, I hereby give you one week’s notice of my intention to leave my position as….

I wish both you and everyone at the company good fortune and I would like to thank you for having me as part of your team.

Yours sincerely

Moving to another firm:

Dear…

As required by my contract of employment, I hereby give you one week’s notice of my intention to leave my position as….

I have decided it is time to move on and have accepted another post elsewhere. This was not an easy decision and took a lot of consideration. However, I am confident that my new role will help me move towards some of the goals I have for my career.

Please be assured that I will do all I can to assist in the smooth transfer of my responsibilities before leaving.

I wish both you and everyone at the company good fortune and I would like to thank you for having me as part of your team.

Yours sincerely