It has to be done.
It cant be what James Bond sends to M
'I hereby resign with immediate effect' Sincerely - James Bond
Nope, it cant be that.
So what does a resignation letter need to look like. As always, I will not give you the exact words (not until later in the post, at least) but rather tell you what I think the resignation letter should so.
here's what the resignation letter should do:
1. Thank / Appreciate
you spent some time here, you learnt some things here, you picked up some useful skills, some friends (OK acquaintances) and you definitely got your dream job working here. so appreciate. be thankful.
2. Show you in positive light
you are about to embark on another awesome phase of the awesome life that you lead and you should be happy about it, maybe even excited. the reason of the job change does not matter, what matters is that you as an individual come out positive.
you may not like the new job, you may not want to leave, but now that you have chosen to, let that be bathed in sunshine.
3. Tell the management till when, they can bank on you
Ideally don't do things like 'immediate effect'. It is important that you give your soon to be ex-employer sometime to find a replacement, and then sometime for you to train that replacement.
Its not nice to leave with just a moment's notice.
4. Leave the bridges intact
don't burn the bridges. you never know when life takes a turn for the worse and you need this job back. if you have to give feedback, do that at the exit interview, leave the resignation letter as a purely positive experience for anyone who reads it. (that seems contradictory - your resignation should make at least someone feel bad. that would be great, now you know you and your work was appreciated. but let the reason only be that, your absence, not anything you wrote in the resignation letter)
5. Give your new contact details
let them know where you will be, your new contact address, number, your new role and your new employer.
If you feel you wouldn't want to share that until a particular time, then state that.
the idea is for your current employer to know that you are open to keeping in touch.
6. Promise to stay in touch and available for any assistance
this is important.
let the employer know that you will be available even after you leave for any questions or assistance. this makes it easier for the manager/employer to let you go. he/she does not need to think of everything that they might need from you and therefore your exit is pleasant (to a degree!)
Broadly speaking, your resignation letter should be positive, thankful, show you in good light, leave the bridges intact and win you some valuable support rather than an uneasy thoughts.
There.
Now, for some resignation letter samples.
Here is a sample of a resignation letter I like.
click here>
I am also around to help you draft something better.
send me a mail on
mail@prabhjotbedi.com with your resignation letter and I will reply with my comments.
Happy Successing
Prabhjot Bedi
Personal Success Coach
+91 98720 00604
mail@prabhjotbedi.com
www.prabhjotbedi.com
p.s. dont forget to vote on the poll
'Resignation Letter' - Right Hand Top Corner
p.p.s I have opened enrollment to the
'Personal Excellence Program - Personal Branding' for September 2010. The price is INR 2999/- for a 7 session (delivered by email) and one 1-on-1 session to ensure the lessons are applied just right!
As a special offer, you can now book it for
INR 1999/- by sending an email to
mail@prabhjotbedi.com with the subject 'PEP-Personal Branding'
Oh, you also get a certificate for the course!
