How to take the stress out of resigning

The way you leave an employer can be as important as the impression you make on the first day. If you handle your resignation poorly it may have a major impact on your future career prospects and opportunities. Below are some tips to resigning that will make this often dreaded task as stress-free and professional as possible.

Before you resign

• Make sure you've signed a formal offer of employment from your new employer.
• Organise a meeting with your manager and have a letter of resignation prepared - resigning can be stressful so its important to be prepared.
• Check your notice period with your current employer - this can usually be found in your offer of employment letter or your employment contract. If you are paid monthly your notice period is likely to be a month, or two weeks if you're paid fortnightly etc.
• Find out about the benefits and salary you are entitled to receive upon leaving.
• Avoid the temptation to tell co-workers of your intentions to leave and your great new job before you have told your direct manager.

Prepare a resignation letter

Your resignation letter should be a short, polite and professional letter stating your intention to leave your current employer, it should contain the following:

• The date your resignation is effective from.
• The date of your final day of employment.
• It has been a difficult decision to leave but one which you have put a lot of thought into.
• You are grateful for the opportunities you've been given.

Organise a meeting with your manager

Once you are completely certain that you want to leave your current employment, organise a meeting with your direct manager so you can hand over your written resignation.

Stay professional - keep your emotions under control discussing your reason(s) for leaving. Remember that you may need your manager to act as a referee in the future.

After you've resigned

• Offer to do a handover with your replacement to ensure a smooth transition for the company and to reduce the chance that you will be blamed for anything that may go wrong once you have left.
• Advise your colleagues and / or clients of your decision.
• Don't talk negatively about why you are leaving as you may need people to be your referees in the future and also these people are staying.
• Avoid the temptation to "use up" your sick leave in the last few days of your notice period, as your colleagues will feel let down and it puts more pressure on the rest of your team.
• Ask for a written reference from your manager. As people move on from companies it's often difficult to maintain contact but a written document to give to prospective employers will help overcome this.
• Ensure all company property is returned including keys, documents, computers and phones.

Scenarios to be prepared for

Depending on your company, your position within the company and the level of authority you hold you should be prepared for the following scenarios once you have handed your resignation notice in.

• An Exit Interview: Your company may or may not hold exit interviews, if they don't and you feel there is something you want to say then simply request one. This is your opportunity to provide positive and constructive feedback on your reason(s) for leaving so have specific examples to back up your statements / reason(s). If you do not wish to share your reasons for leaving you're not obliged to but remember to remain polite and professional.
• Being escorted out of the building: Some industries and professions may ask you to leave as soon as you hand in your resignation. So prior to handing in your resignation clear personal files / information and software from your desk and computer; and get your workspace organised and tidied.
• A counter offer: Your current employer may come back with a counter offer to try entice you to stay. But remember there is a reason why you are leaving and will the counter offer keep you happy for more than 6 months?.

1. http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/careerresources/a/resign.htm, Alison Doyle.
2. http://www.quintcareers.com/resigning_job.html, Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
3. http://www.thesite.org/workandstudy/working/leaving/resignwithdignity.
4. http://www.recruiterdaily.com.au.