A good career path is supposed to help you grow professionally and helps you become better at what you do.
However, sometimes you might feel stagnated at your job and it might seem like you are going nowhere and you might be thinking how to resign gracefully from your job.
Sometimes you might have outgrown your current role and you might be ready to tackle new challenges, which is not possible in your old job.
In these cases you might have to think about switching jobs to find something more lucrative, which supports your growth or resign from your job.
In some cases it might feel like the incentive to the work load ratio is not satisfactory. You might be breaking your back for peanuts or without any appreciation from your higher ups, this can reduce motivation and will result in drastic reduction in productivity.
You don’t have to continue to work in places where you are not appreciated or where your efforts goes unnoticed.
Quitting your job and finding lucrative pastures is what you need to look for.
How to Resign Gracefully from Your Job
Quitting a job and moving on to a new one happens with everyone and is very common these days.
However, some people drag it out and turn it into a big hassle for the lack of knowledge of how to properly resign your job. When in a professional world, everything you do is carefully scrutinized to judge you.
From how you dress to your work every day to how you behave in a company meeting, to how you handle new responsibilities, even the most trivial things make a huge impact on who you are and what you do.
Make sure to put in just much effort in quitting a job as what you put in while seeing out this job. You can have a smooth transition from your old job to your new one, and here are a few tips to help you achieve that-
1. Do it face to face with your boss:
This is very important. It doesn’t matter if you are not on good terms with your boss, handing your resignation face to face with your boss is a good sign of professionalism.
Some companies might have you send a copy to the HR as well, you can either e-mail it to the HR or send and enveloped copy.
When it comes to letting your boss know you are leaving the company you have to do it personally. It is preferable to hand him/ her your resignation letter personally. This will give you a chance to talk to him/ her regarding your situation.
Even if you do not want to talk about why you are leaving, you can always give them the impression that you are leaving on good terms just by staying positive while handing in your resignation.
Who knows, you might return to your boss asking for a recommendation or you might even get to work with them again some time.Leaving things on a positive note will only be beneficial to you in the long run.
2. Do not fear going to your boss:
Remember, you are in a professional environment, and you do not have to fear your boss if you want to quit your job. You have all the rights to quit your job and your boss is expected to take it professionally.
3. A brief and crisp resignation letter is enough:
Use the K.I.S.S technique- Keep It Short, Stupid. This is a resignation letter, and it should only contain relevant information.
You do not have to compose a long letter detailing your reasons for leaving the company, in fact you don’t even have to mention the reason for leaving the company.
Make sure your letter is composed well with no fluff and fillers. Mention your name, designation and date on the top corner to make it easy for them to find it later. Some companies even have a resignation letter template, if they do, use it.
You resignation statement and a statement on how you have been grateful for having an opportunity to work there is all that is to be in your resignation letter.
Letting them know you quit your job to take care of your kids might be acceptable, but telling them the reason for your resignation is to work with their competitor might not seem like a befitting thing to do.
A resignation letter is just a document that records your resignation, and not an announcement to leave the company.
4. Have an air of positivity:
This is very important if you are resigning. Always leave a company on a positive note, which is why letting your boss know about it in person can help you maintain this positive note. Do not let your reasons for resigning the job cloud up your resignation letter.
Although you could provide context as to why you are leaving your job, it is best to try and avoid it, even if the reason is amicable enough. You never know what will come back to bit you in the future.
Besides, providing them a list of things why you are leaving the company might come off as childish and might tarnish your reputation among your former colleagues as well. It can also ruin your rapport with your co workers, with whom you might get to work with in the future.
5. Know why you are leaving:
You should have a clear idea of why you are leaving the company. This will help you figure out what you want from your next job and what you would like to avoid.
Quitting on a whim or because of a vague idea will not get you very far in advancing your career and you may just land up in another job doing the same thing as before.
6. Do not get too personal in your resignation letter:
When you do leave your company, ensure to thank and say goodbye to people who matter in a professional tone.
Do not include anything personal in your resignation letter, but you can go ahead and say your goodbyes through personal mails, or even outside the office.
7. Never walkout:
Never make the mistake of walking out of the company, no matter how bad the situation is.
This kind of behavior will tarnish you reputation and will stay with you for a long time, and may even spill over to your future jobs as well.
8. Check company policy for notice period:
Some companies might have a minimum notice period you will have to serve after you resign. This will last a couple of weeks at max.
Some companies will require you to move out of the premises immediately. Check your company policy before you resign to understand your terms of leaving better.
9. Opt for an exit interview if possible:
Some companies will have an option of exit interview with the leaving employee; this helps them understand their own misgivings and what made the employee leave the company.
This is usually done with the HR, and it is best to opt for one if you have the opportunity. This is where you air any of your grievances, which were unable to address in your resignation letter. You still have to keep a professional tone and not take it personally.
10. Do it with minimum fuss:
Do anything that makes your transition easy. Let them know you are on good terms with the company, and that you need to leave the company for our personal reasons.
Even if the reason for you leaving the company is unruly colleagues, or even an incompetent boss, make sure you make it seem like you are leaving the company on your own terms.
11. Build your contacts:
If you haven’t landed a job yet, before you have resigned, then you have to build your contacts.
Seek out potential employers, get their contact details and get in touch with them, do anything you can to help you land a job as quickly as possible after you resign from your old job.
12. Remove personal belongings from office space:
If you are sure about quitting your job in a few days, try to de-clutter your office space. This is very important especially if your company does not give you a notice period.
Remove smaller items from your desk/ cubicle. This way you will have less work when you leave the company finally. It will also prevent you from getting unnecessary attention.
13. Be calm:
You will not know how people might react to your leaving the company. Some colleagues might be angry and some might be sad. Do not take things personally; this is common in a professional setting.
14. Wrap up your existing projects:
This is a good way showing you are on good terms with leaving the company.
If you know who will succeed you in your position take some time to let them in on the projects you were working on. Also guide them in any way possible if they are not familiar with anything.
15. Do a follow up with a colleague:
Just because you have left the company does not mean you have severed all ties with them. Keep in touch with an old colleague, and be on friendly terms with them.
Your old relationships do not have to suffer just because you left your old job. You might even run into them in your professional world some time, so keeping in touch will work to your benefit.
16. Work on your resume:
Since you quit your job, it is now time to job hunt, and hence it is advisable to update your resume and keep it up to date.
Add any relevant information from your previous job and polish your online portfolio well.
17. Get references:
Since you will be trying to get a new job, find some reliable references and put their testimonials in your resume.
Guide them to customize the testimonial, which will help you secure a better job. Always return the favor if possible.
18. Check your finances:
Your finances are very important, check your savings and other benefits before you leave the company.
Make sure to sort it out with your employer and your financial advisor as to what is the best path to take before leaving your company.
19. Check your health benefits:
If your health benefits are tied to your existing company, then make sure to sort it out with you HR to get it transferred to your new company.
20. Do not accept any job related calls:
If your old employer contacts you after you have resigned, asking you to work as a consultant in order to train your successor, you can choose refusing to accept it.
However, if you have written consent to work as a consultant for a few days to ease the transition to your successor you can continue to visit temporarily until the speculated time ends.
21. Study non disclosure agreements:
Non-disclosure agreements are a norm in most companies these days. Make sure to go through your current and ex employers non-disclosure agreements.
This will let you know if you can be allowed to work for your former employer on a consultant basis or not depending on your current policies.
22. A counter offer will get you nowhere:
Remember why you are leaving the company in the first place. A counter offer with a raise will not do much in changing your work environment and will not change any other factors either.
Statistics show that 60% of anyone who accepts a counter offer will leave the job in six months. Decline a counter offer and look at the bigger picture.
23. Focus on the new opportunities:
Once you have left your old job, do not carry any baggage from there to your new workplace. Start afresh, and begin working on fostering your career, and develop yourself better.
A new job can be a shock at first, especially if you haven’t change jobs in a while, but it will be an experience worth having.
24. Never talk bad about your previous employer:
When you resign a job, your old employer is entitled to provide a good character certificate of you, is a need for reference arises. This is done in expectations that you will not talk bad about the company or your experiences in the company.
Talking bad about your former company will shine you in bad light and your current employer might get a bad impression of you.
25. Prepare for your next interview:
If you have left your previous job, then you will be asked to justify your actions. Make sure to prepare for this question before hand.
Give out professional reasons as to why you quit, and stay away from petty reasons.
Tell them how you were stagnating in your former company and would like to take your career to the next level, and how you are confident of facing new challenges.
