What's the best way to go about resigning from my job?

The Career Doctor's Cures & Remedies to Quintessentially Perplexing Career and Job-Hunting Ailments

Question: "What's the best way to go about resigning from my job?"

by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

The most important thing to remember when you are planning to leave your job is to do so as diplomatically as possible. You never want to do something that will come back and haunt you down the road. Of course, some employers may be upset with you leaving, regardless of how much you do to make it easy for them.

The most important rule to remember? Never resign until you are ready to leave. If you are seeking a new job, never resign your current job until you have accepted the other job offer. In many companies, once you have resigned, you are viewed and treated differently -- you have made it clear you do not have a future with the organization, so the organization will start separation steps. In some rare instances, once you submit your resignation, you are escorted out of the building. In most other situations, you can control your ending date.

As for the method you use to announce your resignation, choose the one that is best for you. I prefer putting the resignation in writing because then I am assured of saying everything I want to express, while others prefer doing it in person.

Whichever method you choose, you want to thank the employer for the opportunities you have had with the organization as well as thanking your boss for his or her leadership (and possibly mentoring). Appreciation goes a long way to reducing any sting or disappointment from your departure.

You can certainly try to make the transition smoother by offering to help find and train your replacement or volunteering to complete any major project before you leave. Certainly offering enough time is important, and while the standard is typically two weeks notice, realize that in some situations you may offer much less time and others in which you will offer a longer period.

One final word of warning. In some instances, your employer might try and entice you to stay by proposing a counter-offer. While the offer might be appealing -- finally getting the promotion or salary increase you have been wanting for months -- in many situations research has shown that within a year's time the person who accepted a counteroffer has left the company anyway -- either on his or her own or from being fired. So, in most situations, it's best to not even consider a counter-offer.

For more detailed advice and tools on resigning from your job, review these resources:

Resigning with Class: How to Diplomatically Resign From Your Job

Job Resignation Do's and Don'ts

Professional Letter of Resignation Samples

This article is part of a series from The Career Doctor's Cures & Remedies to Quintessentially Perplexing Career and Job-Hunting Ailments. Read more.

See a list of all the most common college, career, and job questions -- and Dr. Hansen's solutions.

Who is the Career Doctor? Learn more, read his current career column, or browse the column archives when you visit the Career Doctor's homepage.

QuintCareers.com Founder Dr. Randall Hansen

Dr. Randall S. Hansen is a nationally recognized career and job-search expert. He is founder of Quintessential Careers, one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well CEO of EmpoweringSites.com. He is also founder of MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of Quintessential Careers Press, including the Quintessential Careers electronic newsletter, QuintZine. Dr. Hansen is also a published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He's often quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops around the country. Finally, Dr. Hansen is also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years. Visit his personal Website or reach him by email at randall(at)quintcareers.com.

Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.

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