Today quitting is part of the process of finding your dream job, finding synergy between your home and work lives, and finding where you fit in. Young people have different expectations for work than older generations. A job today should feed one’s soul, ego, and sooner than later, family. It’s no surprise that you have to quit a lot of jobs to find the one that meets such lofty goals.
Question: What is the best way to resign from my current job?
Answer: If you’re someone who is dissatisfied with or unchallenged with your current job and you’re considering cutting the cord, keep in mind the following: how you quit your job can be just as important as when you do so and where you go next. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you take your leave gracefully:
Don’t burn your bridges with your current company. Do not go on Twitter or Facebook and bad-mouth your current employer. You might need them for references, or you might want to come back later on down the road. It’s also possible that the people you leave at this job are the same people you see at another place of employment later on down the road.
Review the employee handbook and all of your benefits literature to make sure that you know exactly what you are entitled to be paid after resigning – sick days, unused vacation time, etc.
Calendar your deadlines so that you can get back to the company on issues such as COBRA benefits. If you are resigning in the face of termination, go to your local unemployment office ASAP.
Get yourself an agreement from someone in the company to be your reference later on. Most company HR offices will just give out your name and dates of employment.
MOST IMPORTANT: Keep in touch with your business contacts and mentors, not just your friends. Start a little black book of contacts who might be fond of you and will help you later on in your career. This is usually overlooked by most people, but it’s something top executives always do. (And you wonder why they make the big bucks!)
As for the resignation letter, you might just want to send a two-liner stating that “It is with regret that I must resign my position at this time,” and leave it at that.
Good luck at your new job.