How to Write a Professional Resignation Letter

By Leslie Levine

After days, weeks, months or longer of interviewing, you have received a job offer that meets your needs and have decided to give notice to your employer and resign your current job.

1. Get your job offer in writing. Having the offer in writing is both your legal protection against an employer should they make an attempt to deceive you with the terms of the offer AND your protection against you having made a mistake in hearing the offer. The letter should include both your new salary and position title within it. Some will provide a benefits summary; most large firms will not provide that until employee orientation during your initial phase of employment with their firm.

2. Meet with your boss for a few minutes and tell them personally and provide a written letter of resignation. “May I get a minute with you uttered on a Friday,” has started more discussions about resignation and sent many employers into unhappy weekends and managers into anxiety attacks about how to replace someone than almost any other question.

3. Give two weeks notice. Sometimes three weeks is the right thing to do, but remember, your new job is waiting for you and if you've told them you'll be there in two weeks, do not adjust your start date to accommodate the job you're leaving. After all, if you died tomorrow, they would still survive without you.

4. Your letter of resignation should be simple.

Dear ____________,

I have decided to resign my position with Mega Company effective today. My last day of employment will be _____________.

Thank you for the opportunity to have worked with you and to have learned from you. (OPTIONAL SENTENCE TO FOLLOW). Please respect me and my decision by not attempting to make a counter offer.

Sincerely,

Your name

5. If you are asked for reason you are leaving, do not be hypercritical and answer simply. “I believe that this opportunity will further my career goals,” is acceptable. If you want to go into details, do not discuss any slights that you received. Focus on objective things, rather than on your (emotional) reactions to decisions. You do not need to disclose the name of the firm you are going to work for although there is nothing wrong about doing so.

6. For most people, do not consider accepting a counteroffer. How did you “suddenly” become worth more money? Because your departure inconveniences your employer. As a result, they will have to delay plans or have work assigned to others less capable and will be adversely impacted. For most people, a counteroffer only addresses and corrects the financial failings of their job and does nothing to improve their job.

Resigning well will allow you to complete your final week(s) of employment well and head to your new job with confidence and certainty.

It's fine to briefly explain why you're leaving, but only if it has nothing do with any negative experiences you've encountered on the job. For example, if you're leaving to pursue a completely different career path, that's acceptable to mention. If you're leaving because you weren't treated respectfully or never got invited to lunch, it's best to keep those sentiments to yourself. On the other hand, if you are particularly grateful for something

that was offered you, such as corporate training, tuition reimbursement, volunteer opportunities, or other benefits, briefly articulate that in your letter.

Deliver Your Letter Formally

Make sure to print out your resignation letter and deliver it to your supervisor personally. Never e-mail your letter. This is not a piece of communication that you want forwarded. Plus, a letter of resignation should be set apart from e-mail, which tends to be more informal.

Here's a basic sample letter you can use to tender your resignation:

Date

Steve Jones
Director of Product Development
We Make Everything, Inc.
1213 Everything Lane
San Diego , CA

Dear Steve:

Effective January 12, I will be leaving my position with We Make Everything. I have enjoyed my time here and appreciate the opportunities I've been given over the past five years. I especially would like to thank the company for the partial tuition reimbursement offered me during the time I worked toward my MBA.

If I can help in any way during the transition, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Your Signature

You might think it's obvious that certain sentiments should never be included in a resignation letter, but you might be surprised at what some people think is acceptable to say. Read Ten Things to Leave Out of Your Resignation Letter.

Leslie Levine is a writer, speaker, and author of three nonfiction books. She is also the president of Leslie Levine Communications, which offers workshops in employee development and communication as well as public relations and marketing. Based in Chicago, she blogs regularly for AllBusiness.com on the topic of employee development.