You may leave a job for different reasons. You may have accepted a new position at another company, or you may just want to get away from a job that’s driving you crazy. Regardless of the reason, you want to resign from your employer in the right way to avoid any conflict later. The wrong way to resign from your job involves going into work and immediately quitting — which can result in a bad reference later. Providing your employer with a resignation letter commonly called “a two-week notice” properly informs the company that you are leaving and when.
Write a two-weeks notice letter. You should address the letter to your supervisor and human resources department. The letter must contain a sentence such as “I regret to inform you of my resignation from my current position with (business name)” and include your last day of work.
Schedule a meeting with your direct supervisor. You can tell your supervisor that you want to meet with her in person or via email.
Inform your direct supervisor that you are resigning from your position during your meeting. You also want to inform him of your last day.
Provide the direct supervisor with your resignation letter. You also want to give your direct supervisor your two-week notice letter.
Close the meeting with positive words. Let your supervisor know that you enjoyed working at the company.
Tip
When closing the meeting on a positive notice, ask if there’s anything you can do during the two-week period to help with the transition. For instance, you can help train your successor, delegate tasks or tie up any loose ends such as completing documents you’re working on.
You want to keep your two-weeks notice letter simple, short and to the point. Therefore, you don’t have to provide details on why you’re leaving or what cause to you to leave. If your supervisor wants to know the reason, he may ask you during the meeting or schedule an exit interview for you to attend.
Warning
You always want to give your two-weeks notice in person and in private. Preferably you want to resign on a Friday afternoon, reports Gibson Consultants.
Let your supervisor know that your decision is final and you prefer not to receive a counteroffer to stay. Sometimes an employer may ask you stay longer. Don’t, however, agree to extend your resignation beyond two weeks.
