By Lisa 
You got the NEW job! Congrats! But before you leave…you have to quit your old job.
Honestly, you are extremely happy to leave. You have been rehearsing the “take this job and shove it” speech for quite a while. It would feel so gooooodddd.
So why can’t you just tell them a big ol’ Bye Bye right before lunch and keep on stepping???
- Your new employer is watching. They want to see that they have indeed hired someone who has integrity in making sure their transition from employee to former is a smooth and professional one. Take the high road, no matter if you are so very, very happy to be leaving that blankity blank company.
- People are involved. Unless you are planning on falling off the Planet Earth anytime soon, you will likely run across some of your former co-workers somewhere somehow. It is a small, small world after all (earworm alert). And besides that, it just isn’t nice to leave people in the lurch, especially since they will have to do your job until a replacement is found. WWJD?
- It is the right thing to do. And the right thing to do is always the right thing to…well, do. Keeps you from tossing and turning at night early on and downing Alka-Seltzers later in life. Trust me on this one.
OK, so how to quit gracefully?
ONE: Prepare a brief resignation letter. This is a formal but brief letter that will go into your permanent file. BTW, permanent lasts forever or at least as long as the company does, so no angry tirades. Gracious and professional is the goal. Here are the basics:
Date
Name of Immediate supervisor
Supervisor title
company name
company address
company city, state zip
Dear (your immediate boss),
Please accept this letter as formal notification of my resignation. I am offering two weeks notice with my last day of employment being ____________.
I have received an offer from BCD Company as a ____________ and on careful consideration, I realized that this opportunity is one I cannot decline. I have enjoyed working with ABC Company and will do all I can to make this transition as smooth as possible.
Thank you for the opportunities you have provided me during my time with ABC Company.
Sincerely,
Your full name and signature
TWO: Meet with Human Resources to present the letter,or by phone if you are not in the same office area and email right after the call. If you are on good terms with your immediate supervisor, meet with them first. Do whatever feels safe and right to you for your situation. Either way is acceptable.
NOTE: be prepared to be sent home immediately despite your two weeks notice. This is especially true if you are in sales and/or are going to a competing company. You may also get a counter offer, but in my opinion these never work out. The current employer will wind up resenting you for pushing them in a corner, and the potential employer will not look too favorably on you backing out at the last minute. That is called bridge burning. Proceed with caution.
THREE: if you do work out your two weeks notice, actually WORK. Don’t be seen as that guy with ‘short-timers attitude’. Tie up loose ends and make sure the person coming in behind you has all they need to step in to your job. Clean up files, delete personal stuff and make a list of any immediate steps that are needed to keep everything running smoothly. Definitely do NOT badmouth the company to co-workers or on social media. If there is an exit interview, tread lightly regarding airing of grievances. Do the opposite of Nike and Just DON’T Do It. If you have to become an Academy Award winning actor, do so now. Need I remind you about the ‘small world’ song again?
Go out with class and let your future success speak for itself.