Metropol

I'd be very interested on your views, tips, experiences etc etc on writing a letter of resignation.

The reason I ask is that I am coming to this stage. I am fully aware it is not the done thing to use the opportunity to criticise the employer and its management for various reasons. However, I am also itching to write a letter of resignation that is accurate and explains exactly why I am leaving that company.

Any ideas on how to do this in a way that makes you look fairly savvy rather than a dickhead?

DAS wrote:I'd be very interested on your views, tips, experiences etc etc on writing a letter of resignation.

The reason I ask is that I am coming to this stage. I am fully aware it is not the done thing to use the opportunity to criticise the employer and its management for various reasons. However, I am also itching to write a letter of resignation that is accurate and explains exactly why I am leaving that company.

Any ideas on how to do this in a way that makes you look fairly savvy rather than a dickhead?

Just write it formally and politely. Keep it brief and outline why you feel you need to leave, why you want to move on etc.

Even if you haven't enjoyed the job, thank the employer as you close the letter. It'll make you seem like a polite, level-minded person.

As stated, don't use profanity, don't leave a "sour grapes" impression in your writing (if this should be the reason why you are leaving your job) and don't leave on a bad note. Also serve your notice period in full - if it says one week's notice, don't jack it in on the sixth day (sometimes employers don't count the day they receive your notice letter as part of your notice period).

How's this:

Dear X,

I write to inform you that I will be leaving Company Y, and regret that my last day will be on Z.

Although I have greatly enjoyed the company of my colleagues, I feel that time is right to move on from my current position, and I feel this sentiment is reflected by the departure of a number of colleagues over the past few weeks.

Best wishes.

I'm sure I'll end up with the traditional "You're fantastic, I'll miss you, you've been great, if you need help just give me a shout and I'll a come runnin'" but I like to think I'll make some sort of point.

Why dont you try the very useful "I resign" website?

http://www.i-resign.com/uk/letters/

I had the satisfaction of handing in my notice on the day they made one of my colleagues redundant, moved another to another department (which had been planned for ages) and on the same day as my only remaining collegue handed in her notice.

That left the marketing department with a grand total of one member of staff, our line manager, who had just been handed the job by the boss who was fucking her, and who didn't have a clue about anything the department did.

Also, I am highly principalled, and would never ever want a reference from my homophobic, corrupt boss, so the general gist of my resignation letter was 'fuck off'.

Ah, memories.

Don't most companies give you some kind of exit interview and/or form to fill in with your reasons for leaving?

That may be a more appropriate opportunity to make your feelings known in a constructive way.

When is resigned earlier this year (after many years with the same employer) I was very polite and thanked my Line Manager for all her encouragement towards developing my career.

I was genuinely grateful, and it's always good to remember that you may need a glowing reference at some time in the future.

I agree. Don't leave on bad terms, be professional and formal. Remember you may oneday need a shining reference from them.

Leaving a job on bad terms came back to bite me on the bum once. I'm not at all bitter, well not now i'm not, having my own business now has softened the blow. It would have been a well good job though.

Spencer For Hire wrote:Don't most companies give you some kind of exit interview and/or form to fill in with your reasons for leaving?

That may be a more appropriate opportunity to make your feelings known in a constructive way.

Well that's certainly in the handbook but never happens, because they know what topics will come up. I'll certainly request one though.

Like Whataday, I am also principalled so I want to say the reasons why. I'd never put any rants in to vent my frustration but I think even a fairly sensible argument would look a bit dodgy in a reference. I'll try the pregnancy route.

Love that website, very useful.

As opinioned a person as I am, I have learnt (the hard way) that people who need a job can seldom afford to vent opinions at their employer, and future reference giver. If you feel you have grievances to air, save them until you've left your current employment, got a reference, and are safely in a new job. Only once you've secured employment somewhere else are you truly able to tell your old employer what you think of them.

Whatever you might feel, unless you've got unusually strong grievances it's still best to bow out with 'It is with much regret that I give notice of resignation of my employment. The final day for which I shall be available for work will be' followed by a couple of paragraphs thanking your employer for the inexhaustable supply of money which your wages have been and about how happy you've been working for them.

Don't most companies give you some kind of exit interview and/or form to fill in with your reasons for leaving? That may be a more appropriate opportunity to make your feelings known in a constructive way.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha (sorry). OK, in my experience such interviews/questionaires are provided only by big corporate companies who have to be seen to be providing such machinery in order to claim to be reasonable employers, but actually don't care, and companies which don't provide such an opportuntity are too small and clicky (and almost certainly too family run and family centric) to be remotely interested in the opinions of their employees.

However enlightened and progressive things may get, and whether you work as the hired help to a one man band, or in a senior position in a huge multinational company, your boss is still your boss. Your boss doesn't care what you think about anything, and if you don't like what your boss does then the only thing you can do about it is to leave. And you know what? Your boss won't care that you've left either. Hard to accept, but that's how it is.

Also, whenever you get pissed off working for someone and eye up something else, remember that in doing so you are only going to see what's good about your prospective new job, and judge it against what's bad about your existing job. When you make the change, you'll almost certainly find that while some things may well be better, other things are worse; every job has it's good and bad sides, in order to have a happy employment you just have to find a balance which you find acceptable - make sure that more is right with your new job than is wrong with your old one, or you'll end up worse off.