Resigning can be exciting. It can mean you’ve got a new opportunity on the horizon or you’re stepping away from a job that you no longer enjoy. But it can also be a stressful process.
In this guide, we cover what you should think about before handing in your resignation, some resignation letter tips, some resignation letter examples, and some frequently asked questions.
What you should think about before handing in your resignation
Woah there, hold your horses! You should only hand in a resignation letter when you’re 100% sure that you’re planning to leave.
Some popular reasons to resign include:
- A toxic company culture
- A low salary
- Lack of work-life balance
- A bad manager
- Going back to school
- Spending some time traveling
- Setting up a business
- And of course, a new job.
You should never resign if all you want is for your current employer to promote you, offer you more money, or change your working terms, as that could backfire. Some employers will try to negotiate, but you should know ahead of time what they’d have to do to make you stay.
Before you quit, make sure that you’ve got a job to go to, or that you’re financially secure enough to support yourself while you find something else.
How to begin
Usually, before you hand in your resignation letter you’ll have an initial conversation with your manager. This will go something along the lines of:
“Hi manager, I wanted to inform you that I am planning to hand my resignation letter in today. I’ve been offered a fantastic opportunity elsewhere / I’m planning to go back to college / I don’t feel happy in my current role.
My notice period is 7 days, and I wanted to check to see how you would like to receive my letter of resignation. Are you happy with an email attachment? And if so, who should I copy in?”
By giving your employer a heads-up, you can keep lines of communication open and usually, this makes the process a lot smoother. If you are open to negotiating with your current employer, then this meeting is also an opportunity to open that conversation.
Tips for writing a good resignation letter
So you’ve decided that resigning is the right thing to do, here’s how to write the perfect resignation letter.
Keep it neutral. A resignation letter should be to-the-point and free of any negative emotions or overly personal anecdotes. Avoid venting or speaking ill of your employer or colleagues, and keep it neutral and professional.
Make sure it’s short. Your resignation letter should be no more than a few paragraphs and should be definitely under an A4 page long.
Cover the essential information. Make sure to include your position, your statement of intent to leave your job, and your last day of employment based on the notice period.
Include a formal salutation. Begin the resignation letter by addressing your manager with a formal salutation, such as “Dear [Manager’s Name].” Even if you have a friendly working relationship with your manager, address them formally in your letter.
Add the date to the letter. Dating your letter ensures that there’s a paper trail which is especially important if you need to work a notice period. If you’re attaching your letter to an email, even better, as your email will be date stamped.
Show gratitude. Even though you’re leaving, it’s important to express appreciation for the opportunity you had to work with your employer and colleagues. Doing this will allow you to maintain positive relationships with former managers and colleagues, and avoid burning bridges. Keep in mind, if you ever decide to boomerang back to the business, the HR team and hiring managers will think back to the circumstances of how you parted.
Offer to help with the transition. In your letter (and in your behavior), demonstrate your commitment to ensuring a smooth handover and transition out of the role for your employer. Offer to assist with training your replacement if possible, and with providing thorough handover notes.
Don’t mention why you are leaving. Try and keep your resignation letter positive. If you’re going traveling or back to school, then a brief mention is fine. If you’re leaving because you hate the toxic work culture, don’t write this in your letter.
How to structure your resignation letter
It’s important to cover a few key points in your resignation letter, such as your last day, a thank you, and a bit about the handover.
Make sure you make it very clear that this is a resignation letter. There’s no need to sugarcoat it, and if you’ve already spoken to your manager then it won’t come as a surprise.
Dear [manager name].
This is to formally notify you that I am resigning from my role as [insert job title] at [company name]. Today is the first day of my [number] week notice period. My last day will be [insert date].
Say, thank you. It may seem strange to say thank you to an employer you’re leaving but keeping things professional is really important. You never know who you might come across professionally in the future.
Thank you for supporting my career for the last two years. I’ve grown professionally, made many friends, and learned a lot.
Mention a handover. Showing that you’re willing to make every effort to ease the transition to a new person.
During my notice period, I will do everything I can to train team members as needed and write a handover document. If there is anything that would be particularly beneficial to smooth this transition, please let me know.
A brief sign off. You might find it hard to believe but resignation letters should be succinct.
I am sure the company will continue to grow and succeed.
Yours sincerely
[Your name]
Example resignation letters
These resignation letter examples are for you to use. We’ve included fictional names, notice periods, and jobs. Make sure that you change these so that they’re relevant to you.
If you’re leaving for a new opportunity:
Dear Mr Bloggs,
I am writing to formally notify you of my resignation from the position of Marketing Manager at Job Bloggs Limited. My final day will be July 20th, following a two-week notice period.
Thank you for supporting my career for over four years, I have learned and progressed so much. I know that all of these skills will be invaluable as I continue to progress in my career.
I am fully committed to ensuring a smooth transition by focussing on handover during these next two weeks.
I wish this company every success in the future.
Yours sincerely,
Tom Sandy
If you’re giving additional notice:
Dear Mr Bloggs,
I am writing to formally notify you of my resignation from the position of Operations Manager at Joe Bloggs Limited as I have plans to return to college in the fall. I understand that transitioning a new person into the role will take some time, so have endeavored to provide as much notice as possible. My last working day will be 31 August, two months from now.
In the six years I have worked at Joe Bloggs Limited I have progressed from intern to apprentice, to full-time staff member. I am excited to take the next step in my career by completing my MBA.
Thank you for the support you have shown throughout my career, and your ongoing support now that I have made this decision.
As discussed, I will work with you to hire and train my replacement during this extended notice period.
I wish this company every success in the future.
Yours sincerely,
Tom Sandy
If you’re leaving a role that isn’t a good fit:
Dear Mr Bloggs,
I am writing to formally notify you of my resignation from the position of Events Executive at Joe Bloggs Limited. My last working day will be Thursday 5 June.
In my six months at Joe Bloggs Limited I have come to find that the scope of the role is not a good fit for my expertise, so I would like to explore other opportunities.
Thank you for your understanding, I appreciate the support and guidance I have received during my time with this team.
Please let me know how I can help to support a smooth transition over the next two weeks.
Yours sincerely,
Tom Sandy
Resignation letter frequently asked questions
Need answers to your resignation letter questions? Here’s what you need to know.
Is writing a resignation letter necessary, or are there alternative methods of resigning?
While it’s not necessary or required to write a resignation letter, it’s considered a professional courtesy and helps ensure a smooth and respectful transition. If you’d consider returning to this employer, or working with your manager or other colleagues again, then keeping things professional is important.
Schedule a meeting with your manager, either in person or on a video call, to verbally resign. Then follow up with a written resignation letter to formally confirm your decision, and provide the essential information (your last day of employment, your current position). This will also help to avoid any confusion or miscommunication about the terms of your resignation now and if it ever comes into question later down the line.
It’s also important to consider the timing and setting of your resignation. If possible, resign in the early afternoon. This is generally a good time to schedule a meeting with your manager to avoid the start and end of a busy day. The method of resignation will depend on the circumstances and company culture, but a combination of verbal communication and a written resignation letter is typically the most professional and effective approach.
Are there appropriate alternatives to writing a resignation letter, such as a text or phone call?
It’s best practice to provide a written resignation letter unless this is not an accessible form of communication to you.
When you’re arranging a meeting to communicate your plans to resign, in person or on video is preferable to a phone call.
Even if you have a friendly working relationship with your boss and communicate over text or messenger ordinarily, avoid this as a method of resigning. It will be harder for you to track information, can cause miscommunication, and is not professional in this context.
Whatever happens, avoid making it personal or emotional. Remember, most managers have likely been through this process before, and they’ll recognize an effective resignation as well as an unprofessional one.
Is it advisable to quit a job using social media?
However tempting, quitting a job publicly on social media is not worth the risk as it could damage your future career prospects. Despite recent TikTok trends like rage quitting, resigning from a job using social media is disrespectful, unprofessional, and a red flag to future employers.
Not only will quitting via social media burn bridges with your current employer, but companies will also likely review your social media accounts during the interviewing or referencing process, and negative comments about previous employers could reflect poorly on you. You could even risk having a job offer rescinded!
Instead, always respectfully inform your manager of your decision before broadcasting it more widely. If you want to discuss your reasons for leaving on social media, it’s better to leave space and wait until you’re well into your next role before doing so. Even then, you should approach complaining publicly about a previous employer with caution.
I want to resign, but I’m not sure
Don’t jump into resigning if you’re not sure that’s what you want to do. It can be easy to be influenced by the people around you, and if everyone around you is quitting their jobs to do other things it can be tempting to do the same.
Spend some time reflecting on why you want to quit. Are you struggling in your current position? Feeling ready for a new challenge or promotion? Or tempted by a role in another team? If it’s something that can be resolved by your employer then bring it up in your next appraisal.
You might ask about:
- Promotion opportunities
- Pivoting your role
- Work shadowing in another department
- Salary increases
- Taking on new responsibilities
Don’t threaten to quit in order to discuss these opportunities. Instead, ask what you need to do to get more money, responsibility, or opportunities.
So, I’ve resigned, what now?
In most situations, you’ll now be expected to work your notice period and during that time you’ll need to work on your handover. Depending on the length of your notice period, you might even train the person stepping into your role.
Being professional is really important. The world of work is smaller than you think and you might find yourself working with teammates and colleagues again in the future.
Even if the handover notes you received from your predecessor were ill-prepared, make sure your own are detailed and clear.
The most important thing to remember when resigning from your job is to be as professional as possible, not just in your resignation letter.
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