How to resign professionally

When you finally land that offer you really wanted, it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of the new job and take your eye off the old one. But the manner in which you leave matters, to you and your employers.

Relationships are vital in any successful career, and you never quite know what the future holds or when your paths might cross again, whether as future colleagues, managers, referees or just valuable business connections. It’s vital to leave on good terms. Follow these 5 steps to do it right.

1. Inform your employer

It’s in both your and your employer’s interests to communicate that you have accepted a new offer as soon as possible. Face-to-face is obviously best: set up a meeting where you can talk in private and think ahead about what you’re going to say, and what questions your manager is likely to ask you.

• Have a letter prepared to formally give notice of your resignation once you’ve discussed it in person.
• Make sure you know how long your notice period is.
• Always start by thanking your employer for the opportunities you’ve been given.
• If asked about your reasons for leaving and/or feedback on your experience in the job, stay positive, professional, and don’t go into too much detail at this point. You can set up an exit interview later to give more detailed, constructive feedback.
• If a face-to-face meeting isn’t possible, a Teams or Zoom call or a simple phone call is the next best option. Resigning by email is seen as a discourteous approach.
• Ask your manager when and how they’d like to communicate your news to the rest of the team. It’s a professional courtesy to put them in charge of this decision.
   

2. Address any counter-offer

Employers would generally rather try and hold on to good people than start to hire all over again, so you might well expect a counter-offer. This could include more money, better benefits, a new job role, or even a transfer to a different role or division.

A counter-offer is flattering. It’s a sign that you are valued. At the same time, however, always remember that your response needs to be a careful decision, not just an initial emotional reaction. Our research shows that many people who accept a counter-offer go on to leave quite soon after anyway. So ask yourself:

• Why did I want to leave in the first place? Will the new offer address those frustrations or are they likely to crop up again? 
• Would you have received a pay rise or promotion soon if you hadn’t decided to leave?
• Are you convinced that your current employer has a genuine development plan for your long-term future?
• If you do stay, how are your relationships with your current manager and colleagues likely to be affected by the fact that you wanted to leave?
• What will you miss out on by not taking the new offer?
   

If you are considering staying, make sure that your employer is prepared to commit to the counter-offer in writing, with all the details of the terms that have been offered to you face-to-face.

3. Complete your notice period and handover

Following your resignation you will need to discuss the length of your notice period. Typically, your current employer will probably want you to stay for as long as possible and your soon to be new employer will be keen for you to start right away. Even if you are unable to reach your ideal outcome, it’s vital to stay focused and stay until the end of the notice period. If you try to leave earlier without agreement, you could of course jeopardise any termination benefits (or future references).

In the interests of goodwill and maintaining a good relationship, you should in any case try to be as flexible as possible with your current employer – you never know when you may cross paths with them again later in your career.

Once a decision has been reached take the following steps to ensure a smooth hand over of your role:

• Ask your line manager how you can best support them in handing over your work to other colleagues and/or your future replacement.
• Work out which projects and tasks need your urgent attention, and detail all those which you can commit to seeing through within the timeframe of your notice period.
• Even if not asked to, start preparing a detailed handover document which will allow others to pick up your outstanding projects and responsibilities. Think hard about what people will need to know in your absence.
• Find solutions for how the rest of your team can cover for you in the short-term, and make suggestions about which team members can take over some of your responsibilities.
• If there are specific client relationships or operational responsibilities you need to hand over, arrange some one-to-one meetings to go through these in more detail with the right person.  
• If appropriate, you could also offer to help your employer in the hiring process for your replacement.
   

4. Consider how to stay in touch

Think about the people you work with now and who you would especially want to keep in touch with after you’ve left, both socially and professionally. There are steps that you can start putting in place prior to your departure to make sure you can maintain contact.

• Send out a personal email address where people can reach you.
• Connect with soon-to-be-ex colleagues via LinkedIn or any other relevant platforms.
   

When keeping in touch, remember to always stay professional. Avoid criticising your previous employer or comparing conditions at your new job with your old one.

5. Lay down the foundation for a smooth entrance

Even before you’ve left your old job, there are things you can do to build up a good impression for your new role and give yourself a head start on the exciting new challenges that lie ahead:

• Start to connect with appropriate new colleagues on social media and accept any invitations that come your way.
• Drop your new line manager a line and ask if there’s anything you can read or do to help prepare for your new role.
• Do some general desk research about your new role and employer.
• Start to plan your new route to work.
   

Finally – stay calm and confident. Starting a new job can feel daunting, but remember that you were selected by your new employer out of many candidates as the best for the role.