How To Resign From A Job.

Looking your boss eyeball to eyeball and the next thing that you hear yourself say is “I quit” and you follow through with an envelope containing your resignation letter which you place on the desk and you turn and walk away with a whole lot of unexplainable emotions running through you. We see this a lot in movies played out according to the different imaginations and creative abilities of the writers but is it really how it plays out in real life? It is expedient to leave when the ovation is loudest. 

You will be remembered for a long time, you will be missed and most important of all, will remain a reference point at least until someone else shatters the precedence you have set. Think about this when you intend to change a job or just quit to build your own business.

How does one leave a job in reality? Are there particular procedures expected of the employee prior to this action? Every establishment has guiding rules to a resignation. Familiarize yourself with the process and ensure to follow through with it. It doesn’t matter how ready to leave you are, it’s not always very easy. For some, the awkwardness of it could make them avoid the conversation altogether, my advise is for you to be positive and above all be courteous during such conversations.

Don’t Leave a Bitter Taste

You want to be remembered and talked about in positive light, so ensure to leave on a high note. I know that sometimes, this may really be difficult to do but you must strive to maintain a healthy work relationship especially before your exit. Cultivate cordial work relationships, you may not necessarily need to be ‘friends’, focus on strengths rather weaknesses; it produces better results.

You May Need the Reference

A good reference from a former employer is a workplace asset which you should covet. Give your best to your job at all times it adds to the building blocks of good referrals. Be willing to do or give more than is required to increase smooth flow of work process, hence going the extra mile would always work in your favour. While still at your job, after it has become official that you’re leaving, inform the key people that you may require their recommendations at any time, so that when you eventually need it and ask them for a future job, they will be willing to give such.

Have Another Job in the Offing

As much as possible take a quality decision not to leave a job and stay idle except it falls on your vacation period in which case, it will afford you the needed rest before you engage in another job process. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush speaks of guarantees, certainties as against illusions or a wild goose chase or chasing shadows but sometimes, there may be the necessity to let go of what you have in your hand in order to get something better.

In which case, while you’re at your current job, it may be almost impossible to attend an interview but employees always have a way around these things. You could ask for a day off work or a few days leave depending on what you require to prepare for and try not to draw on all your leave allowance. By the way, your leave could be without pay.

Give Your Boss a Hint

People feel honoured when they receive privileged information ahead of time. There’s no pleasantness in the surprise when your employee presents a resignation letter out of the blues, even if the required notification period is taken into consideration. This is also a reflection of a good workplace relationship. People always need people to succeed. Please don’t burn bridges you may need to drive through to get to your destination in the future.

 It is of utmost importance that you don’t share this information with other colleagues prior to hinting your boss else you will be feeding the grapevine with resource that may count against you in ways you may not be able to decipher.

 Tender Your Resignation Letter

Information in this letter must be carefully crafted, giving only very necessary details as to why you have to leave. Remember that only the very necessary information are needed here. You must thank the organization for the privilege and the opportunity to have been part of the system. Also mention that working with them has added value to your career goals and development.

Celebrate Your Team

Make your last days at your establishment memorable for your team members, colleagues and boss. If you’re not within a team, your co-workers should benefit from your experience but be careful to only share necessary knowledge and impart on those willing to glean from you. By this time, you should making final deposit into the person you would have groomed to take over although, this may not be your decision to make, but some leadership may ask for your suggestions or recommendation in this regard. Pour yourself into that individual.

If you have not been cooperative in working with colleagues and team members, this may or may not be a wrong time to try to be overtly resourceful. You do not want to come across as showing off, whatever you do, discern your environment and observe body languages not just the spoken words. It is pertinent that I reiterate that you must do all that is possible to leave on a high note, if that is how you want to be remembered.

Someone I know would always say, “I am not afraid of goodbyes because there would be hellos”. In life generally, people come and people go and the workplace is no exception. So, if you’re convinced that you need to resign from the job you’re at, by all means do so but ensure to keep going at something that produces result. It could be another job or a business of your own, bear in mind always that your best can always get better.

 I have a friend whose mother worked in a particular bank all through her life until she retired, so when she remained at a particular bank for over seven years going on ten. Another friend of hers teased her about it that she actually intended to walk in her mothers shoes and that got her thinking. She has changed her job at least thrice that I am aware of and she is doing great at her career.

For me, changing jobs at certain periods in your career could help keep your creative juice fresh and flowing. Sometimes, different work environment could spur innovations than an old environment where you do not have much of a challenge. Keep in mind that you should never speak negative of any work environment that you have moved-on from, it only goes to show that you are an utter professional.