Great care should be taken when approaching your employer with your
letter of resignation. Regardless of how poor your experience may have
been while working for a particular company, all resignations should be
handled in a professional manner.While you may be looking forward to
starting your new job, you will also need to say goodbye to colleagues
whom you may have developed close relationships with. Whatever your
resignation story may be and however interesting it may sound, aim to
resign with dignity and pride and never burn your bridges.There is
usually a compelling reason to look for a new job and to want to quit
your current job and most of the time it's because your current working
environment no longer fits your employment needs. While this may sound
like the "amicable" way to describe your resignation letter, it will be
to your advantage to approach each resignation document with such a
neutral stance. Never use your termination letter as an opportunity to
voice your gripes with your company or to "tell your employer off". If
you have reached the resignation phase you should be steadfast in your
decision and airing dirty laundry about your company in your letter to
terminate your employment will only lead to animosity and resentment.
When handing in your letter of resignation, do so with respect for your
employer as well as yourself.Read further for steps to writing a
resignation letter and be sure to leave your old job with a positive
impression.STEP ONE: Resignation Letter Stationery.While the stationery
you present your letter of resignation on may be the very last thing on
your mind, this is exactly the reason why this step is listed as being of
first and foremost importance when resigning. Present your resignation
letter on clean un-used white paper. Don't try to sugar coat the fact
that you are quitting your job by writing your termination letter on
feminine paper or anything other than the norm. Regular A4 (A four) paper
should suffice, accompanied with the company's logo. If you have one
available to use, the company letter head is perfect on which to write
your resignation letter.Take pride in yourself and your business ethics
by preparing your letter of resignation on stationery that reflects your
professionalism and attention.STEP TWO: The Resignation Letter Layout.If
you are anything like me, the last time you took note of how to write a
formal resignation letter, was years ago, so here is a simple clean
layout that you can use to guide you when preparing your letter of
termination of employment. On the top left hand side (just beneath the
company logo if you are using a letter head) of your letter of
resignation, starting on a new line per detail, list the name of your
line manager or supervisor whom you will be resigning with, followed by
their title or designation, the name of the company and finally the date.
Once you have stated these details, skip two lines and begin your
resignation letter by addressing the person whom you intend on resigning
with.STEP THREE: Resignation Letter Content and Tone.Your last impression
is as important as your first. To elaborate on this, it is safe to say
that although you may be desperate to give your boss a piece of your mind
when resigning, don't. Never burn your bridges when resigning and
remember that the boss you resign from today may be a client you are
trying to sign tomorrow. There may come a time where your path may cross
an ex- employer and considering how small the world is these days the
likelihood of this happening is high. Address your resignation letter
with a positive attitude and tone. You have already decided to better
your current situation and by writing your resignation letter with an
aggressive tone and an attitude of complacency will only make a sensitive
situation worse. It is your job to illustrate your willingness to make
the resignation process and notice period run as smoothly as possible.Use
your resignation letter to display humility as well as your best business
etiquette. With a positive attitude, detail that it is your intention to
provide written notice to terminate your employment. After confirming the
details of your notice period in your employment contract, include the
start date and end date of the notice period you will be working. Job
Seekers who may feel uncomfortable discussing the details of their new
employment, need not mention such information as this is not a
requirement of resigning from your job.STEP FOUR: Your Resignation Notice
Period.Although detailing your notice period makes up the content of your
resignation letter I have listed this as a separate step to exaggerate
the importance of this facet to resigning. Before preparing your
resignation letter it is vitally important that you refer back to your
employment contract to be clear on the resignation terms and conditions
that you have agreed to. Depending on how long you have been employed at
a company your notice period may vary from company to company but this
will be clearly defined in your employment contract.In most companies, a
notice period is either four working weeks or a full calendar month in
which employees have to work in their notice. Based on these details, it
is of the utmost importance that you clearly state the date from which
your notice period will begin. You will also have to define the date at
which your notice period will conclude and the termination of your
employment will be effective from. As these are company specific terms
and conditions please confirm your notice obligations prior to resigning
and make sure you have been clear with your intentions in your
resignation letter.STEP FIVE: Thank Your Company.While you may be fed up
with your company today, there was a time during your employment that you
were happy. Even if this is not the case, by having been employed by the
company you now wish to resign from, it will be to your advantage to
express your thanks and gratitude in your notice letter. This is where
some may have to dig deep and keep their comments amicable and polite but
try to remember the age old saying; "If you have nothing nice to
say...lie!"Any resignation it a difficult task to endure and the
formality of a resignation letter is something we all have to do it at
some stage in our career. The easier you make this on yourself the better
this process will be for you as well as your employer. Remember that each
working experience that you have is a valuable reference. In order to
secure a positive reference you need to ensure that you are compliant to
company policy and procedures when resigning as well as display
compassion and understanding to your employer in your letter to terminate
your employment.Nothing in business is personal and it is up to you to be
the bigger person and display your maturity as well as your business
acumen. If that fails, Oscar Wilde once said "Always forgive your
enemies...nothing annoys them more."