Pongo Resume

So you've weighed your options and successfully secured a new job. Now let's take this process a step further and develop an exit strategy to ensure a graceful departure from your current job.

Submit Your Two Weeks Notice
After the euphoria of moving on to a better opportunity starts to fizzle, you're left facing the dreaded resignation letter. Note: Two weeks is standard protocol. Your current standing with the company, your anxiety to get out, or the start date of your new job can all affect the length of time you're willing to put in after you resign. Use your best judgment.

So, depending on your reason(s) for leaving, writing this letter could be a breeze or it could feel like pulling teeth. But one thing is certain: No matter how ecstatic you are to be leaving, you still have to be respectful. 

The contents of a good resignation letter look something like this:

Date

Greeting:

Opening: Express gratitude toward the employer for the knowledge you gained on the job.

Body: Discuss your intentions to resign and identify your last day on the job.

Closing: Address your intentions to contribute to a smooth departure for yourself and your department.

Signature

To deliver the news, set up a meeting with your manager. In this case, you'll verbally explain that you've found a new job and will be leaving on a certain date, but bring a printed, signed copy of your letter for their records.

Tie Up Loose Ends
After giving your notice, you'll want to go over the details of your final two weeks with your boss or HR. Here's what you'll need to straighten out:

1. Find out how much paid time off you have left and what you're going to do with it. Some companies will pay you for the unused time while others will make you use it. If your company does the latter, apply it to your last two weeks and enjoy the time off before you start your new job.
2. Discuss with a Human Resources or Finance Department representative what happens with your 401(k) account and what you would need to do to close it and move the funds elsewhere.
3. Most importantly, write a list of projects you've been working on. This list will come in handy during your final weeks to make sure you finish any outstanding tasks and give your boss a heads up on what you'll be leaving behind.
4. If they're replacing you with someone who requires training, discuss how it will be conducted and what projects might have to be moved to the backburner to fit the training into your schedule.
    

What to Do if Your Boss Freaks Out
I addressed this issue in another post, When Bosses Make Hotheaded Decisions. This is simply one of those situations in which moody bosses tend to freak out and tell you to leave immediately instead of putting in your last two weeks. If you think your boss will calm down after the initial blow, give him/her some space and try to address the issue at a later time (or the next day). You can try to salvage the professional relationship or take the hasty reaction as your cue to take an extended vacation.

Your last two weeks might feel like the longest of your life — that's usually what happens when you have something so exciting to look forward to. Just make sure to add your soon-to-be ex-colleagues to your network list in the process. You never know when they'll come in handy!

What experiences have you had in leaving a job? Did your boss flip out, causing you to leave earlier than you expected you would? Let us know!

Related Links

How to Choose the Best Job Offer, Part I
How to Choose the Best Job Offer, Part II

When I handed my notice to a boss that I actually really liked, I almost felt like crying. I felt awful leaving behind a department that had the BEST people working in it. I didn't want to leave, but growth and better opportunity lead me elsewhere. I had handed her a letter (like you stated above) and shown it to her early one morning. She wanted to know if there was anything she could do to make me stay. After working there for 2 1/2 years and becoming more knowledgeable about the company, I knew that my wish list would take forever to actually come true (due to the HR department).

Now that it's six months later, I'm still not sure whether or not I regret my decision - mainly because I wish I could foresee the future in my new job in a small company, that, of course, has its own set of issues. Hopefully someday, my decision will pay off!

It's nice to hear a story like that, Kathryn. That's a side of the situation I didn't bring up, but I imagine it's very popular. Leaving a job and colleagues you like for something that you're not 110% sure about can be tough, so I hope it works out for you! Thanks for sharing :)

I once had a boss go a little crazy about all the projects left on the table, and my leaving was the worse possible timing. I did feel a little bad about it, and I did what I could before I left. It seemed like he was pretty upset/angry about my leaving. But I really had to get out of that place and I'm a lot happier now that I'm gone!

Here's something important to remember - in the event your manager tries to get you to stay after you've voiced your intent to leave, remember why it is you wanted to leave in the first place. Chances are that the reasons why you are leaving will still be there if you stay.

Also, statistics have shown that employees who have given their notice but changed their mind and stayed are more likely to be laid off if a layoff occurs. They are also more likely to be passed over for promotions. Most experts will tell you that once you give your notice you should stick with that decision and not change your mind.

When you give your notice, you're basically telling your boss and the company you work for that you aren't loyal to them, and that's a two-way street!

Once I gave my notice because I wanted my manager's job and I knew I'd never get it. He had been doing his job for many years and was happy where he was and didn't want to be promoted. I figured that I could just go somewhere else if I wanted a job like his.

I went into his office one day and gave my notice. He got so mad that he told me to pack up my things and leave immediately. Fine, I did that. Then a few days later I heard from a former co-worker that my old manager was so mad that he up and quit. So then I called his manager and told him that I left because I wanted my former manager's job and knew I'd never get it.

The following Monday I was back at work, just down the hall from where I sat just a week earlier, only now I had my feet up on my desk in my former manager's office with my former manager's job and title.

Go figure.