How to Quit Your Career Professionally

How to Quit Your Career Professionally

When you have finally decided to quit your job, one of the question that many people have is how to quit their career in a professional manner. There may be many reasons why you have decided to quit your job.

Some quit their job because they could no longer stand their superior at work. Some managed to find better prospect elsewhere. There are also those who quit their career because of lifestyle changes and commitment such as additional time required to tend to their children or sick parents. There are also those who quit their job because they are relocating to another place.

Whatever your reasons for quitting your career, it is wise to quit in a professional manner. Resignation from a job is an important process in one’s career, both personally and professionally. To the employer, the resignation is also an important process as it entails a hand-over of responsibility to another personnel and there should be minimal disruption to business operation.

So, how do you resign or quit your career in a professional manner that is beneficial to both yourself and your employer? The following tips may help.

It is always good to tender a formal letter of resignation when you resign, regardless of th company culture or how close you are with your employer. This tender of resignation letter acts as an official notice that you wish to terminate the employment following the employment contract.

Different employment contract may require different duration before the resignation becomes valid. This usually depends on the importance of your position in the company. Most of the time however, one month’s notice is considered reasonable, and if your employment contract do not spell out the advance notice to tender a letter to resign, you should follow this guideline.

Giving one month’s notice when you decide to quit is also necessary for the employer to find a replacement for you. In many cases, it is also good for you as you are able to hand-over your job responsibility smoothly. You would not want your ex-employer to continue calling you after you have quitted.

Writing the resignation letter require some skills. The letter should be as brief as possible. In it, you may or may not want to give the reasons for your resignation. Begin the letter with a formal statement on when you wish to make the last day of your work. Include a brief paragraph to thank your employer for the employment and opportunity given to you during your employment. It is up to you whether you would want to state which company you shall be joining upon your resignation, but there is no fast rules to this.

If you resign due to unpleasant circumstances, or if you are joining a competitor, then it is unlikely that you would want to let your employer know who you are joining. End the letter for an offer of assistance to make the transition easier for the company.

You should try to tender your resignation in a face-to-face meeting with your immediate superior. Your resignation letter may be copied to the human resource department, if there is one. Take the opportunity to thank your immediate superior and be quick to ask him who your successors will be so that you may facilitate a proper hand-over.

Before you meet your immediate superior to tender your resignation letter, you may want to list out all the outstanding works that is currently in your hands. During the face-to-face meeting, brief your superior and agree on what are the outstanding tasks that you may be able to complete in the remaining employment duration.

Use your remaining time with the company to tidy up and ensure a proper hand-over. You do not want your company to keep calling you for some missing files or client’s details.

Around two weeks before your last day with the company, request for a written testimonial from your superior. This written testimonial is especially useful in your next career search and much attention should be given to its writing. Ask your superior if he need your help to draft out one for him. Some superiors are more than pleased to get some assistance.

If you superior accepted your assistance, then provide a good impressive draft of your testimonial. Be honest, but you do not need to be humble. You may want to get some help from some experts on how to write a good testimonial. Use assertive words such as dedicated, diligent, responsible, etc.

You should make your job resignation as smooth a transition as possible for yourself and for the company. In today’s society, you may well meet again or deal with your bosses and colleagues again, although it may be on different level and platform.