Whatever your reasons for leaving a job, there is a right way and a wrong way to resign. You must make sure you leave with the right level of grace, with your head held high, this shows potential employers that you can handle sensitive situations professionally, as news can travel pretty fast in certain industries.

When you decide to move on and you have thought through everything properly and looked at all the possibilities, then you can think about how to resign, and put you resignation into writing.

If you are unsure how to write your resignation letter, read the guide below on how to do so:

What to include

If you want to keep your resignation brief, there are some essential pieces of information you need to include:

• Your name
• The date
• The position you’re resigning from
• Addressed to the appropriate person (line manager, supervisor, manager etc.)
• When your resignation will take effect
• Your signature

Reasoning

You are never obligated to include your reasons for resigning, although you should include this if you don’t feel it is a wrong reason to be leaving. However, always be sure to put a positive spin on it if you do explain your reasoning.

Possible reasons could include:

‘I am moving on to a new position’, ‘I am seeking a new challenge’ or ‘there are limited opportunities for progression’.

Under no circumstances should your resignation letter be negative in any way towards the company, manager or colleagues. No matter what feelings you have towards the company you must try and remain professional, as if you were to become personal, this could risk your reputation.

Tone

Sometimes, peoples relationships with their employer can deteriorate, meaning when it comes to resigning they may be tempted to be blunt or nasty when handing in their notice. You should always ensure you hand your notice in with caution and be polite, this will then allow you to leave with your head held high, and doesn’t leave any negativity or awkwardness.

You don’t have to do this, but sometimes it is a good idea to thank your employer for the opportunity, especially if you are leaving on a  good term and you are only leaving because you have been offered a higher salary elsewhere.

A good example of this would be:

‘I would like to thank you and the company for the opportunities given to me over the last two years, and wish you all the best for the future’.

Handover

When you are leaving, it is also a good idea to make sure you handover your work properly, such as if you were in the middle of a project, you would need to clearly outline where you have gotten with this and where everything is saved, and any other information which may be of importance to know.

Making sure this is done shows that you are still committed to the business and it shows your professionalism and dedication. Also if you are leaving the company on good terms it may be a good idea to pass on your contact details for future queries, for example if something was to go wrong with the project that you were doing before you left, this also shows your professionalism and shows that you really did care about the role and your colleagues.

Formatting

When typing up your resignation letter, you need to ensure the formatting is of a standard letter and that it is written professionally, including the date and use of paragraphs.

The length of the letter is dependant upon yourself, but just remember that it does not need to be a long essay, as long as it includes all of the basics and that you have made it clear enough that you are leaving and when you are actually intending on leaving.

Always try and make sure it does not exceed one sheet of A4 paper, even though you may have a lot of reasons as to why you are leaving, just try and keep it as simple as possible.

Final thoughts

Always make sure that you check your employer contract or employers resignation policy before writing your resignation letter, so that you are aware of the length of your actual notice period. All companies are within their rights to ask you to leave on the actual day of handing in your notice. So be aware that if you do not have another position guaranteed, think carefully before handing it in.

And finally, when you write your letter, try and avoid using slang terminology and words that may be classed as inappropriate and rude, as some sectors are very small and word does get around, all it takes is someone to ring up asking for a reference and you could miss out on a great opportunity.

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