Handing in your notice is never an easy thing to do, especially if you have been in your current role for a few years. It can feel very uncomfortable, as if you are doing something wrong, letting your manager down or even betraying your team. However, you have to remember the reasons why you are resigning. Ultimately, you will thank yourself for doing it and your colleague will respect your decision to move on.
Once you have received your offer letter from your new company, you may experience a multitude of different feelings – guilt, relief, uncertainty, elation, apprehension, excitement, to name but a few! Give yourself the opportunity to consider these feelings, so you can trust your gut instinct that it feels right to leave and move on to something new. Try not to feel too guilty about resigning. Remember that it is your career, not anyone else’s. Similarly, it is very rare to have a “job for life” nowadays, and change can therefore be a really positive thing. Remember the reasons why you decided to leave in the first place. It is unlikely that those reasons would go away if you opted to stay.
Here is a summary of the key points to consider when preparing to resign from your current position:
Read your current contract thoroughly to become aware of any specific clauses that may need to be addressed (e.g. non-compete clauses)
Ensure you know your notice period and the leaving date you would like to secure
Write your resignation letter in advance – and keep it brief
Arrange a meeting as soon as possible
Work out who needs to be in the meeting (your manager, HR etc). What is the correct process to follow?
Prepare what you are going to say
Conduct some research into your employment rights
We have produced a free, downloadable pdf which goes into each of these points, and more. Click here for a copy, and please feel free to share!