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How to Resign from a Job Professionally – For Great References and Future Job Opportunities · Enhance.training

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: How to resign from a job professionally.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Resigning is an emotionally charged and delicate process which can easily go wrong, leaving hurt feelings and anger, which doesn't help you or your career.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: By resigning, you are rejecting membership of your current team and company to move to a new one, and no one likes being rejected, and your team and particularly your manager are no exception.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: I will take you through seven steps that you can take to ensure that you resign from a job professionally, to first of all not burn any bridges in the process, secondly, impress your manager and keep open future job opportunities and get good references, and third, that keep your colleagues happy and thinking well of you.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: And towards the end of this podcast, I share examples of what to put in your resignation letter, give you five acceptable reasons why you are resigning and how to plan working a notice period.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Jess Coles, and I've been hired into world-class companies, interviewed over a thousand candidates from graduates all the way through to CEOs, and I've been a board director of a recruitment company with 140 million in sales.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: And do take a look at our How to Get Hired programme for comprehensive training on every aspect of getting a job against tough competition.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: If you like this podcast, then please share it with friends and colleagues.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: So when you're planning how to resign from a job professionally, bear in mind that there are five generally accepted reasons for resigning from a job.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: So no matter the real reason, stick to one of these.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, you are looking for a new challenge, which is perfect if you're moving sideways or have a small promotion.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Second, career development, great for any promotion or for new career directions.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Thirdly, relocation if you or the company is moving to a new location.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth is job security, if the current company is in financial difficulties or is shrinking.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: And then fifth, increased pay.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: But just be a little bit careful when using this reason unless you're aiming for a counter offer.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Even if you absolutely hate your boss or some of the team members, do not use this or any negative reasons for your official reason for leaving the company.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: Stick to one of the five reasons I've gone through, and you'll be on safe and neutral ground and are very unlikely to offend anyone.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Next, a part of working out how to resign from a job professionally is to check your employment contract and make careful note of your notice period and any other conditions that you need to satisfy.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: It is important when thinking about how to quit your job professionally that you give the full notice period required in your contract to your current employer.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: You'll also have to communicate this notice period to the company that you're moving to so you can manage their expectations around potential start dates.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: To leave on the best terms, be fully prepared to work your full notice period and try to do the best job you can during this period.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: There is always a temptation to take your foot off the gas and cruise through the notice period.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: Try hard to avoid doing this.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: If you work hard when everyone expects you to slow down, you create a very strong and lasting impression on your soon-to-be ex-manager and colleagues.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Expect the new company to want you to start as soon as possible, and your current company to want you to work your full notice period.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: You'll need to manage both sides' expectations carefully.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: Thirdly, when thinking of how to resign from a job professionally, prepare how you're going to leave before resigning.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Go through all the projects and activities that you're involved in and plan out the goals that you have to meet for each of them.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, consider which projects and activities you are likely to finish in your notice period.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Second, for those projects or activities that you're not going to finish, who is best to hand your work over to and what support will they need.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Thirdly, if you have good succession planning for your role, you will have one or more internal options that might take over of your role.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: So start prepping for them.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, consider how you're going to help find and recruit your replacement if you don't have succession planning in place.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, think about your network and if anyone you know is ready and looking for the role like the one that you're going to be leaving.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Think about anything else that will help your manager or colleagues transition the work you do to your replacement during your notice period.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: The quicker you can satisfactorily hand over your work, the sooner you might be able to leave to go to your next role.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: The more problems you can solve, the more likely you'll be released early.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, when planning how to resign from a job professionally, write a resignation letter.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Your resignation letter should be short, concise and positive.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: Write your resignation letter as a formal letter, print and then sign it.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: You're then able to hand your letter to your manager when you meet them.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: Here is an example of what you could write in your resignation letter.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: Dear Jim, I'm writing to inform you of my decision to resign from ABC Limited, effective the 1st of November.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: I have really enjoyed working at ABC Limited and with you and the team over the last four years.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: I have learnt a lot and gained a great experience that will be invaluable in my career going forward.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for your understanding and all the support that you have given me during my time here.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: I wish you and the team every success going forward.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: Many thanks, Jess.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: Keep your letter positive regardless of your actual feelings.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, when planning how to resign from a job professionally, book in a face-to-face meeting with your manager in a private room or office.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: And if you are not able to arrange a face-to-face meeting, then a video call is the next best option, and the worst case is a phone call.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: Do not just send an email with your resignation letter attached.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: You also want to have the meeting in private so colleagues and other staff are not able to overhear.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: And do not tell other staff members you intend to resign before speaking to your manager.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: If you do this, it is likely to get back to your manager at some point and they are unlikely to be happy.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: The purpose of taking these steps is to help your manager, to ensure that they are not embarrassed or lose face and that they have the time and opportunity to plan for your departure and then communicate these steps to the rest of the team.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: This is very much in your interests as you have to work your notice period and will want good references from your manager.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: The work you've already done in preparing how you're going to leave will pay dividends at this point.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: Every manager likes a person to help solve or reduce their problems.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: During the meeting, get straight to the point.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: Give the reason for leaving, you know, one of the five reasons already discussed, and then give your manager time to ask you questions and, of course, answer them as you need to.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: Sixth, after giving in your notice, the most important part of resigning from a job professionally is maintaining your standard of work and work ethic during your notice period.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: Maintaining your work ethic and output is not easy.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: It is very natural for you to take your foot off the gas and relax a bit because you'll be leaving.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Do your best to keep your work ethic up, even up in the ante if you can.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: Because everyone expects you to slack off, doing more creates a lot of goodwill, particularly with your manager.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: This helps you get strong references and keeps good relationships for future job opportunities.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: Networking is still the biggest source of jobs available.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: Also, the quicker your replacement is in place and the quicker you're able to do a good handover, then the earlier your current company might be able to release you.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: Succession planning, if you have it in place, is great to speed up this process.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: And the work in preparing how you'll leave will also help speed up the handover of your work and give your manager a lot more confidence that your departure will not cause significant problems.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: And then seventh, after resigning from your job professionally, make the effort to stay in touch with colleagues and your manager.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: The majority of job opportunities are not advertised, and networking is a great way of accessing these hidden job opportunities.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: Stay in touch with your manager and work colleagues.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: You know, a call every six months or so or an email or two every quarter is a great way of staying in touch.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: Use these seven steps to quit your job professionally.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: Being professional and considerate will help you in the short term and your career in the longer term.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Do your best to help your manager and the team prepare for your departure.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: This will go down a lot better than you taking your foot off the gas.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: Good luck in resigning and in your new role.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Do visit us at enhanced.training and take a look at our How to Get Hire program, which gives you comprehensive training in every aspect of winning jobs against tough competition.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks very much for listening, and I look forward to speaking to you again soon.