When Shepard Smith abruptly left Fox News recently, it sent shockwaves throughout cable news. No one, except maybe senior management, knew he was leaving. Neil Cavuto, the host whose show follows Smith’s, was "a little stunned and a little heartbroken."
It is not clear if Smith submitted an actual resignation letter, but he offered what amounted to a verbal one at the end of his show that evening. It was startling yet graceful. He thanked the organization for the opportunities he had had; he paid tribute to his colleagues and wished everyone well.
Alison Doyle, job search expert at The Balance, said, "When you resign from your job, it's important to resign as gracefully and professionally as possible. If you can, give adequate notice to your employer, write a formal resignation letter, and be prepared to move on prior to submitting your resignation."
It’s very important to apply grace and professionalism when resigning. When one of my former employers moved its corporate head office out of province, I knew the writing was on the wall, and I began to plan my exit. The timing was right to make my part-time career coaching business a full-time endeavor.
My resignation letter was an email sent to all 700 staff members in Canada and the U.S. This was by design, as my daily interactions stretched deep into the company. The subject line of my message started with "All Good Things ..." followed by "... Must Come to an End" in the body. The full message read:
"After five years with [ABC Company] my ship is ready to set sail again. What a voyage it has been! I have learned a lot, made some great friends, and now it’s time to explore new horizons. I thank the company for the opportunity to have served for five years and for supporting my endeavors. You have each touched my life in one way or the other and I thank you for that. Best wishes to all of you, and I will be in touch."
It was more of a goodbye message, but one person commented that it was the nicest resignation letter she had ever read.
Your resignation letter does not have to be as thespian as mine, nor does it have to be as "sweet" as Chris Holmes', who wrote his resignation letter on a cake. Holmes was a former immigration official at London's Stansted Airport who left his job to pursue his dream as a chef.
The six points below will help you prepare to resign in style:
Don’t burn your bridges. The first rule of thumb in preparing your resignation letter is not to burn your bridges. Michelle Tillis Lederman, who wrote The 11 Laws of Likability, says, "Now is not the time to say all the things that you have built up. You never know when your paths will cross again." That is correct. Even if you are not leaving on good terms, now is not the time to spotlight the negatives. You want to leave a lasting positive impression on your peers, your supervisor and the company. After all, someday down the road, you may need someone to act as a reference.
Don’t be caught flat-footed. Although you may have given a firm departure date, don’t be surprised if you are asked to leave immediately after handing in the letter. Some companies will do that for a variety of reasons. Therefore, before you write the letter, start putting your personal items together. Make sure electronic records of your performance appraisals and other pertinent documents are saved on a thumb drive or sent to your personal email address. Be mindful of documents that could be considered company property. These should be left behind.
Complete unfinished work. Set aside time to complete any major unfinished work before you leave. It will demonstrate you are making it easier for your successor and that you are not going to leave them in the lurch.
Create a handy 'how-to' resource. You know the role much better than your replacement will, so create a handy resource that explains some of the nuts and bolts of the job. Make sure to include the names of the go-to people with whom you frequently interact.
Offer to help during the transition. If it is possible, make yourself available for a few weeks after you leave. That will give some degree of continuity, and help your successor get up to speed faster. When I was leaving one of my jobs, I offered to spend the last three weeks training my replacement instead of leaving at the end of my two-week notice. Good karma paid off because the woman who I succeeded at my new company made herself available to me for months after she had retired.
Initiate your own exit interview. Exit interviews don’t have to be initiated by the employer. Arrange a meeting with HR, even though the situation could be a bit uneasy. If they agree, use the opportunity to give constructive ways they could improve employee morale, if that was an issue, or make suggestions on what they could do to retain good employees. Don’t use the time to bash the company, your boss or anyone else.
These small gestures will benefit the people you are leaving behind. They will demonstrate that you are still the professional the company hired on day one, and you will leave a lasting impact long after you are gone.
