This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
How do you write a resignation letter? We haven't done a reader question in a long while, but this one was too good to pass up — reader C is wondering if she should list everything wrong with her job in her resignation letter and go out in a blaze of glory…
Reader C asks:
I am in public sector job that I absolutely loved for the past 9 years, awesome boss, lots of autonomy, very productive, high employee morale. With upper management changes in the past 12 months it has become the complete opposite — bogged down/unproductive, extremely micromanaged, low morale, and not a place conducive to my professional or mental well-being. My question is about my resignation letter — how do I tactfully resign while pointing out the reasons why? Or do I?
Thank you for reading, C! My hot take here is that I don't think you should say any of that stuff.
In fact, my hot take here is one long NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. OOOOOOO. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
After all — you are leaving, you won't be around to advise on any of the changes that you think need to happen, nor will you reap the rewards if and when they are implemented. Instead, as you're leaving it's going to make you look petty, and might reduce whatever good will you earned while there for nine years.
Leave with a smile and as little words as possible. Don't “wink wink” or be sarcastic about it — if you made real friends there they know how you really feel.
Be professional and polite publicly — and keep your delight at leaving to your own time.
Readers, what do you say — what are your best tips on how to write a resignation letter? Have you (or have you known anyone) who burned their bridge on their way out — or, to flip the question, someone who listed complaints in her resignation letter and had it result in positive change?
Stock photo via Stencil.
Infogeek
My standard resignation letter is short and sweet. It’s a lot like giving written notice on an apartment lease.
Basically, you’re saying that you’re resigning from your position and xx/yy/zzzz will be your last day.
You can add a sentence with the “thank you for all I’ve learned” or “I’ve enjoyed being part of this team” or whatever, but it’s not necessary.
Go for it
+1
Be brief, be kind, be gone.
Anonymous
You only do a resignation letter if it is required, and it just says that you are resigning effective xyz date.
anon
+1 Resignation letters are two sentences, max.
“I am resigning effective XX date. I’ve enjoyed being a part of the team at XX company and I wish the firm luck in the future.”
And, honestly, might not even include sentence #1. Short, sweet, done.
Ellen
Plus 1: When I left my old subpeenie job for this one I was breif; something along the lines of “Thank you for giving me the job opportunity. I am now moving on to a new one. Best wishes, Ellen”.
Be breif, you don’t want to burn any bridges, even tho you know you will never work there again! YAY!!
Senior Attorney
Dear Person to Whom I am Giving Notice:
This will serve as notice that my last day at the firm will be October 30. I wish the team well in the future.
Yours truly,
Senior Attorney
Anonymous
Agree with the above. Short and simple. You want to tell someone why you’re leaving, tell your best friend. You feel like you must at work, or that you’ll be heard – do it to HR at your exit interview or maybe your advisor/supervisor.
Anonymous
Honestly, I’ve just verbally told my chain of command and then HR and HR has provided a form to fill out with my last day, etc. so I’ve never had to write a formal resignation letter.
I’ve always had the opportunity for an exit interview and use that as a way to very tactfully discuss some of those reasons (but honestly maybe sharing 5% of the issues)
anon
+1 to this first paragraph, I just gave notice to the head of my office in person and then was referred to HR to fill out a bunch of forms. Never had to write a letter.
Cat
I’ve never written a resignation letter. In offices I’ve left, the person resigning just verbally tells their manager, who sets the official HR process in motion (establishing the last day so that IT and security know, for turning in electronics, for calculating vacation days to pay out, setting up an exit interview, etc.).
In case you are tempted to blow off steam at the exit interview, suggest not. They’ll probably ask for why you are leaving and ways the company could improve. Throw some platitudes at them and bail.
Anonymous
This reminds me of a question I meant to ask here years ago and forgot about – in biglaw, who do you give notice to first – the head of your office or the head of your department in your office? Assume you know them both. At my last firm, I gave notice to the managing partner of my office first, and then immediately gave notice to the head of my department (and I mean immediate – I waked out of one office and into the next). I got a lot of pushback from both of them that I told the managing partner first. I thought I was doing the right thing?
Anon
I guess this is a KYO situation. When I left my boutique that was biglaw adjacent, the culture was to tell the head of your group first, then the partners you work with in order of seniority. Immediately after telling the head of my group (who I never worked with and who barely knew me), I told the partners in my group, but by the time I got to the second one, the group head had already emailed all the partners in my firm.
Anonymous
Department head for sure. Who does your reviews?
anon
I told partner I worked for primarily, then the partner I worked for secondarily. It didn’t occur to me to tell the managing partner of the office, nor the head of my group (nationally—it was a specialized practice) because I didn’t know them so well. The partners I worked for would let them know as part of opening up a job req for my job.
Anon
It’s know your office. But, when I gave notice, I told the partners I was close with (which was also all the partners I had big current cases with) and then told the head of my practice group. This was because it was a known thing that the head of the practice would email HR and everyone else as soon as you left his office, so I had to tell anyone who I wanted to hear it from me first. (also, the few partners I really wanted to hear it from me already knew cause they were my recommendations or because I told them when I was waiting for my background check to clear for the federal government).
I don’t think I even told the managing partner of my office directly. He knew, cause he got the email from my practice head, and we talked about it, but I never officially told him.
Anon
Not in law but I’ve always given notice to my immediate supervisor first.