How to Quit Your Job - Two Weeks Notice - The Muse

How to Quit Your Job - Two Weeks Notice - The MuseHow to Quit Your Job - Two Weeks Notice Well, youve gone and done it. You landed a new job (congrats), and now youre more than ready to go light the world on fire. Terrific- except, theres one thing left looming Youve got to resign from your current job. (And thats making you feel a wee bit unnerved.)How do you calmly and professionally ensure you get the outbound right when quitting your job and bidding farewell to your current employer? Consider these steps to help assure your exit much more resembles a graceful sashay than a clunky mishap.1. Think About the Likely Response and ReactionIn a perfect world, youre going to politely give two weeks notice, suggest a reasonable amount of time during which youll stay to wrap up projects, and perhaps train a replacement. And your soon-to-be-ex-employer will embrace this plan joyfully.In the real world, it often doesnt play out quite so swimmingly. In particular, sometimes your boss will tha nk you for your work, ask you to kindly turn in your laptop, phone, and ID badge, and then show you the door. Before you resign, prepare (mentally and logistically) for the possibility that your two weeks-notice offer will be declined. Have your boxes on standby, just in case you need to leave ASAP.2. Follow the Right Chain of Command When AnnouncingIf your company has a formal procedure for resigning, know it- and follow it. Even if it doesnt, be sure and alert the right person or people first, because news almost always travels like wildfire when someone quits. Generally speaking, you should tell your immediate supervisor first, in private and- if practical- in a meeting that youve scheduled in advance. No one loves being ambushed with unexpected news. And your boss certainly wont appreciate hearing it through the grapevine.3. Clarify and Formalize Your Intentions, in WritingEven if you work in a small, casual office, solidify your intention to resign in writing. Clarify your desi red departure date, and then outline how you propose to use your final days or weeks. Got a project to finish? Lay out how youll do that here. Offering to train a replacement? Spell it out. Need to make a couple of final customer visits? State your intentions in this letter.Your employer wont always want you to use the time in the exact way youre offering, but you look both professional and like you have your act together when you present a strong, thoughtful resignation letter (heres a template you can use).4. Be Wary of the CounterofferWhen you resign, you very well may be thrown a curveball- in the form of a counteroffer. Sometimes, especially when youre a vital asset to a particular company, project, or client account, the counteroffer will be mighty tempting. (Ever hear the expression throw cash at the problem? This is often exactly what panicking employers do.)While there is never an absolute black and white answer to Should I take a counteroffer? realize that employers may be relieved for a moment if you agree to stay, but resentful in the long run. You may also become known as the company or department flight risk, and thats almost never a good thing, especially if your employer faces budget cuts or layoffs down the road. Guess whos the easy one to cut then? If youre mentally out of there, finish the process and depart as planned. (Heres some further reading on counteroffers.)5. Tie up the Loose EndsYou dont want to be known as the guy who left the place a disaster, right? Of course not. So tidy up your files and your affairs before you hit the road. Make things as easy for your employer- and your successor- as possible. This will go a long way, both from a short-term logistical standpoint and in terms of your long-term reputation. 6. Leave StrongThis ties into your long-term reputation and is an important last step when resigning and moving on to a new job opportunity. Leave strong. Im not saying storm out in a blaze of glory, not at all. Im saying le ave confidently. Be gracious and appreciative to your supervisor and colleagues. Be constructive and honest (but not pissy) in your exit interview. Dont feel that you have to over-explain to everyone why youre leaving and where youre going if you dont want to, but certainly say goodbye. Close out this chapter elegantly, and then- celebrate all that is to come.Photo of person walking down hall courtesy of Shutterstock.