Resignation: top things to remember

Resignation

When you turn in your resignation, don’t just think about getting the frick out of Dodge. Take into consideration how your friends and co-workers will remember you. We all want to give our employer and co-workers the bird every once in a while. A wise man once said, “99 parts wine and 1 part shit still tastes like shit”. You can do great work for years, but don’t leave emotionally charged. You won’t be remembered for the 99% of things you did well.

I guarantee that you will be remembered for that “one-part shit.” Burn bridges here, and you are burning the bridges in your career, not your co-workers. You never know when an imbecile is between you and your next opportunity.

Emotionally charged event

When I make an offer to a candidate, I also offer the opportunity to discuss how to deliver the resignation. This is often an emotionally charged conversation and one that is filled with anticipation. The candidate could have a great relationship with the employer. The candidate might be in a position where they can’t get out soon enough. Regardless, we want our candidate to leave the current employer on good terms. We do this for several reasons. It will also help us as an employer and, of course, our future teammates in the long term. Adding perspective and sanity to a potentially emotional time can go a long way in building our new employer/employee relationship.

I aim to prepare the candidate for the worst from the current employer. This could be a counteroffer, pressure to stay longer than 2 weeks, or even an angry tirade from an executive. The result can vary depending on how the current employer takes the news. Our new hire can experience cake or get marched out the door the same day. With a bit of influence, drama can be kept to a minimum. The relationship can be positive regardless of your feelings for your manager.

From performance plan to graceful exit

An employee can be on a performance plan. If the employee resigns with a bit of professionalism, the company can message your exit in a positive light. As much as we hear about it, the last thing any company wants is drama during an employee exit going public. This is just fodder for water cooler talk. If the relationship is rocky, the company will be happy to bite its tongue. HR would rather have a graceful exit versus drama. 

Tips for a graceful resignation

Step 1:  Face to Face

Tell the manager what they want to hear.  Tell them something that will make them feel good about you moving on. Here are a few things every manager wants to hear and can confidently take back to their manager (even if the relationship is strained, I still like hearing the following):

• “Thanks for the opportunity.  I learned a lot from this company, which has provided me with many possibilities.”
• “I landed this new job because of everything I learned in this department, this company, and via my managers here.”
• “I am not leaving for money. I am leaving for the opportunity.”
• “I want to make this easy for you and the company. I feel like this company treated me well. It is the least I can do.”

Step 2: It’s not about the money

If you are worried about your employer trying to retain you and the guilt associated with that pitch, head them off at the pass.

Often, employers want to retain employees and offer more money. As part of your resignation speech, let them know that you are NOT leaving for more money (even if you are).  This shows maturity.  “I am not leaving for money; I am leaving for “X.” “X” should be something they are NOT able to offer and could be any one of the following:

• The new company is larger. There will be more opportunities in the long term.
• The new company is smaller, and the culture of a small company is what I am looking for.
• The new company has an excellent training program and pays for education.
• I will be part of a brand-new initiative, department, project, etc.
• The new company is working on a very interesting and challenging problem I am passionate about.
• I wasn’t looking; my old boss/recruiter contacted me.

What the company can’t provide

There are staples in a drama-free resignation. We let the company know you are NOT leaving for money. You ARE leaving for things the current company is not able to offer. We conveyed that we were NOT looking, but someone contacted you. This sets a pretty strong foundation. Don’t feel guilty. Deliver this confidently, and they will realize your mind is made up.

Step 3:

Have the same conversation with your department head.  Face to Face.

Step 4:

Follow up with a short and professional email. You can thank everyone for what they have done. If you have had the above face-to-face conversations, a few simple sentences are fine. Just let them know that you will resign and the date is adequate. The face-to-face is what matters.

Resignation 101

Don’t burn bridges

You may live in a big metropolitan city, but in reality, they are all small towns. You want to build your career for the future, not just the short term. Yes, it would feel glorious to tell your employer to F*** off, but at the end of the day, you WILL only hurt yourself.  Regardless of the amount of great work you have done in the past, the one memory everyone is left with is how you exited the company as a bitch.

Be gracious in glory

You just got a better gig, probably more money/opportunity.  If the company is going down the tubes, everyone is envious.  You had the balls to do something about it. The rats that know how to swim will jump a sinking ship. Please don’t rub it in. Don’t flaunt your success.

Short-Timers Attitude 

Everyone knows what this is. When an announcement is made, EVERYONE will be EXPECTING IT.  Surprise them.  Stay late a couple of nights to finish up your projects. You put this much time into the job, so another couple of weeks or hours won’t kill you. 

Posting to Social

Don’t post anything to your social graph until you talk with your manager, department head, and HR. These folks want to know before the rest of the world. If they find out via your social graph, they WILL be insulted. You don’t want to hear that your significant other broke up with you on Facebook.

Resignation is both an exciting time and a dreaded one. No one wants to have that conversation. How you carry yourself these last two weeks is how your effort will be remembered. Don’t allow anyone to talk badly about you after you have left.

See you at the after party,
HRNasty

nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky, and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone good at something. “He has a nasty forkball”.

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