Found a Better Job? Here’s How to Politely Resign from the Old One

You’ve found a better job with a higher salary, with more possibilities for professional development – and that’s great news. However, before you start celebrating, you have one more important step ahead of you – resigning from your old job. Here’s how to do it smartly and with style, so as to avoid coming across as rude and burning a bridge.

Talk to the boss first

Don’t resign by email unless absolutely necessary. It is considered a rude and cowardly act, because you don’t have the courage to tell the boss to their face that you’ve decided to leave. Talking face to face is always the best option. Also, first tell your boss, and then your colleagues, otherwise the boss can hear the news through rumors, which is also not polite. In addition to that, you are losing the opportunity of the boss giving you an offer that might make you reconsider leaving the company and decide to stay after all. Take timing into consideration as well and don’t “ambush” the boss when they’re busy, but find a moment when they’re free. Make an announcement that you want to talk to them first and then tell them the news.

You don’t have to say everything that’s on your mind

Sometimes we get so sick of the job and we want to finally express all our frustrations, to explain what has been wrong, how much injustice we’ve suffered, why the relations in the company are bad. Still, you don’t have to say everything that’s on your mind. You will make yourself look like a coward for having been silent for so long and close the door behind you in a bad way, and you never know when you will meet those people again, at a new job, perhaps. Don’t burn your bridges and remain professional. That also means that you shouldn’t resign when you’re angry. Instead, you should make it a well-thought-out act. Try to express the reasons in a polite way without too many explanations. Phrases like “I feel like I need something new” do not exist without a reason.

Be courteous to your soon-to-be-ex-colleagues

As soon as you’ve learned about your new job offer, you start slacking off and being a bad colleague to the people you’ve worked with? That’s not the right way. The other extreme is not good either – taking upon yourself more than you can do because you feel guilty. So, take the time to think carefully about what you can do and to what extent during your notice period and stick to the agreement.