You are beside yourself with glee. You have just accepted an offer for a fantastic new job. It checks all the boxes: people, scope, location and money. Yippee!
What to do next?
It is important to plan your next steps with care and respect. How you leave a job can play a big role in managing your career and your reputation.
Think about how much notice you need to provide to your current employer. Check your employment agreement. Many stipulate two or three weeks. You may want to be magnanimous by offering four weeks but in most cases, it is not necessary.
Then, write a letter of resignation. Make it formal but friendly. Thank your manager for providing such a great opportunity to learn and grow. Lay out the details of your last day and offer to do what’s needed for a smooth transition.
Be prepared for anything and everything when you tell your manager and hand over/email the letter. Managers do not like it when someone resigns. It almost always catches them by surprise and then they look bad to their boss when they have to deliver then news. That’s where counter offers often come in to play.
When faced with an unplanned gap in the team, suddenly there is more money to give you. Maybe the leadership team really was thinking of promoting you but the fact is, they didn’t and now you have chosen to go somewhere else.
Be firm and resolute in your tone in that “I am leaving” conversation. Think about (but don’t share) all the reasons you are going to a new and better place.
Once the initial shock wears off, they will figure out who will take over your tasks and life will go on. That’s why a couple of weeks is almost always fine. It’s not like you can get involved in long term planning or that you will enjoy getting left out of conversations that might be proprietary. It’s all part of the transition.
So you go. Your colleagues and managers will wish you well and hopefully, some of them will take a few minutes on Zoom to raise a glass to your future success.
Recruiter's Couch 