Quitting Your Job? Here's How to Write a Resignation Letter You Won't Regret

If you are planning to quit working at your present place of employment, it is a good idea to write a letter of resignation. Whatever the reason is for you wanting to leave, the letter of resignation is a tangible thing that will remain in a filing cabinet long after you are gone. For this reason, you never want to write a letter of resignation while you are angry or upset. Sometimes circumstances will make this hard to do, and if that what applies in your case, just try as best you can to not write the letter in malice. Down the road, you might find yourself in a situation where you will need to do business with your old boss or your old company.

Keep the letter professional. Regardless of how you feel about the company, the letter should have a professional appearance and tone. Don't write it out in pencil on a piece of notebook paper, and place the letter in an envelope.

In the letter of resignation, you should thank the company for giving you the opportunity to work for them. Remember the gratitude you felt when you were hired? Try to draw upon some of this gratitude and put it in your letter. Keep it short and to the point. Include the effective date of the resignation, and when your last day at work will be.   It's probably not a good idea to put your reason for resigning in the letter. If it's a message you want to convey, chances are the boss will ask you why you are leaving after he reads the letter.

End the letter on a positive note. Any time you leave a company, you want them to have a positive feeling when they think of you, and by ending the letter on a positive note, you are taking a step towards this goal.

Here is an example of what a good letter of resignation should look like.

Dear Mr. Employer

I hereby resign from my position as Taste Tester from Acme Chewing Gum, effective February 28. My last day at Acme Chewing Gum will be two weeks from this date, on March 14.

I wish to convey my thanks to you and Acme Chewing Gum for the opportunity you have given me. During my time with the company, I have learned much about taste testing, and I will always have fond memories of Acme Chewing Gum. 

How To Get Your Application To The Top of The Pile

Waiting for your prospect employer to contact you after you have submitted your application may seem like forever. It doesn't always have to be like this though. But how can you fast track your application without appearing to be annoying, unprofessional, or whiny? Here are a few tricks that could help you get that job interview in what we hope to be record breaking speed.

Express Your Interest

By letting your prospect employer know that you intend to work for them, it will create a sort of anticipation that they will expect your application when it arrives. Some human resource personnel will appreciate your call before applying and by doing this, they will be on the lookout for your name as by then it would be familiar to them.

Follow Up

This is where it gets tricky. When you follow up on your application, make sure you do not do it too often. But how often is too often? As a rule of thumb, unless you get an answer during your attempts to follow up, keep calling. Deem a company unprofessional if they do not respond to your queries or if they keep passing you to every other department in their company. When they do give you a time to follow up again on the application, write it down and call them - don't miss that window of opportunity.

Make Your Resume Relevant

Provide a catchy header that summarizes your personality and your commitment (like answering the question "what principle in life do you stand for?"). This will catch the attention of your prospect boss even as he easily skims through the numerous profiles of the applicants. You should also make sure that the content of your resume namely your qualifications and skills should all be related to the job you are applying for. Take the time to tailor it to the needs of the company you are applying for or else they ill think that you did not care enough by just sending a generalized resume.

Be Interesting

While your qualifications may speak for the technical needs that the company is looking for in an employee, a lot of employers look also into the person's personality as a way of knowing what kind of workers they will be adding to their workforce. Put in what makes you different and fun, a breath of fresh air to their team. You will be easily remembered for this, and you can use this to your advantage.

Do away with the conventional ways of applying for a job. You need to stand out and be noticed. Choosing a career among those who will say yes to you is going to be a problem that you will truly welcome.