Depending on your situation you may be extremely nervous or extremely excited about handing in your notice. If you are excited about leaving you’ll need to remember to stay professional. I’m sure there are days where you’d love to just shout “I quit” and storm off in a dramatic exit – but in reality this will do you no favours – you would definitely be blowing any chance of a good reference. The steps below will show you how to leave your role professionally leaving behind no hard feelings.

Tell your Supervisor

Your Supervisor should be the first person you tell – and yes you’ll need to do this in person – you can’t just send them an email saying “Hi, I quit. Thanks. Bye”. Ask to speak to them somewhere quiet away from everyone else where they can process the information appropriately.

Thank your management team

Make sure you thank the Management team for the opportunity they gave you – even if you hate them a simple ‘thank you’ will do no harm. If you’re asked why you’re leaving just say that you’ve enjoyed your time there but it’s time to move on.

Write a formal resignation letter

You’ll need to put your resignation in writing – if you’re not sure what to say you can find hundreds of templates online. Don’t just copy one word for word though – you’ll need to personalise one a bit to match your circumstances.

Ask for a reference

Before you leave ask your Supervisor if they’ll act as a referee for you in the future – this is extremely important as it will help you obtain a new position.

Don’t drop your standards

You should keep working hard even after you’ve handed in your notice. With the fear of being fired no longer hanging over your head it’s easy to let your standards slip, so try to still do your best at all times as again poor performance could affect your reference.

Leave on good terms

Make sure your last impressions are good ones – bringing in chocolates/biscuits on your last day is a great way to get everyone on side and thank them for the support you have received during your employment.

Keep negative thoughts to yourself

Don’t blurt out every negative thought you’ve collected whilst working there – you’ll only look silly for not bringing anything up sooner – if there’s something you really need to get off your chest do it in a constructive way.

If you’d like to find yourself your new dream job email a copy of your CV to Nathalie@burtonboltonrose.co.uk and we’ll see if we can help you