You have just cleared the hurdles and obstacles of the
interview process,
and have secured the offer that you were hoping for.
Just as you breathe a
sigh of relief because the interview process is all over,
you realize that
you have to face what could be the toughest part of the
interview process -
your resignation. If you truly hate your current job
and despise your
current boss, resigning should be easy. But, if you have
been with your
company for some time, you may now be feeling a sense of
loyalty. Or, you
may be friends with your boss, and now dread having to tell
a friend that
you quit.
I understand these feelings and fears that arise at the
resignation stage.
I, too, went through the emotional roller coaster of the
resignation
process. Before I got into my current field, I worked
with a large
wholesale corporation in sales and marketing. I
outgrew the organization,
and realized that I had to execute a change, in order to
satisfy my growth
needs. I had already told my boss about my goals, and she
admitted that I
would not be able to achieve them in that organization -
they were just too
limited in the areas I was seeking to grow into. The
company I worked for
could no longer meet my personal career goals, nor could I
achieve the
long-term earnings I desired. So, when I found the job
I really wanted, I
aggressively pursued it, right down to the offer
stage. I was ecstatic
about the new opportunity that awaited me. After
signing the contract with
the new company, I drove back to my office to resign.
I realized that I was
actually afraid of tendering my resignation! After
all, I did not dislike
my company, I really liked my boss, and I had a great deal
of respect for
the CEO. Everything I knew in business, these people
had taught me. The
president had personally mentored me, and he even attended
my wedding. I
knew that my resignation would be a shock, and that their
feelings would be
hurt. For a fleeting moment, I actually considered
changing my mind.
Thankfully, I thought through my whole interview process,
and reminded
myself why I was leaving. My departure was
nothing personal, and the
saying; "business is business" came to mind.
I decided to take the evening
to properly prepare a professional resignation. I
prepared a resignation
letter, and rehearsed my resignation. I knew exactly
what I was going to
say, and I was mentally prepared to stand firm on my
decision. I realized
that my boss was going to counteroffer me, or try to guilt
me into changing
my mind.
The next morning, I went to my boss and began my
resignation. My hands were
sweaty, and my voice was actually shaky. I handed her
my resignation
letter. While she was reading the letter, I ran my rehearsal
through my mind
again. She put down the letter and said, "Do you
really want to do this? I
can't stand the thought of losing you, now." I
stood my ground, and did not
falter on my resignation. Throughout the day, I
received multiple calls
from the corporate office, all of them attempts to get me to
change my mind.
The day culminated with the CEO calling me to express his
sadness, and to
extend a hefty counter offer. I knew that counter
offers were short-term
fixes, and I was not interested in a short-term fix. I
declined his counter
offer with empathy and professionalism. At that point,
it was done - I had
officially resigned.
That night, my boss called me at home. She asked,
"Pat, is it official? Are
you really leaving?" I confirmed that my
resignation was accepted, and that
my mind could not be changed. What she said next
floored me! She went on to
say, "Now that you no longer work for me, I can tell
you that your departure
is timely. The company is in trouble, and we are going
to have to cut
commissions next quarter. I, too, am in the process of
leaving, and would
appreciate it if you would let me know if you hear of an
opportunity for
me." That
day, she was doing her "company" thing, and selling me on
staying. Behind the scenes, she was also leaving. The
counter offers were
not extended with my best interest in mind. Rather, they
were done in
attempt for a short-term fix - they did not want to be faced
with my
position being vacant. For more
information on why not to accept counter
offers, I read the attached article titled,
"Counteroffer Acceptance - Road
to Career Ruin" by Paul Hawkinson. reprinted from the
4/19/98 issue of
National Business Employment Weekly, published by the Wall
Street Journal.
http://www.careerjournal.com/salaries/negotiate/19980421-hawkinson.html
My own experience helps me to advise my candidates who have
just accepted
positions with my clients to tender their
resignations. My first piece of
advice is to prepare for your resignation. Don't just blurt
it out. Instead,
the day you receive your verbal offer, begin to prepare for
your
resignation. Get your resignation letter written, and
rehearse what you are
going to say. However, do not tender the resignation until
you have your
written offer from the new company. By preparing your
resignation ahead of
time, you are ready to resign on the day you have your new
offer.
To prepare for your resignation, first read the attached
article on
counteroffers. You need to be prepared for the counteroffer,
before you walk
into your resignation meeting. I remain convinced that
counteroffers are
short term fixes and are not in your best
interest. I have spoken with
candidates who have accepted counteroffers. I have yet to
contact someone
who accepted a counteroffer and find them happy six months
later. The
majority of counteroffers I have seen accepted have resulted
in the person
still leaving in less than six months.
Prepare your resignation letter. I believe the resignation
letter needs to
be written with a firm tone - it needs to give the reader a
sense of
finality. Here is a sample resignation letter:
Dear Boss,
Please accept this letter as my official notice of
resignation. I
appreciate the professional experiences we have had together
at XYZ.
However, I have now made a commitment to another
organiza-tion and will be
starting with them in two weeks.
It is my intention to work as much as possible over the next
two weeks to
make my resignation as smooth as possible. I want to
leave on a positive
note, and insure that my current business is transitioned to
you.
Please do not take my departure personally. An
opportunity is in front of
me that I am excited about, and I have already given them my
commitment. My
decision is made, and I hope that you can be happy for me.
Sincerely,
Rehearse your resignation, so that when you give it, you
sound firm and
unfaltering. Stand firm on your resolve to leave;
remind yourself why you
made the decision to leave, and what the new job is offering
you. Know that
your boss is programmed to instantly counter offer you, or
to try and guilt
you into staying. Rehearsing will help you to overcome the
guilt, and
gracefully decline the counteroffer.
Time your resignation wisely. The best time to resign
is at the end of the
day, and on a Monday or Tuesday. The end of the day
timing is for your
benefit. Resigning at 5:00 p.m. allows you to have your
resignation meeting,
and then allow you to distance yourself from the potential
discomfort by
leaving the office. If you resign in the morning, you have
to look at your
boss all day. But, by resigning at the day's end, you can
then leave, and
the night provides cooling off period. Also, it gives
you all day for final
preparations, in the event that your boss decides to ask you
to leave upon
resignation (some will appreci-ate the two week notice, but
may ask you to
leave, anyway).
Resigning on Monday or Tuesday is for your boss' benefit.
First of all,
resigning on a Friday will ruin his/her weekend. Also,
your boss will be in
a better business frame of mind on Monday, and will be able
to use the whole
week to begin making plans for handling your business.
What do you do if you cannot give a two-week notice?
Resigning with little,
or no notice is not the best way to leave. But, there are
times when it is u
navoidable, such as when the new company has a training
class that starts in
a few days, and missing it would mean months before the next
training would
be available. If you are faced with resigning on
Friday to start a new job
Monday, I recommend the following:
"Boss, I am very sorry about not being able to give a
proper, two week
notice. But, the position I accepted requires that I be in
Chicago for
training on Monday, and they didn't offer me this position
until last night.
If you need my help in the transition, I will be back from
training in two
weeks. I would be more than happy to close out
my business over the
weekend. If you need additional information, call me -
I'll check my voice
mail from Chicago and can try to squeeze in an evening call
to you to help."
My departing piece of advice - don't look back! You
have made your decision
to accept a new job. If things were so great in the
current job, you would
not have been on the job market to begin with. Look
forward with excitement
and enthusiasm. Do not let fear of change hold your
down and keep you stuck
in a rut. Your current boss may get emotional, but
deep down; he/she most
likely knows that you are on to a better opportunity. If you
handle your
resignation in a manner that provides a clean break for
everyone, they will
remember you as a great employee and a firm decision
maker. Good luck in
your new career!
Pat Mingarelle is a Vice President with National Register, a
national sales
and marketing recruiting firm. Pat has been placing sales
professionals
since 1989. Questions or comments to Pat can be directed to
him at:
patm@nrcols.com. Copyright © 2001, Patrick
Mingarelle