Handing in your notice can evoke widely different feelings dependant on your reasons for doing it in the first place. Whatever the circumstances are, it can be a pretty big event. 

If you’ve spent the last year or more waking up each morning and scrolling through reasons in your head for why you can’t go into work, not being able to think of any, then dragging yourself in to sit with your cretinous co-workers, working on mind-numbing nonsense that you have zero interest in - handing in your notice will feel pretty sweet. 

Alternatively, if you’ve spent the last 10 years with a firm who took you on as a know-nothing grad, who have spent thousands of pounds and hours training you up, given you as much responsibility and as many promotions as they could, but just can’t quite offer you the long-term career you want, then handing in your notice will be a very different affair. 

In both cases, your approach should be exactly the same: be professional.

In situation one, whilst the temptation could be to throw your resignation letter at HR or your line manager, stick two fingers up and can-can dance your way out of the building, you should never, ever burn your bridges. Harrington Starr work in the financial technology markets which may seem like a huge place, but it really isn’t. It’s a very small world and you never know who you’re going to bump into down the career line. That manager you want to stick your fingers up to now could end up being the CEO/final sign-off for your dream role in 10 years’ time. Imagine that? You ain’t getting that job… You’ve managed to get through it for a year, just grit your teeth through your notice period, finish the project you’re working on and leave professionally. 

Situation two can be a little more difficult. Especially if you’re emotionally attached which after 10 years with a firm that’s looked after you well would be understandable. However, the advice is still absolutely the same. Be professional and remember, it’s nothing personal! If they’ve looked after you that well then you will have likely given as good as you got and you’re not going to leave them in the lurch, that’s what notice periods are for – to give them a chance to either restructure or find someone who can keep things going when you go. The sobering fact about this scenario is to remember that if the proverbial were to have hit the fan while you were working with them, they would have had to let you go. They wouldn’t have kept you on and kept paying you because they liked you and you’d been there for 10 years. It is business, after all. 

Handing your notice in is an event that will have an effect on you. It does to everyone. My advice once again in whatever scenario you find yourself in, is to be professional. 

I’m always more than happy to help with any advice I can if you’re planning on handing your notice in. Give me a call anytime and I’ll talk you through it. In the meantime, here’s a short template that might be useful for the resignation letter:

Dear manager,

Please accept this letter as confirmation of my resignation from the role of [insert role] at [insert company].

As per the terms of my employment contract, my last day will be [today’s date plus whatever your notice period is].

I would like to thank you for the opportunity given to me and wish you and everyone at [insert company name] the very best for the future. 

Kind regards,