Posted by Karbo
Resigning from my first "real" job
"I asked to meet with you today because I have some news I'd like to share with you."
"OK - go ahead"
"....I think I'm going to be sick."
"Just say it quickly, like ripping off a band-aid. And please don't cry."
Does the above dialogue sound like the worst way to resign from a company? It's probably close - and it's how my practice run with Jason went the night before I gave notice to my managers.
I like to think I can comport myself with a respectable level of professionalism. But behind closed doors and right before a stressful situation, I'm pretty much a mental train wreck. I don't know how Jason did it but I didn't even know he gave his official resignation until he came home one day and said "oh yeah, I handed in my resignation today" before turning on the TV.
The difficulty with resigning was that I didn't hate my job and I also worked with a group of fantastic co-workers and mentors. I had interned at the firm while I was still in university and this was my first full-time job after graduating from university.
How do you quit for "personal reasons"?
Before giving notice, I googled different resignation scenarios and resignation letter templates. Most of the articles I found usually dealt with an employee leaving a company for another job or due to a spouse's relocation, etc. There was no "I'm resigning to travel the world for a year before I get married and settle down and then I'll see what happens" template.
From my now extensive experience of 1 official resignation, I can say that at the end of the day if you're leaving for personal reasons, you just go in and say that you are leaving for personal reasons. There's no need to elaborate on what those reasons are but if you are comfortable sharing your plans - go ahead! I told all my managers about our travel plans. I also told them about this blog - I don't know how many of them are actually reading it.
How it actually went
The actual day of giving notice went so much better than I had imagined it would. When you send a manager a meeting request to "discuss something" I feel they usually have a pretty good idea of what you're about to discuss and are a little prepared.
Everyone I talked to was incredibly supportive and understanding, which made it that much harder to resign. However, I'm so glad I got through it and now I feel more comfortable that everything is out in the open. During my round of good-byes, I learned that a few partners at the firm had done something similar earlier in their careers where they had taken a few months (or more) off work to travel. Knowing that and seeing where they are know in their careers gives me a bit more comfort of what's ahead!
Resigning from my first "real" job
"I asked to meet with you today because I have some news I'd like to share with you."
"OK - go ahead"
"....I think I'm going to be sick."
"Just say it quickly, like ripping off a band-aid. And please don't cry."
Does the above dialogue sound like the worst way to resign from a company? It's probably close - and it's how my practice run with Jason went the night before I gave notice to my managers.
I like to think I can comport myself with a respectable level of professionalism. But behind closed doors and right before a stressful situation, I'm pretty much a mental train wreck. I don't know how Jason did it but I didn't even know he gave his official resignation until he came home one day and said "oh yeah, I handed in my resignation today" before turning on the TV.
The difficulty with resigning was that I didn't hate my job and I also worked with a group of fantastic co-workers and mentors. I had interned at the firm while I was still in university and this was my first full-time job after graduating from university.
How do you quit for "personal reasons"?
Before giving notice, I googled different resignation scenarios and resignation letter templates. Most of the articles I found usually dealt with an employee leaving a company for another job or due to a spouse's relocation, etc. There was no "I'm resigning to travel the world for a year before I get married and settle down and then I'll see what happens" template.
From my now extensive experience of 1 official resignation, I can say that at the end of the day if you're leaving for personal reasons, you just go in and say that you are leaving for personal reasons. There's no need to elaborate on what those reasons are but if you are comfortable sharing your plans - go ahead! I told all my managers about our travel plans. I also told them about this blog - I don't know how many of them are actually reading it.
How it actually went
The actual day of giving notice went so much better than I had imagined it would. When you send a manager a meeting request to "discuss something" I feel they usually have a pretty good idea of what you're about to discuss and are a little prepared.
Everyone I talked to was incredibly supportive and understanding, which made it that much harder to resign. However, I'm so glad I got through it and now I feel more comfortable that everything is out in the open. During my round of good-byes, I learned that a few partners at the firm had done something similar earlier in their careers where they had taken a few months (or more) off work to travel. Knowing that and seeing where they are know in their careers gives me a bit more comfort of what's ahead!