How to Quit a Job: 5 Tips for Doing It Right

Explore how to quit a job and know the 5 tips for doing it right. Feel unsure about the best way to quit your job? These 5 tips will guide you.

Explore how to quit a job. Know the 5 tips for doing it right. Whether we’re leaving on good terms or bad, just the thought of quitting a job makes most of us anxious—much less actually quitting! Regardless of the situation, if you’ve worked for an employer for more than a year or so, your employer has likely invested time and other resources toward your development. You’ve built relationships with your boss, colleagues, and clients, so it’s natural to feel unsure about the best way to quit. 

You can’t be sure how your colleagues and boss will act when they hear the news, but you can make your exit professional and respectful by following some proper etiquette. While a lot has changed in the business world over the decades, quitting a job with the least collateral damage possible is always good form.  

Whether it breaks your heart to leave or you can’t wait to get out the door, here are 5 tips for how to quit a job leaving everyone’s dignity intact. 

1. Tell Your Boss First

Even if you and your colleagues are close, telling them you’re leaving before you tell your boss is a mistake. Someone could overhear or slip up and reveal your plans to move on before you’ve had a chance to even schedule a meeting with your employer. You could damage your reputation with your employer and future employers with this one unprofessional error. 

2. Do it In Person

Even in a time when people are fired or resign over Twitter and other social media platforms, quitting in person is still the professional thing to do. Knowing how to quit a job is knowing how to successfully do it in person. This particular tip of 5  for doing it right is important. Sending an email, leaving a letter on your boss’s desk, or going through human resources could make you seem ungrateful and unprofessional. 

3. Give Proper Notice

Knowing how to quit a job is to ensure that you give proper notice. The third one of these 5 tips for doing it right is by giving proper notice. What is proper notice? While a two weeks’ notice seems to be standard practice, it’s actually the minimum amount of notice you should give to stay in good graces. Depending on your role and the likelihood of finding a replacement quickly, a three- to four-week notice may be in order. You want to disrupt your employer’s business as little as possible and create a smooth transition. 

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4. Put it in Writing

A notice letter may seem like a formality, especially since you are quitting in such a professional manner, but putting your resignation in writing ensures everyone is in the loop. Besides that, a written notice can help clarify potential issues regarding your departure.

5. Make a Good Last Impression

This is critical on the list of how to quit a job. the last of the 5 tips for doing it right is ensuring that you make a good lasting impression. Maintaining, or even increasing, your productivity and contributions during your notice period shows that you are a professional. Leaving like this creates a strong lasting impression on your colleagues and employer, a great way to keep your network strong for future opportunities.  

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Whether you’re quitting the worst job in the world or you’re taking advantage of a golden opportunity, quitting your job like a professional is worth the effort. If you’re going to quit your job, do it the right way. Even if your employer is incompetent and disrespectful, taking the high road is the smart path to take.