Know why you're resigning -Before looking for a new role, ensure you understand the reasons you

are wanting
to change employer as sometimes these things can be addressed by discussions with your manager- particularly
around salary.
If you are leaving your current employer for monetary reasons, you are far better off asking for additional money
prior to searching the job market. This gives your employer a chance to resolve your concerns, and will also save
your reputation in the external market. It can become very frustrating for future employers and recruitment
consultants representing you if you waste time searching the market when really you could have avoided a lot of
time wasted.

Resign face to face with your manager -It's usually better to resign in person by arranging a meeting with your
manager to run through your decision. Prepare in advance how you intend to advise of your decision and be sure
you are well prepared as this can at times be a difficult discussion- particularly where you have a good working
relationship with your manager. You should expect a reaction from your manager and potentially disappointment
in your decision- particularly if you haven’t had any lead up discussions around the possibility of moving on. Your
manager many wish to know specifics of your new position which you may choose not to disclose- particularly if
you are going to a competitor. Just emphasize that you have made your decision and would prefer not to go into
detail at this stage. Do emphasize the positives about your current position and company and always leave the
meeting on a positive note- remember also that your manager may need to give a reference so it’s important to
keep everything as positive as you can.

Follow up with a letter or email -Keep your resignation letter or email short and professional. Ensure that you
include the date that your resignation is effective, and thank your current manager for the opportunities you have
had during your employment. It is important never to include anything negative in your letter, regardless of your
circumstances as you don’t want to burn bridges and taint your professional profile.

Stay focused and remain positive -Although it can be challenging to stay motivated once you’ve resigned,
ensure you ask what you can assist with and remain focused for your last weeks.

Dealing with a counter offer -there is a chance that when you resign (particularly where you have been offered
a higher salary with your future employer) that you will be counter offered. If you have followed the advice above
and asked for an increase before searching the job market, this should not have any impact on your decision- as
it demonstrates that your employer didn’t value your initial discussion. It is also a researched fact that 80% of
employees who stay for a counter offer end up leaving their employer within 6 months- it is very rare that $ will fix
any existing concerns with an employer.
If you require additional coaching and advice before resigning, please speak with your Seed Talent consultant for
some coaching.

How to Resign Gracefully

Today's employer is tomorrow's referee. Although it may be a fantasy for some to walk into their manager's office
and tell them what to do with their job, it really does not benefit them in the long run.

A bad resignation process can lead to bad blood between your employer and yourself, potentially damaging your
future job prospects and making it hugely difficult for us to place you.

A graceful resignation will enable not only a transparent transition during the notice period; it will also contribute
to warm relations long term.

Recommendations:
 Prior to the job hunting process even beginning, be open and transparent with your recruiter and your
supervisor. This will help avoid the worst case scenario of you coming to us for a new role while acting in
haste
 Have a plan prior to resignation day. Be prepared for the worst, remain calm, keep dialogue non-emotional
and professional, and have a signed letter to support your verbal resignation.
 Write a letter of resignation prior to the meeting with management. Draft short, professional and direct
communication. The letter should confirm your intention to leave, the date the meeting occurred and your
anticipated last day of employment. Keep your resignation letter short, simple and to the point. There's no
need to go into detail about your new job, or what led to your decision to leave. If these issues are important
to your old employer, he'll schedule an exit interview for you, at which time you can hash out your differences.
 Refrain from explaining too much in the resignation meeting, as the conversation may turn personal and
emotive. Stick with the "better opportunity" angle if tenure was unhappy. Also tell that your decision to leave
was made carefully and doesn't reflect any negative feelings you have toward the company or the staff.
 Resign at the end of the day, in private, and ideally at the start of the week. Your resignation should be
handled in person. Ask your direct supervisor if you can speak with him or her privately in their office. Yes
some people say resign at start of the day so you can leverage of the emotional support of your co-workers.
This can be seen as a mutiny by your manager and a distraction to the rest of their team. Remember - a
manager's job is to manage the team to meet their team target, any distraction to that end can put a bad taste
in their mouth.
 Refrain from telling your co-workers until the manager has been communicated the resignation. Talking to
other staff before you leave creates upsets.
 Be prepared to be counter offered, but remember that an alarmingly high percentage (60%) of workers that
do stay on will generally leave within their first year after a counter offer. Unless your reason for leaving is
money related, you should also add that your decision is final and that you would prefer not to be made a
counteroffer, since you wouldn't want your refusal to accept more money to appear as a personal affront.
 Let your supervisor know that you appreciate all the company's done for you and that you'll do everything in
your power to make your departure as smooth and painless as possible.
 Ask if there's anything that you can do during the transition period (until you leave), such as help train your
successor, tie up loose ends, or delegate tasks.
 Never to burn a bridge. Keep in touch with co-workers and mentors. This has the added bonus that their
networks can have a flow-on effect for your networks.
 In all likelihood, the human resource staff will want to meet with you to process your departure papers, return
keys or cover any questions you may have, like the transfer of your superannuation.
Handing over your post
Unless you want to be called on the mobile every time an issue arises about your past job/post or you want to be
blamed for everything that goes wrong with your post in absence you need to write up your details of the role you
performed.

A good post write up contains as a minimum the following:

 Summary of where you are at with currently active projects
 Contact details of all people needed to be spoken to in regards to completing your duties
 List of your successful actions in doing the role
 Instructions on how to do your role.
From experience I have found that many post write ups can be written up glibly by the departing person. By this I
mean that they leave out key data and supply vague data. Having the person taking over the post inspect the
write up and once satisfied with it - sign off on the completeness of the post write up means that the new person
cannot blame you for any handed over projects failing.

How do I resign in the right way?

Sooner or later we all get to the point where we need to resign from our job to pursue the next stage of our career. A lot
of people fear the whole process of resigning so they don’t handle it very well.

There is definitely a right way and a wrong way to resign. Doing it the wrong way can lead to bad feelings between you
and your employer, or worse, a bad reference. Doing it the right way will contribute to continued success in your
personal and career development.
Considering your options before you make a decision

When you’re getting ready to resign ask yourself these questions:

 what is the real reason why you are leaving this job? Be honest!
 are you committed to leaving? Make a list of the reasons of why you should resign.
 have you exhausted all possibilities of advancement in this organisation?
 would you still leave if you were offered more money or a promotion?
 how is your career going with this organisation? Ask your boss or your personnel or HR manager to assess how they
think you're doing.
 will you really be better off in your new job? Consider money, location, career and personal development as the main
factors.
 ask your family – is it the best thing for them? How do they think you should progress?
 what does your heart say? What does your head say?
Before making any announcement:
 make sure you know what you are doing
 be prepared
 be positive.

Managing the face-to-face resignation meeting

Work out what you're going to say and then stick to it

If necessary, note down the main points to solidify them in your mind. The boss will try to probe you for more information
than you may want to give. Don’t be obstructive: just make it clear that you are submitting an oral resignation.

Emphasise the positives

Unless you move town or switch industries, there’s always a chance that you will come in contact with your former
employers at some point in the future.
For this reason, don’t dwell on the negative aspects of your time there, or criticise the way things are run, even if they
ask you for details. No one really wants criticism, no matter how constructive.

Expect a reaction
Unless your boss is expecting you to resign, your decision may come as a surprise. They may get emotional or even
confrontational, when it is more important than ever to stick to your prepared comments.

Keep your cool

The boss may by now no longer see you as a team player and may even feel betrayed. Once again, stick to your pre-
prepared comments and try not to rise to the challenge. Speak in measured tones, maintain eye contact, and regulate
your breathing.

Be helpful
Always leave the meeting on a good note and be as co-operative as possible. Stress that you will hand over any
uncompleted work to the best of your ability, and arrange your work so that your replacement can pick up where you left
off with a minimum of delay. People remember both the first and last impression you make on them

Writing a letter of resignation

A written letter of resignation always gives you more time to prepare what you want to say and gives you greater control
of your message. Use this opportunity constructively.
In its simplest form, a resignation letter should only include the following information: name, date, the person it is
addressed, notice of termination of employment, when this is effective from and finally, your signature.

For example:
Dear <recipient’s name>,
As requested by my contract of employment I hereby give you <your notice period> weeks’
notice of my intention to leave my position as <your job title>.
I wish both you and <the name of your employer> every good fortune. I would like to thank
you for having me as part of your team.
Yours sincerely,
<Your name and signature>
Assessing counter-offers
Be prepared for a counter-offer, and consider it seriously. You may be offered the very things you are hoping to get by
switching jobs, such as a higher salary, a move to another location, a step up the career ladder.

Consider the effect on yourself

When considering a counter-offer, review your list of reasons for resigning, and ask yourself:

 is this what you really want?

 has anything changed?
 why did you take the decision to resign in the first place?
 does this offer address all of your reasons for resigning?

Consider the effect on others

Importantly, consider whether you will have the same standing within the company. The boss may now be doubtful of
your 100% commitment to the firm, so perhaps it would be better to move on.
If you decide to accept a counter-offer this may mean disappointing your prospective employers. If so, how will this
affect your integrity with them? Again, you never know when you may have to deal with them in the future.

Leaving on the right note

Give proper notice
Make sure that you’ve at least the required amount of notice of your intention to leave. This period should be stated in
your contract or in the Company handbook. If your contract doesn’t define a notice period, you should assume that you
need to provide 4 weeks’ notice.

Take what’s owed to you

Work out what leave entitlements, bonuses, commission payments or outstanding salary are owed to you and negotiate
a fair settlement.

Make the handover as smooth as you can

Make sure that you’ve completed any outstanding tasks and participated in the smooth handover of any unfinished
work. Try to leave your tasks in good order so your replacement can pick up where you left off relatively easily; if you
leave a shambles for them to clean up they will curse your name. Ensure that your boss knows that you’ve actively
participated in this process and that you have been as co-operative as possible

Don’t burn your bridges

Take time to speak to all of your colleagues and associates. Give them support and make positive comments about
their contribution to your time there. Try to remain in touch, because again, you never know when they’ll play a role in
your personal and career development in the future.