Resign the Right Way
August 1974 was not a good time for American President Richard M. Nixon. Two years into the Watergate scandal, Nixon was facing impeachment charges in the House of Representatives, which would mean a subsequent trial by the Senate. Legend has it that Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, House Minority Leader John Rhodes, and Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott approached the President and laid bare the facts. He would be impeached by the House, convicted at the Senate trial, and removed from office. These party members assured him that events would play out no other way, and they implored him to resign instead. Mr. Nixon announced his resignation in a televised broadcast on August 8, 1974. He formally submitted his resignation that same day to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The resignation was succinct and to the point:
Dear Mr. Secretary:
I hereby resign the Office of President of the United States.
Sincerely,
Richard M. Nixon
August 9, 1974
You’re probably wondering why we are returning to the 1970s for this history lesson. The reason is simple. We are in the midst of the hottest candidate market in history. This has been colloquially termed “The Great Resignation.” Over the last 12 months, I have come to realize that many people don’t know how to resign or what the best approach is. The best way to resign is to do so briefly and directly. Mr. Nixon had a massive scandal and a public relations crisis hanging over his head. But his actual resignation was brilliant. In fewer words than the limits of a Tweet, he resigned from the most powerful job in the world. If the President of the United States can resign his position without going into gory details of his reasoning, so can you. My top-line advice for resigning is to keep it simple, but here are some more specific tips:
Tell your manager verbally and then follow up with written confirmation. Talk with your manager. Simply state that you are leaving the company, resigning from your role and that X date will be your last day of employment. Follow up with an email to your manager with a copy to your HR rep.
But why? Where are you going? You don’t need to give any details. The reasons for your resignation are yours and are of no concern to your employer. A good way to respond to this is to say, "I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to work here, but I need to take my career in another direction.” It’s non-committal and puts the onus on you and your decision rather than on something the employer has done, like creating a toxic culture.
Can I resign by text? I guess you can, but please don’t do this.
What about the exit interview? I don’t recommend you waste your time with exit interviews, either. I had a client who resigned from a company where she worked for 10 years. Her manager and HR rep were shocked, and HR wanted her to do the exit interview. She told me that every single person on her team had left, yet no one from HR contacted her to see why this mass exodus occurred. Bottom line, if they cared about your input or the reasons people were leaving, they would have addressed this with you before you decided to leave.
Give notice. Ideally, you don’t want to make your resignation effective the day you give it. Give your employer some time to come up with a plan for how to handle your departure. Two weeks is standard and is more than enough time.
Resign with grace, dignity, and class, and try to leave on good terms. Work with your manager on a transition plan and begin offloading assignments. Return all company property and remove your personal property if you work in an office setting. Be prepared for an adverse reaction—many managers regard resignations as personal affronts, which they absolutely are not. A resignation is a strategic decision you make for the betterment of your career. After all, you, not your employer, industry, or manager, are in charge of your career trajectory.