h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Should a resignation letter be short, professional and to the point or should you use the opportunity to let rip with both barrels?

Do you need a reference?

It depends on the circumstances of your leaving.

If you're staying in the same industry but moving to a different firm, be polite & professional.

If you hate your job and have just won £10m on the lottery, and have no intention of *ever working again* - Open fire! All weapons! Dispatch war rocket Ajax to bring back his body!

RF

Very definitely short, professional and to the point.

Larger organisations often have optional 'exit interviews' - if there's one of those, that's an opportunity to say some things in a quasi-off the record manner. Maybe.

I did a polite and succinct letter, with plans to let rip during the exit interview. The interview consisted of me going on at length about long strings of management cock-ups, a complete lack of oversight and control, accusations of serious favouritism ...

To which the HR women, who'd clearly heard it all before, just replied "So, career progression then?"

Short and professional - always.

Dear Sir,

I announce one month's notice of my resignation from my position as Assistant Peon with Acme Industries. My last working day will be 14th November 2007.

Yours sincerely, etc.


Always leave 'em wanting more...

Icy

I'd go with short and professional. If you hate the job and hate your boss, and don't want a reference, then I would let rip with both barrels in person. It's infinitely more satisfying.

Let rip with both barrels, definitely. Really rant, get it off your chest.

Then rip it up and write the short, professional and to the point version.

You never know when something like that might come back and bite you in the bum.

Deb

With skill and daring
Manifest ripest contempt
End with a haiku.

Now *there's* a thought

C'mon then creative genii - can anyone come up with a resignation haiku?

Like leaves of autumn
Blustered by the random winds
I say your job blows.

B

Not a haiku, but I liked the telegram one (was it Auberon Waugh?) where the editor was taking him to task for not submitting copy, and tried to keep the telegram cheap by using as few words as possible.

Ed: "Why un-news? Un-news = un-job".

AW: "Up stick job asswise".

I would definitely keep it short and to the point, even if it's a career change. That way, there's no mark on you and you're less likely to burn bridges, which can hurt you long term on any job. You never know if the place you want to work at has ties to your former job (through workers, doing business with each other, etc.)

While I don't know why you want to tender a resignation, there is another reason for handling it with tact. If you are rude to the person who's receiving your resignation and you specify two weeks, they'll try their best to get you out of there as fast as possible so a. They don't have to pay you for the whole time - and possibly forfeit your rights to getting any payments owed to you and b. They can get someone in your position faster.

There is a c. In the unlikely chance you do have to rescind it, you're more likely to keep your position. That said, the bosses could want you gone fast anyway and hire your replacement in two days (that has happened to me - and I was a good, hard worker), but you at least have a better chance at the bosses understanding something fell through.

I have to give 3 months notice - and if they ask me to leave right after I hand in my resignation - they still have to pay me.

So when it finally happens -I will be dropping hints that I am going to a major competitor.

Anyway to answer the question: short and professional. get your reference. Then tell them, tactfully, why you are leaving. Or not. I have found that in the past I've wanted to let them have it with both barrels but by the time it's come to me leaving it wasn't worth it and I didn't care any more.

Why on earth would you want to rant in a resignation letter? Do you really think the company would listen and take action?

If not, then it's only for your own benefit.

Short and functional.

Ranting or functional (and I've done both in the past) I think it's always worth including a few bits about what you've done well, just in case of a future ref.

eg "I particularly enjoyed working on the underwater hurdling project..." or "I valued the time when I was given the opportunity to push treacle uphill with a pin...".

When I reluctantly left a job I didn't want to leave, but had to, I made sure I thanked the person for all the help I'd had over the years, and for the chance to work there, and that I was only leaving due to circumstances, not the job or people and that I hoped to be able to work with some of them again in the future.

Not only did they say it was the best resignation letter they'd ever had, but they couldn't wait to grab me back when I got made redundant from the new job four months later.

So no burning bridges!

Thanks all. I've calmed down now, but was furious at a received e-mail on Friday which tipped me towards a decision I'd been contemplating for a while. Yes, I wrote a full-throttle, no holds barred resignation letter.

Then I wrote another one.

Then another.

Before I sent the succinct, professional one today.