Get out and say as little as possible, be respectful.
Ask HN: How much to put in a resignation letter?
21–30 of 72 posts
Re: Ask HN: How much to put in a resignation letter?
#22You only include more stuff in your resignation letter if you think that you need to cover your butt from something going on in the organization. If there is some unethical, illegal or other bad conduct, it's your venue to put on the record your concerns and your disconnect from the situation.
Once you do this, you're setting the bridges on fire when you leave, so only do it to protect yourself.
Otherwise, say something like "Dear Boss, I'm resigning my position, effective xx/yy/zz. Thank you for the opportunity to contribute and I'm happy to assist in the transitioning my work."
Re: Ask HN: How much to put in a resignation letter?
#23I tried to give notice at AOL once. HR rejected the letter due to some expletives, and asked for a revised version. I then submitted a 1-sentence notice.
Lesson learned; don't swear in notices, but also keep it simple. Even if you tried to offer them your honest view of how things were, chances are they'd get filed in a drawer and stuck away.
It took a number of people handing notices day-by-day at AOL before HR clicked that something was wrong, so at that point they invited the Sales team to the NY office (the sales team hadn't been on an overseas trip before). It was a nice gesture of the company; shame that the people got food poisoning on the first night.
Re: Ask HN: How much to put in a resignation letter?
#24Put the bare minimum, and do not say anything about compensation, etc. As a3n says, just say you are leaving, and when your last day will be. When it comes to the exit interview, DO NOT SAY ANYTHING EITHER. It all goes into your employment record. You don't owe them any honesty, so just leave quietly and don't burn any bridges.
I would hesitate to deviate from this advice. Think of it this way, what do you have to gain by being honest? What do you have to lose? I think you'll see being anything other than polite and positive in your resignation letter offers nothing but downside.
To back this up with an anecdote:
I had one experience where I submitted a resignation (two weeks' notice) the same day as someone else in the company.
I said the bare minimum in my letter. When questioned by the CEO, division lead, and co-workers, I also said the bare minimum and kept it very neutral. The other person, on the other hand, decided this was their opportunity to express their anger and frustration.
As a result, their last two weeks were full of tense meetings, shouting matches, threats of lawsuit from both sides, and dirty things being said behind their back.
Meanwhile, my last two weeks were easy, stress-free, and nobody gave me a hard time. The CEO made me an offer to stay (which I declined), people were spreading positive things about me (I heard this through several trusted sources), and I generally left on a positive note.
The thing is, I felt the same anger and frustration as the other person. But as the parent said, I knew there was absolutely nothing to be gained by releasing any of it.
Re: Ask HN: How much to put in a resignation letter?
#25This is the body of a boilerplate template that I've used the last two times I've changed jobs: Please accept this letter as formal notification that I am leaving my position with [company name] on [full date of departure]. After much consideration I have decided to accept another job offer. My new position will enhance my career growth and will expose me to challenges and opportunities that I believe are in my best…
That's a good professional resignation letter - keep those bridges unburnt and leave on a positive note.
Re: Ask HN: How much to put in a resignation letter?
#26Ask yourself what purpose you wish to achieve? Do you want them to change their decision? Are you concerned that they might want to accuse you of leaving for some other reason, and you want to document it? Keep it short unless you want to achieve something specific, and then include only the verbiage relevant to that purpose.
What I'd like to achieve is an improved environment for the people I work with. The company is based in another country and the entire senior management are natives of that country, despite over 50% of the revenue being generated in my office. The lack of reward for exceeding quota is just the latest in a line of disrespectful behaviors. I have a better offer for a job I'm looking forward to starting, so there's noth…
> I don't think being frank will affect my ability to get references from the people here.
That's a mistake. You may see it as frank and constructive feedback, but they may see it as complaining and acting unprofessional. Is it really worth risking it?
Re: Ask HN: How much to put in a resignation letter?
#27Ask yourself what purpose you wish to achieve? Do you want them to change their decision? Are you concerned that they might want to accuse you of leaving for some other reason, and you want to document it? Keep it short unless you want to achieve something specific, and then include only the verbiage relevant to that purpose.
What I'd like to achieve is an improved environment for the people I work with. The company is based in another country and the entire senior management are natives of that country, despite over 50% of the revenue being generated in my office. The lack of reward for exceeding quota is just the latest in a line of disrespectful behaviors. I have a better offer for a job I'm looking forward to starting, so there's noth…
Keep in mind that an enormous amount of business is done through personal relationships. Future job offers, sales, and other opportunities will come from people you have worked with in the past and who respect you. So, focus on that.
Keep the formal resignation letter short. It's perfectly fine to include a few pleasantries (unless you plan to sue them for something in the future.)
Then, if you wish, have some private conversations with management and give them an honest assessment of how they could better achieve their own purposes. Keep the focus on helping them. Take your former bosses out for coffee they next time they visit. Give them insights that they would not other get. Keep up your relationships with your former colleagues as well.
That's the purpose you should keep in mind. It's more than not burning bridges. It's about creating future opportunities for yourself. Create lemonade from today's lemons.
Edit: do this even if they're all evil bastards. You never know what will come of it in the future.
Re: Ask HN: How much to put in a resignation letter?
#28Ask yourself what purpose you wish to achieve? Do you want them to change their decision? Are you concerned that they might want to accuse you of leaving for some other reason, and you want to document it? Keep it short unless you want to achieve something specific, and then include only the verbiage relevant to that purpose.
What I'd like to achieve is an improved environment for the people I work with. The company is based in another country and the entire senior management are natives of that country, despite over 50% of the revenue being generated in my office. The lack of reward for exceeding quota is just the latest in a line of disrespectful behaviors. I have a better offer for a job I'm looking forward to starting, so there's noth…
Don't put it in the resignation letter.
If you really want to let them know why, tell them in the exit interview.
If they don't perform an exit interview, well that tells you they give no fucks about what you think anyways, so you'd be wasting your breathe.
Re: Ask HN: How much to put in a resignation letter?
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would hesitate to deviate from this advice. Think of it this way, what do you have to gain by being honest? What do you have to lose? I think you'll see being anything other than polite and positive in your resignation letter offers nothing but downside.
To back this up with an anecdote: I had one experience where I submitted a resignation (two weeks' notice) the same day as someone else in the company. I said the bare minimum in my letter. When questioned by the CEO, division lead, and co-workers, I also said the bare minimum and kept it very neutral. The other person, on the other hand, decided this was their opportunity to express their anger and frustration. As a…
I've found the best way to do this is:
* Have a proper emergency fund (6-12 weeks). You should not be counting on any pay after you give notice.
* Have references outside of your immediate current manager
* On Friday, "today is my last day"
* Still be honest why you're leaving
Two weeks notice is a courtesy you're not required to extend to an employer (EDIT: This is US-centric advice, please verify this is true in your non-US jurisdiction), and you should only do so if you're on good terms.
Re: Ask HN: How much to put in a resignation letter?
#30Couple of anecdotal factoids for you from a career veteran.
#1 The tech industry is small. #2 The circles you move in are smaller.
Keep it professional, keep it simple, and always resign with decorum.
Many others have stated here the purpose of a resignation letter, but I would add that I extend it to verbal too.