Updated June 13, 2023
Resignation Letter Content
The content of a resignation letter acts as a formal and professional announcement of an employee’s decision to leave their job. It normally includes important information such as the date of resignation, the effective date, and the reason for leaving (optional).
By providing this information, the letter helps ensure that the resignation process is clear and organized for both the employer and the employee. Additionally, the letter may express gratitude to the employer for the opportunities and experiences gained during employment.
Tips To Write A Professional Resignation Letter –
This article will first discuss a few things you must consider while writing a resignation letter to the company. Then we will provide you with a step-by-step process of how to write a formal resignation letter.
At last, we will talk about what not to write in your letter so that you can get a comprehensive idea about writing a resignation letter.
While Writing a Resignation Letter
There are things most people ignore, but not you. Have a look at the following pointers before you begin to write a formal resignation letter.
Be Polite
You may have a lot of anger boiling inside you against your employer. It’s usually a stupid idea to thrash your employer on the resignation letter. But don’t show it in your letter.
The letter is an official document. And if you’re not polite, it may show who you are. And the people who would try to prove you inappropriate for a job could do that by pointing out the resignation letter content. So leave no room for being called a misbehaved fellow.
Don’t write the letter on the same day as the fight
It’s not unusual to see executives (especially freshers) submit their resignation letters with short notice on the day of the fight with their boss. But it’s not a great idea at all.
Fighting is naturally common in an organization when employers and employees neither try to understand each other nor display the righteousness of their ideas.
But the truth is any decision taken just after the fight won’t be right. Rather, take your time, find out why you want to resign, and then if you still feel you need to submit the resignation letter with the notice period, go and do it.
Don’t resign before you have an opportunity or idea
It seems obvious, but we have seen many executives resign even before having a job in their hand or an idea about making ends meet. Don’t make this mistake. Once you write a formal resignation letter with a notice period and send it to your employer’s office, and if s/he accepts the letter, you can’t take it back.
Say ‘thank you’
Even when you feel excited to leave the job, don’t forget to say ‘thank you.’ Don’t think that saying words of gratitude will make you an imposter. Even if the job isn’t good enough, it has offered you a bare minimum to live. You can be grateful for that, at least. You could send a brief letter expressing gratitude or a short ‘thank you’ note.
Find a Replacement
Employers don’t say it always, but if you know your position is impactful and if you just leave, it will affect the company, you should find a replacement. You can talk to the employer about it and train a junior for a month or two, and then you can submit your resignation letter with a notice period.
Maintain a healthy relationship before leaving
Before submitting a resignation letter, ensure you have a warm relationship with everyone (it may not be everyone, but most people).
Leave all the conflicts at bay, greet everyone you know, and meet the important persons in the company before writing the resignation letter. It will help you when you need to offer any reference/s in your future employment/s.
How to write a Resignation Letter (including a sample)?
Writing a resignation letter is a process to end something that started some time back.
We will discuss the benefits afterward, but let’s look at how you can easily write a great resignation letter.
There are just three steps to writing great resignation letter.
First Step: Introduction
The first step is to write the introduction for your resignation letter. To start with:
- Don’t try to overwhelm your employer with flashy words and fluffy phrases.
- Keep it simple.
- Start with simple addressing and, as you do, the introduction for other letters.
Example:
Dear Sir,
Please accept this letter as a formal intimation that I am resigning from my position as (mention the designation) with (company name). My last day working with (company name) would be (date of official resignation from your post).
Second Step: Saying Thank You
It’s simple. You need to say thank you in the body after you break the news. As we mentioned, you don’t need to feel like an imposter to thank the company.
You would do it for two reasons – one, even if this job you’re resigning from is not good enough, at least it fed you and your family; two, you might need your employer’s reference later in any employment opportunities. So, keep the windows open and say thank you.
Example:
…..
I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me this opportunity to serve, and I had a great time working with you. I have greatly cherished the opportunities I’ve been given (mention some job responsibilities) and the things I learned (mention some things you’ve learned) while working here.
Whatever I’ve experienced and learned here will add tremendous value to my prospects and greatly impact my career.
Third Step: Dealing with Transition
While you will give your resignation, the employer has to find someone to replace you. So to help them with the transition and to prove that you’re there till your last day, you need to add one or two lines.
Don’t write anything you can’t deliver; don’t promise anything that would not be possible for you. But it’s to ensure you’re there with the employer until the last day and ready to help them with this transition.
Example:
…..
…..
During this period, while I am on notice period, I will make sure that the work I have taken over has been completed, and I will train my team members to take care of the rest. Please let me know if I can do anything to aid you during this transition.
I wish the company magnificent growth and continued success in the future.
If you have read this far, you can write a resignation letter on your own. But we want to ensure you don’t go haywire while writing your resignation letter content.
Thus we will make it more comprehensive. Let’s look at the types of resignation letter content and how they’re relevant.
Types of Resignation Letter Content
Resignation Letter Content – Detailed
If you have good years of experience with the employer, you may want to provide details about why you’re leaving the organization.
In this resignation letter, after the introduction, you need to add a paragraph detailing the reason for leaving the job. But be careful that you understand that mentioning the reason may act against you. So think a while before you write a detailed resignation letter content.
Resignation Letter Content – Standard
It’s just the normal resignation letter content that we described above. It will have three sections – introduction, thank you note, and transitional details.
Resignation Letter Content – Formal
In this type of resignation letter, you don’t want to share any information with the employer. In this case, you will provide bare-bone information through your resignation letter content.
This type of resignation letter content only contains two sections – introduction and the date of resigning officially and nothing else.
Resignation Letter Content – Shortened Notice Period
Writing a resignation letter, including a request to shorten the notice period, is often difficult because the employer doesn’t accept the letter of shortened notice. In this case, you need to write exactly similar standard resignation letter content with an additional paragraph.
You need to mention that even if you are supposed to serve a notice period of a specific time (months or weeks), you’re reducing it to days/weeks/months (the time duration for which you serve the notice).
You must also clearly say why you want to reduce the notice period (the additional paragraph). Convince your employer by stating that you would ensure the smooth handover of the project you’re handling currently.
Resignation Letter Content – Extended Notice Period
Very few people do this, but this type of resignation letter is for when you don’t want to leave your current project unfinished. You need to write the standard letter. Along with that, you also need to mention why you want to extend the notice period.
When you decide to extend the notice period, there are two things the employer may feel. One, s/he will feel proud to have you as an employee to see your work ethic, which will work well for you later.
If the employer has already found your replacement and planned to reduce costs (as you’re leaving within a few months), s/he may not feel happy. But convince them about the same.
Resignation Letter Content – Retirement
This type of resignation letter should be written differently as the person writing will retire from the company. Maintain the same form but add some more in the resignation letter content. Describe your experience in the company in brief and thank the employer for helping you grow in this company.
There are many benefits to being able to write great resignation letter content. Here are some of them –
- Resignation letter content serves the need for conveying the hard thing in a simply digestible manner.
- It serves as a reference for future employment.
- It helps the employer understand the situation clearly and decide the next action.
- By writing a nice, articulated resignation letter content, you make sure that you’ve thought about your decision to leave the organization and that you didn’t decide to leave the organization just in a spur of a moment.
- It shows how good you’re as an employee and how well you served the company during your tenure.
- A resignation letter is a formality you should do to ensure that the employment process is duly closed by serving the same.
What not to include in the resignation letter content
We’ve discussed in detail how you should write a resignation letter with a notice period that helps you bid adieu to your current company. But there are things you shouldn’t include in your resignation letter. Here’s a list.
- Don’t write your letter in an informal manner, even if the employer is your friend in your personal life. Maintain formal communication.
- Don’t be impolite in your tone of voice.
- Don’t make it more than 4-5 paragraphs. To get an idea about words, don’t write a resignation letter content that is more than 500 words.
- Don’t write anything in detail. A letter is just a place to mention the outline. Talk to the employer directly if you need to express yourself in detail.
- Don’t complain, even if you have many complaints against your employer, as this can be proof of your character, not theirs.
- Don’t forget to include a thank you. If you’re angry or depressed with the employer, you can skip it (not the norm), but not otherwise.
- Don’t use any fluffy words or sentences. Write it in simple and conversational phrases.
Conclusion
Overall, a well-written resignation letter can help maintain a positive professional relationship between the employee and the employer and help ensure a smooth and respectful transition out of a job.
Happy ending! Simply take a pen and paper, keep this article as a guide, and start writing. You don’t need to go elsewhere if you read this guide and apply your learning while writing the resignation letter content.
