Congratulations! You’ve landed the job! Now you are faced with the delicate challenge of resigning from your current employer without burning bridges, and saying good-bye to friends and colleagues.

Prepare a resignation letter (see example below). Then, you will make an appointment with your manager to respectfully explain your decision. Your manager needs to hear that your decision is firm and final, and that you are committed to your new employer. Express appreciation for the opportunities that your former employer has given you.

Be careful not to get lured into any discussions other than your resignation, such as how your employer wants to handle your final weeks or the transition of your current responsibilities and projects.

Sample Resignation Letter

Below is a sample resignation letter to help get you started. You can download a copy of this letter in MS Word document format by RIGHT-clicking on the link below and selecting “Save Link As” or “Save Target As,” then saving to your computer’s hard drive.

Date

Mr. Current Employer
ABC Co.
111 First Street
Local City, JC 00001

Dear Current,

I am writing this letter to inform you that I am leaving ABC Co. on __________, 20__. I have accepted employment with another company and will be starting within two weeks. I have enjoyed working with you and all the people here at ABC Co. and will miss you all.

I thank you for all the experience I have gained while at ABC Co. It was a tough decision, but I made it by carefully deciding what was best for my family and my future advancement. I am excited about this new opportunity and the advancement it will offer.

As you may need to replace me, I would be more than happy to speak to any potential candidates to share with them how much I have enjoyed ABC Co. and what they should know to be successful. Thank you again for being a great company to work for these past years.

Sincerely,

Current Candidate