How to Write a Resignation Letter?

When your time at a company ends, sending a well-worded resignation letter to HR or the specific department in charge beforehand is important. This type of notice is a professional and cordial manner of informing those in charge of your intention to quit, the timeline, and other important information. 

While everyone knows the concept of resignation letters, there remains some confusion regarding the overall framing of these letters. Are you wondering the same? Read through this guide to know how to prepare this type of content and related details. 

What is a Resignation Letter?

A resignation letter is a formal document for notifying the employer about leaving the company. Employees submit this type of form in a printed letter format or email, and it makes the departure more official.

The resignation letter is a written notice for ending employment at a company and includes details like the departure reason and the end date. 

Reasons to Write a Resignation Letter

In most companies, sending a formal resignation letter to the HR department that they store in their database is important. They keep the letter in the employment file if the new potential employer contacts them about their work history confirmation. Therefore, a short and polite letter is ideal to submit to their current company before leaving the job.  

The following are the most common reasons employees must prepare and submit resignation letters. 

• Lack of any new or profitable career growth opportunities with the current company. 
• Some employees resign to improve their work-to-life ratio. 
• Another common reason is better benefits and pay hikes. 
• Some employees quit their job to go back to academic life, like focusing more time on pursuing higher studies.  
• Some people quit their current jobs due to personal dissatisfaction with the line of work and an interest in exploring other career paths. 
• Poor management or similar dissatisfaction with the work culture in the current company can prompt one to resign and pursue other opportunities. 

Things to Include in a Resignation Letter

It would help if you strived to be informative but not keep the note overly lengthy. Therefore, the following are some of the most important elements you should add to the resignation letter.

1. The Main Intention for Resigning

One of the most important pieces of information you should provide in your resignation letter is why you wish to resign. Employees leave their current workspace for various reasons, and it is important to provide yours to your employer for better transparency. This gives clarity of the situation to the employer and informing them is a sign of respect. 

2. Last Date of Employment 

Another crucial element to add to the resignation letter is the expected last date of employment. Typically, companies require employees to submit the resignation letter one month before their intended last working day. Then, they search for a notice period till the last specified date. By that time, the employer has another applicant to fill the position. 

3. Offering Help with the Transition 

When a long-term employee leaves the job, that is challenging for employers since they will have more work pressure. Thus, it is important not to leave a company last minute and give them a reasonable notice period to prepare for new employee training or recruitment. In this case, you should offer to help with the transition phase in your resignation letter, like training the person you will take over your tasks. 

4. Contact Information

Before leaving the job, you should provide your contact information in the resignation letter. This will help the employers from the company you are leaving can contact you in the future for information verifications or other reasons. The HR staff will keep the information in the employee file for future reference. 

5. Leaving Questions 

If there are some queries you have with the employer, you can add them to the email or letter-based resignation notice. These include questions related to the final benefits and last payment, like how long it will take to get the final compensation, etc. Then, the employer will provide the necessary clarification to you. 

What to Avoid while Writing a Resignation Letter?

Besides the things to add, you should know what is a strict no when writing resignation letters. Here are some of these tips. 

1. Avoid Adding Negative Information 

In some cases, someone wants to leave a job because of their negative experience with the company. If that is the case for you, avoid adding that information in the resignation letter, like you getting a better opportunity than their company. 

2. Critiques or Complaints are a Strict no 

In the resignation letter, people put information about their reason for departure. But being polite, concise, and professional about it is important. In this case, avoid critiquing their staff or complaining about their services in the resignation letter. 

3. Avoid Showing Signs of Excitement 

It is understandable that for some employees, resigning from a job is a mark of freedom, especially if their experience was not good. Or, some people want to leave the job because they got a better offer elsewhere. In either case, avoid showing your excitement to leave in the resignation letter, as it is disrespectful. 

4. Avoid Mentioning Money Matters 

You should not mention that in the resignation letter if you want a better salary at a new job. However, if you want a counteroffer to stay in the job and the current pay grant is unsatisfactory, discuss that in person with your employer. 

Examples of Resignation Letters 

To better understand, here are some resignation letter examples for reference.

Example 1: Resignation because of personal reasons 

Subject: [EMPLOYEE NAME]– Resignation
Dear [EMPLOYER NAME], 
Please accept this formal notice as my resignation from [POSITION NAME] from [COMPANY NAME] on [DATE]. 
Over my tenure at this company, I have enjoyed my time with the team at your company, and I am extremely thankful for the opportunities and support you have given me. However, due to personal reasons, I regretfully decided to submit this resignation. Please let me know if I can assist during the transition phase. 
Sincerely, 
[EMPLOYEE NAME]
[Email id] 
[Phone number]

Example 2: Short Notice Resignation Letter 

Subject: [EMPLOYEE NAME]– Resignation
Dear [EMPLOYER NAME], 
Please accept this as my notice of resignation from [COMPANY NAME]. My final working day will be on [DATE and DAY]. 
Firstly, I must apologize for sending this at such short notice. I have enjoyed working with your team and have learned much over my time of employment with your company. Please inform me of what ways I can help with this transition period. 
Sincerely, 
[EMPLOYEE NAME]
[Email id] 
[Phone number]

Conclusion

Now that you know how to frame a resignation letter, use these instructions and references to compose a suitable one. Make multiple drafts to see which covers all the information you need to add but remains short and straightforward. Then, make your final submission. Do not write anything in haste and definitely go through what you have written in order to avoid any confusion.

FAQs

Q1. Is writing a resignation letter compulsory?

In some companies, employees must provide a resignation before quitting, while some businesses do not require any formal notification. You can discuss with the employer beforehand the relevant protocols for them. 

Q2. What is the average time of notice?

Typically, companies need two weeks of notice for resignation. Some companies need at least 30 days due to more formalities needing to be completed.

Q3. How long should the resignation letter be?

Keep your resignation letter short, simple, and straightforward. Making the notice too long with an elaborate explanation will verge on personal rather than professional, and you should avoid that.