So you’ve got a job and for whatever reason you receive an offer from another employer for a new job. Congrats! Here’s the caveat though: now you have you to tell your current employer you will be leaving. In some positions this may be easy. You may have been a temporary employee, or the expectation at the company may be for employees to leave. Other times though, it’s a little more complicated. Here are some tips for giving your two weeks notice in a professional, respectful, and honest way.
First, don’t wait. After you get another job offer it may be intimidating to give your two weeks notice. However, being upfront about the situation is the professional course of action. Let your boss know before anyone in the office, or before posting on social media to give him/her the proper amount of respect. If your employer already knows you received a job offer then you walking in to give your two weeks notice will become sufficiently more awkward. While it’s tempting to tell everyone right away, do the professional thing and wait until you’ve given your two weeks notice. You are likely to receive a much better reception than if your boss finds out through other channels. You never know what information he/she was given about the job offer and your new position.
When you do go to give your two weeks notice be sure to tell your employer how grateful you are to have worked at the company and for the chance you were given. Write a well-written letter of resignation and give it to your boss in a timely manner. Firmly establish that the new job offer is not indicative of your experience with your current employer, but rather an opportunity to explore a different career trajectory. You don’t want to make it appear as though your current job was merely a stepping stone for another position, but that rather you enjoyed both the job and the people you worked with and hope you can continue a relationship moving forward.
Giving your two weeks notice can be tough. You want to be professional and not diminish any good will with your current employer, but at the same time you’re excited to be moving on to a new position in your life. If you maintain a professional attitude and go through the process of leaving in a respectful fashion, you can easily transition to this exciting new phase of your career.
How did you handle giving your two weeks notice after receiving a job offer? Let us know about it in the comments section below!
IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr by Peter Kaminski
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