How to Resign From Your Job Without Looking Like a Quitter
Despite economic uncertainty, the global workforce faces a surprising movement: the Great Resignation. With more people wondering how to resign from their jobs, the term "The Great Resignation" unofficially refers to the worldwide network of employees who want a fresh start.
This trend has no borders. It hasn't even spared Singapore, with about 49 percent of the local workforce showing interest in a job change in 2021.
But is quitting so bad? In this productivity-obsessed WFH environment, job resignation is being made to look like a weak choice. However, as the younger generation is beginning to understand, this isn't always the case. The pandemic puts everything into perspective: while work is necessary for our lives, work isnotlife. You should not feel ashamed to realign your priorities to create a life of passion and purpose.
Resigning isn't the end of the world, and while some cultures might demonize it, remember that quitting is essentially about closing one door to open another. If there are better opportunities for your professional and personal growth, then why not take it? What is holding you back?
If you're thinking of resigning but are still conscious of being perceived as a quitter, here's a guide on how to go about resignations properly—and professionally. You can't quit at the drop of a hat. There need to be safety pillars in place, like a nest egg or a job offer, before you submit your resignation letter.
How to Know If You're Ready to Leave Your Job
What do you want?
What is missing from your current job that you believe you can find somewhere else? A higher salary, work-life balance, career growth, a higher position? Be honest about your ambitions, and then make a list of these four things:
- What's currently missing
- What you want to do at your next job
- What you enjoy doing and
- What you never want to do again
Now make a list of the things you are good at and the things that are essential to your industry on which you need to improve. These lists are now part of your road map to your dream job, but you have to start searching to prove the position even exists.
Is it the position or the company?
Now that you have more clarity regarding your wants and needs for the next phase of your career, check if your dream position is available in your current company. Ask yourself, "Should I quit my job?" If your company is not why you want to resign, are you willing to stay on but in a new role?
The next step is to make your intentions known.
Who can I talk to?
Once you've finalized your decision to resign, weighing all of the pros and cons, costs, and opportunities, inform your direct supervisor. Let them know of your plans at least a week or so before you submit an official letter of resignation, and when you do submit your official resignation, make sure to allot at least two weeks before your final day of work. It should be enough time to wrap up any loose ends.
By informing your supervisor ahead of time, he might help find opportunities for you within the company, which may lead to a counter-offer.
What if I receive a counter-offer?
Review the context of the counter-offer. If it promises a higher position with better compensation and will allow you to start immediately, then it sounds like a viable option. But if the counter-offer is proposed as only a possibility and may or may not begin in six months, then best to decline.
How to Prepare For the Big Decision
Create a Backup Plan
When planning ahead for your resignation, you also need to plan ahead for what will happen after. Formulate your backup plan even before you submit your resignation letter. What's your next step after quitting? What will you do after you quit your job? Will you take a long break from work? Will you take a two-month time frame to look for a job? Will you spend time traveling or being with family? These are all the things you need to decide on before you quit.
Have a Nest Egg
This should be a requirement, not an option. For certain reasons, it might take a while before you find a new job after resigning from your old one, so you should be financially prepared to manage your day-to-day expenses for the time in between. This means having a substantial nest egg that you can live off of without a source of income for at least two to three months. If you plan to resign to take a long mental and physical break from working, then that nest egg should be even bigger.
When calculating your nest egg goal amount, don't just throw a random number into the wind. Calculate your expenses per day and per month, multiply that by the time frame you will give yourself for a break or to job hunt, then make sure to only start your resignation process once you've reached this financial goal.
Secure Your Contacts
One thing that you can bring over from your old job to your new job is your large network of contacts. If these contacts are connected to your work email or number, transfer them over to your other accounts so you won't lose access to these contacts after you move companies. Contacts are priceless and take years to build, so it would be a shame if you lose them because you forgot to save them to a cloud.
Have a Job in Place
If you don't plan on taking a long break or saving up a large nest egg, then securing company B needs to be one of your top priorities. Plenty of people resign without having a new job secured, leading to stress and anxiety. Save yourself the headache by actively searching and applying for jobs ahead of the deadline you gave yourself to resign.
If you really don't plan to give yourself even a month's break for income's sake, then you need to land a job before you submit your resignation letter. Which brings us to the next part of quitting: actually quitting.
How to Resign With Grace
Quitting itself is easy, but the process is a little more complicated. According to Singapore law, you must submit a written resignation letter, which you may or may not print on paper. After submitting your letter, you will need to tie up loose ends and make sure not to burn any bridges.
5 Tips to Quitting Your Job Properly:
The letter must include the date of your resignation, the last day of your employment, and the duration of the notice period. You can also briefly explain why you're leaving (the safe bet is to say you've found better opportunities for your career growth). Add a statement or two regarding your gratitude to the company. Close your letter with the steps you will be taking to finish your tasks and handover assignments. End it with your signature.
- Settle on the length of your notice period.
The notice period typically depends on your company. Check your employment contract for your company's policies. Typically, the notice period can range from two to four weeks, typically reserved for employees of more than five years.
We highly discourage disappearing from your company. What happens when you leave your job without notice? Aside from being an unprofessional decision, you'll lose references from your old job and tarnish your reputation as an employee. Leaving without notice is certainly not resigning with grace.
- Tie up loose ends.
Do not leave any important work behind. To not look like a quitter, you must appear as though the reason you are leaving is for your self-growth as you have found better opportunities. This portrays you as a go-getter instead of a quitter.
Ensure that you complete any backlogs before you leave. While you likely won't be working with your workmates again, it's never good to leave a bad impression on people in the same industry. Singapore is a small world, after all.
- Don't burn any bridges.
Make sure to have some closure in your goodbyes to colleagues, but also take note of their contacts if ever you may need to communicate again in the future. Moving jobs typically means widening your network, but you shouldn't neglect the network you've already created. If you have a colleague you'll be glad to get away from, be gracious in your goodbye, and don't burn those bridges. The aim is to leave with dignity, not bad blood.
- Make your exit interview count.
The last official step you'll need to take, aside from the goodbyes, is the exit interview with human resources. You can point out what areas need improvement in your team, management, and even the company. This is your last, and only chance, to say what you think needs to be said to HR without colleagues or managers listening in. Make it count so that HR will know what needs to be done to improve the company's culture and management as a whole.
