How to Write a Professional Resignation Letter [With Samples]

6 min readNov 22, 2019

So, it’s time for you to move on with your career?

Quitting a job is a big decision and should be handled with care.

The most important part to remember is not to burn your bridges — not even if you hope to never see any of your soon-to-be former colleagues again. A great letter of resignation can help you there.

In this article we will show you:

What is a letter of resignation?
Best practices for how to write a letter of resignation
Resignation letter templates
Resignation letter samples

What is a letter of resignation?

Formally speaking, a letter of resignation is a way of expressing your intention of leaving your current job. The document formalizes your decision to leave the company while conveying your reasons to do so. If you succeed in writing a good resignation letter, it might even smooth out the process of leaving.

Of course the first step you must take is to have a one-on-one conversation with your boss to let him or her know that you are planning to resign.

The resignation letter is the formal follow up on this conversation. Note that it will most likely become part of your employee file which is one of the reasons why it’s important to leave with a good impression.

Best practices for how to write a letter of resignation

Writing a resignation letter can be a daunting task for some. That’s why we decided to collect a whole bunch of best practices for how to write a resignation letter right here.

Read on to learn more about what to include in your letter, when you should submit it and how.

When should you write a letter of resignation?

When you resign from your job, there are certain resignation etiquettes that you need to follow in order to leave things as smoothly as possible. One of those etiquettes is the time you need to give your boss to prepare for your departure.

The standard practice for sending in your resignation letter is two weeks before you stop.

This will provide your boss with sufficient time to find your replacement. It will also ensure that you’ll be able to hand over your assignments to a new person or to one of your colleagues.

You can choose to hand in your resignation letter earlier, but do avoid sending it later than two weeks before. However, if your employment contract states how much notice you should give you should obviously follow that instead.

Keep in mind that your employer is not obligated to accept your two weeks notice. Some employers will want you to stop right away so be prepared for that.

How should you submit your resignation letter?

There is really only two ways of submitting your resignation letter: in person in the shape of a physical letter or by email.

What’s most appropriate for you will depend on various factors. One isn’t better than the other. If you have a paperless culture, an email might be the appropriate choice.

However, regardless of how you decide to send your resignation letter, make sure you’ve talked to your boss in person before. It may seem uncomfortable but in the long run it’s the best way to go about it.

A graceful resignation includes these steps:

Have a conversation with your boss
Hand in your letter of resignation
Be helpful in any way to make the transition easier

Resignation letter template — what should you include in your resignation letter?

A resignation letter is much like any other business letter. It consists of a letterhead, 3–4 paragraphs concerning your resignation, and a signature.

Here’s what you should include in your letter of resignation:

Letterhead

Begin your resignation letter by stating your name, your job title, and all other relevant information. This might seem redundant, especially if you’re working in a small company, but since the letter will become part of your employee file it’s still important. Include information such as:

Your name
Current job title
Current organization
Address
City, state, zip code
Your email address
Today’s date

Paragraph 1

Take some time to reflect on the work you’ve done for your workplace.

Tell your soon-to-be former employee what you’ve learned, what you’ve appreciated the most, or maybe who has had a special impact on your time there. It’s important to keep this paragraph as positive as possible since leaving your workplace on a positive note will make the transition more smooth.

You could consider adding your next place of work as well. There are cases where this is appropriate as well as cases where it is not wise. For instance it is very appropriate to let your former employee know if you’re switching industries to pursue a passion of yours or if you’re perhaps going back to school. However, it may not be appropriate to include this information if you’re moving over to the competition.

Paragraph 2

Next up we recommend that you offer your help in making the transition as smooth as possible. You could for instance write something like this: “ I am of course offering to help as much as possible in the transition of my work assignments to my replacement. I will also make sure all my reports are up to date and ready to be handed over. “

Your former employer is sure to be impressed if you can pull of being very specific in this part.

Paragraph 3

If it’s applicable to you, you can choose to use the next paragraph to outline your main tasks and unfinished projects.

This will be extremely helpful to your former employer and will make the transition easier. However, this part is optional so you should only add it if it makes sense to do so.

Paragraph 4

In the last paragraph before your signature you can choose to add your personal contact information such as email or phone number. However, this is completely optional and you should only add them if you want to stay in touch with your employer or use him or her as a resource. You’ll be the best judge in knowing if it is a good addition or not.

Signature

Lastly is your signature. If you hand it in on paper you should sign it in hand and include your typed name. If you’re handing it in via email, it should be sufficient to sign with your typed name.

Resignation letter samples

With the resignation letter template above in mind, it’s time to take a closer look at a few sample resignation letters. What all of them have in common is their focus on the pleasant parts of their experiences with the company in question.

The resignation letter example below here includes helpful and relevant information. It’s brief, sticks to the point, and above all it’s very polite.

The next resignation letter example below is shorter and less informative.

You can have many reasons for keeping your letter as simple and short as this. The key element is, as before, to keep it professional and polite above all.