How to quit a job without closing the door forever

Review the situation first

Be absolutely sure that you want to quit. Whether you accept another job offer or you want a longer period off work, there’s no turning back when you’ve resigned your position and your employer has begun the recruiting process for your replacement. In most cases, the game is over. Be completely sure before handing in your resignation.

Write and hand-in a resignation letter

You’ve signed the contract with your new employer and you’re ready to tell your boss that you intend to quit your job. How? You write a resignation letter which is short and to-the-point. In Denmark, you have at minimum 1-month notice so you must hand-in the letter on the last working day of the month, at the absolute latest!

Handing-in the resignation letter face to face is the professional way of notifying your employer of the situation. It is important to have a good dialogue about leaving. Make sure to set-up a meeting about your expectations of the last weeks at your job as well as what the manager expects of you in the coming weeks. You’ll likely have to hand over specific job tasks to your colleagues, so doing this during a meeting where you go over everything from A to Z is a great way to start the transitional process.

Don’t be negative

What should you say to your boss? Ask for a short meeting when handing in your resignation. The meeting should be short and no more than 5 minutes. This is probably not the first time your boss receives a resignation letter so you’ll probably be more nervous than your boss. But don’t worry. Explain in short that you are leaving and thank them for their time and collaboration.

Most importantly, don’t dish out the negative aspects of your current job now. In a reverse situation, you wouldn’t want to receive negative feedback from your employer, colleagues or workplace during this short meeting. Be respectful and they will show you the same respect.

Stay friendly and ask for a reference

If all goes according to plan you and your employer should stay on friendly terms for the remainder of your tenure and in the future as well. Use this opportunity to ask your managers and/ or closest colleagues for a reference that you can use in the future. If called upon when interviewing for a new job in the future, you want to be able to contact them to let them know that you have used them as references or intend to use them. That way, you show them respect by letting them know that they will be referenced and most probably contacted.

Do your work as you normally would

Your colleagues are still your colleagues for at least another month so stay friends with them and do your work, engage with your team and show up to meetings. They’re still depending on your work so don’t let them down now. Performing to your usual level also ensures that you part with your manager on good terms, which increases the likelihood that your manager will be a great reference in the future.

Don’t forget to return company property (in good condition)

Make sure that everything, that means the laptop, phone, and other devices, is returned in good and working condition. If you cracked the screen of your work phone 4 months ago you probably should have told them back then! Returning everything in great condition is also a way of showing respect to your soon-to-be previous employer, so don’t underestimate the importance of returning everything.

Send a thank you email before you sign-off

Send an email to your closest colleagues, your team and your managers before you log out one last time. Thank them for your time together and maybe turn up the praise by e.g. thanking them for how they greeted you on your first day at the job. It’s a great way to officially sign-off from your working email and reaches all the colleagues that you couldn’t personally thank and say goodbye to.

Let your network know about the change in your work-life

A shout-out to your now former employer on LinkedIn can be another way of ensuring a great relationship with the company, your ex-manager, and your ex-colleagues. You’re likely to cross paths again later one way or another since you’re working in the IT and tech-industry. The classic post praises and thanks the former employer as well as colleagues while focusing on the new and fresh challenges to come. This is also a great way to ensure that you stay top-of-mind and visible on LinkedIn!

We believe that staying friends with your former employer and showing respect to your manager and colleagues is the best way to part. It’ll pay off in the long run when your paths cross again, whether you’ll interview at a different company in the future, where one your former acquaintances work or your current employer will have to cooperate with your former. Either way, being on good terms with your former employer will have a positive impact on your career!