There should be no worries or questions if you are writing a resignation letter for the first time. The thought of mentioning your new job or your grievances about your boss in the resignation letter is unnecessary. You may try to look at it as a record to protect your rights and inform your present employer that you will no longer be serving them soon.
You are on the right track of writing a decent resignation letter if you've included these five important elements:
1. Your recent position
First and foremost, if you’re going to indicate in the resignation letter your recent and past position the HR department and your manager can keep a clear record of your employment. Also, don’t forget to write that you are requesting that the company or the manager accepts your resignation letter as formal notification that you are resigning from your current position.
2. The date of your last working day
Again, to keep the record straight you must indicate in the resignation letter your last working day that tallies in your daily time record. You must review your contract which is based on the company policy and check if you have fulfilled the required number of days of your employment.
You can check with the Hong Kong Employment Ordinance if you have complied with the right date of notification of your resignation letter before your contract terminates. You may need to notify your employer one month before your planned resignation or as early as two months in advance depending on the policy of the company.
3. The date of resignation
Naturally, you should not forget the date of your resignation, specifically the day you handed to your manager the resignation letter. This will determine whether you gave the company sufficient time of notice in case the manager compares the last working day and the date of resignation.
Example Sentences:
- Please accept this letter as formal notification that I am resigning from my position as [position title] with [company name], effective as of (date of resignation).
- It is with regret that I submit my letter of resignation as [position]. My last date of employment will be on [date].
4. Your reason for resigning
You must be careful in telling your reasons why do you want to leave the company for good. If you have a grievance against your manager or you think that other employees are bullying you, try to keep it to yourself and avoid complaining about the issues in your resignation letter.
Besides, if your potential employer will do a background check they might be able to read your resignation letter that is filled with hateful words. This could turn-off your would-be employer and might ruin your chances of re-employment.
Your reasons for leaving must be brief and truthful and should sound considerate. Likewise, it must be simple and short, and any given personal reasons, or medical reasons, or family reasons are enough. After all, the purpose of the letter is to express your desire to terminate the contract, and that’s what matters, the reasons behind the decision are secondary.
Example Sentences:
- Recent circumstances in my personal life require that I change my employment.
- I would like to resign from my position out of personal family matters.
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5. You must express your appreciation to the company
Finally, you must thank the company for the training that you underwent and for the opportunity of gaining an experience that can help you in your search for a new job. You might not embrace every part of your job, but it at least helped you develop your worth and your self-confidence.
You may also offer to help make the transition smoother, or create cheat sheets for your successor. You may add your good wishes for the company’s continuous success and that you hope to stay in touch with them.
Example Sentences:
- Thank you so much for the opportunity to work in this position.
- My experience at [company name] has been both educational and rewarding.
- During my last [notification period], I'll do everything possible to wrap up my duties and train other team members. Please let me know if there's anything else I can do to aid during the transition.
- I wish the company continued success, and I hope to stay in touch in the future.