If you’ve just received an offer of a new job and you’ve accepted it, it’s time to give your two-week notice to your current employer.
Some people feel it’s not necessary to give such notice, but we disagree. Giving at least a two-week notice shows professionalism. It shows that you understand that the fact of your leaving will be something of an inconvenience to your employer.
It also means you can finish up on some projects and ready some materials for your replacement.
Read below for some tips on who to give your two-week notice properly.
- Once you’ve accepted the other job offer, you need to let your current employer know as soon as possible. You should ask for a one-on-one meeting to give your notice.
- Type up a resignation letter. It should be very short, with you saying how you’ve accepted a position at another company, that you’d like your last day to be a certain date and that you appreciate the chance to have worked with your supervisor and you wish him or her well.
- You don’t have to go into great detail about why you accepted the job. (In fact, you truly don’t have to give any reason for your departure). You could say something that the new opportunity fits in more with your career goals, or that it provides a shorter commute, or that it means a significant raise.
- (Important note: it’s a good idea to turn down any counter-offer by your current employer. Why? Because he or she now knows that you don’t really want to be with the company and will let you go at the first opportunity. In fact, the employer could keep you on at a higher salary, only to start looking for your replacement so that he or she could let you go – and you won’t have that other job to go to.)
- If you’re in a managerial position, if at all possible, see if you can offer to stay with your current employer for more than two weeks. Your job duties may be such that you’ll need three weeks or more to get all you need to do done.
- When you meet with your hiring manager, tell him that you’ve accepted another position and then hand him or her your notice. Let your manager read it and then offer to stay for a few moments to answer any questions your manager may have.
- Let your manager announce your departure to your department’s colleagues and to the company at large.
- Work hard your last two weeks. It’s easy to slack off – after all, what are they going to do, fire you? But these last two weeks will stay in your supervisor’s mind for a long time. Remember, when you’re ready to leave the job you’ll soon be joining, you’ll be looking to your current manager for a job reference.
If you’d like to give your two-week notice soon, you’ll need a new job to do. If so, send your resume to the Redlands recruiters at Arrow Staffing. We look forward to hearing from you.