This article is written by Bhumi Agarwal who is pursuing a Diploma in Advanced Contract Drafting, Negotiation and Dispute Resolution from LawSikho.

Introduction

Resignation letter is a letter which an employee hands over to his superior authority or the employer or boss before leaving a job or before moving to a new job. Resignation letter is a formal notice to inform your senior that you will not continue your job further. It is a very polite and formal information given to the head of the department. One should always try to avoid mistakes while writing his/her letter of resignation. Although, you are leaving a company and will no longer be concerned with it’s working or it’s people but you should always remember that your co-workers and your boss have been a major part of your learning. One may leave his/her job for any of the reasons like he/she may have got a better proposal or due to some personal issues, physical issues, comfort issues or any other reason but being the letter of resignation is your last formal communication with your company, it should be professional and polite.

Nowadays, people may easily find a good format of any letter on the internet but still it is necessary to learn the skills of writing a good letter. There are few common mistakes that every writer should keep in mind while writing his/her letter of resignation. 

Common mistakes to avoid

These common mistakes that can be taken care of while writing your resignation letter are:

• Resignation letter should not be vague or obscure.
• Never criticize your boss and company in your letter of resignation.
• Avoid using unprofessional languages.
• Try not to mention about your new job or your future plans.
• Do not to be rude.
• Don’t mention your salary or services provided by company as a reason for your resignation.
• Never include suggestions/complaints or questions in your letter of resignation.
• Avoid personal disclosures or emotional sentiments.

1. Resignation letters must not be vague- Always try to be brief. Your resignation letter should not include unnecessary details but should include all the required facts that should state your leaving of a job. Don’t write ambiguous or non-specific sentences. The letter should contain point-to – point description or notice of your exit rather than roaming or buffing around it. Not being specific may create confusion in the mind of the boss about your resignation. Never to include sentences like- “ I will soon be missing you all….” Or “ I will always remember this duration…..”or“ my journey with you all will soon come to an end…”. Try to be specific of the date and month of your actual departure from your current job. 
2. Never criticize your boss or company in your resignation letter-  Always try to be polite and professional while writing your letter of resignation. Remember, your boss and your colleagues have been a part of your vital journey and if in case you have any issues with them, this resignation letter is not a right place to show it. You may drop a separate mail about the issues you have faced in the company. Writing such issues or grievances in your resignation letter may show your rude behavior for the final goodbye. Never criticize your boss for his behavior during your tenure as it may hinder your further professional relations in your future. Try to build a positive and good relation even if you are leaving a place. In case any serious grievances follow a proper legal procedure for remedy.
3. Avoid using unprofessional language- Never use unprofessional language in your resignation letter because it is an official notice which is kept in company’s record and any form if unprofessional words may shake your character or image which can’t be easily regenerated. Any personal comments or using of swears and promises is unprofessional to use in this letter of resignation. Avoid using the expressions like- “I swear I would have worked with you if……” or  “I promise to soon get back to you…..” etc. Avoid using over friendly phrases as it may sound really unprofessional to read.
4. Try not to mention your new job or your future plans- Often it is seen that people leaving a place for better opportunity are excited to boast of it among their present co-workers and to their boss which should be avoided. There is no obligation on you to inform your boss/employer of your future plans or your new job. Just a simple notice of you leaving the job is enough to be written in a resignation letter. No employee has any duty of giving an exact or specific reason to leave the job. Your new job title, salary are none of their business and it is unnecessary to offer an explanation in your letter of resignation just as it is inappropriate for them to request it. 
5. Grammatical Errors- As we all know a grammatical error in any thing leaves a very bad impression on a reader and here, in case of resignation letter it becomes mandatory to use proper grammar because any sort of  these errors might give a chance to the employer to think that “ Its better he/she is quitting the job as a person have such bad skills of writing would not benefit us in future” . Even if you are highly educated and professional there are chances that you can also make mistakes and that’s normal. The only thing you have to do is to re-check your letter and in case of any doubts refer to a good grammar book or application provided through internet. This may reduce the chances of any grammatical or spelling errors in your letter of resignation. 
6. Do not be rude- There are times when your journey in the current company may not be exciting or happy but remember that’s common. Not everyone enjoys the same but you should always remember that whatever be the journey it always ends with a lesson which is important for us. So, try to leave a positive impact wherever you go and from wherever you come. Your letter of resignation should never include any rude words for anyone neither the boss nor the employees.
7. Don’t mention your salary or services provided by the company as a reason for your resignation- Always remember that even if you ate quitting your current job due to the less salary or unsatisfied services or for a reason that you are now in a position to get a better opportunity with much higher wages, still don’t ever mention the same as a reason for your resignation. Try to write something positive and polite to create a constant good image in the minds of your boss and co-workers. Mentioning these as a reason for your resignation may sound rude and may create your greedy image in front of the reader/readers. So, always try to avoid such things in your letter of resignation. 
8. Never include suggestions/ compliments/ complaints and questions in your resignation letter- Always remember that everything has its own best place and putting the things correctly is always better for a better response. Same here, if you  have any suggestions or complaints or questions regarding the company’s way of working, it’s infrastructure, rules, policies, norms, wages, etc. or any compliments regarding anything kindly try to put these things via mail rather than include all in the letter of resignation. Your resignation letter should always be precise, polite and formal. Try not to include any unnecessary communications in it.
9. Avoid personal disclosures or emotional sentiments – We all know that leaving a job and a place you have been working since long is not an easy task. We all are somewhere attached to our workers, staff, place of work, etc. and there are times when we have to bid farewell to all these things. These situations are a bit tough but we should always try to control our emotions while writing our letter of resignation. It leaves a very informal impact if you include your personal feelings or disclose your emotions in this letter. Try to talk about such things by personally meeting the person rather than writing it in your resignation letter.

Conclusion

The resignation letter is the last communication between an employee and an employer and one should always remember that your last impression will last long. First of all, it is very necessary that you write a letter of resignation before leaving a job because it is seen that there are chances when people leave without any notice. If you are in a situation that you too weren’t  aware of such departure, then too, always try to inform your boss as soon as you can. Your sudden departure without any notice may put a burden on your co-workers as they will be the one doing your part of work too. Try to write a professional and polite resignation letter at least two weeks prior to your resignation to maintain  cordial and smooth relations with your co-workers and boss in your future career also.

Students of Lawsikho courses regularly produce writing assignments and work on practical exercises as a part of their coursework and develop themselves in real-life practical skill.

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