While the resume is the most important document when it comes to the hiring process, the resignation letter is the most important document pertaining to the exiting process of an employee.
One must take as much care in writing a resignation letter as they would take care in preparing a resume. Some professionals may not understand the requirement of a resignation letter, and therefore may ask why you need to write a resignation letter.
This article is an article in the series: job resignation.
Refer also to –
- All about the Two Weeks Notice Letter & Resignation.
- How to Resign From a Job & Reasons for Job Resignation
Here are some of the reasons why writing a resignation letter makes sense:
About the Resignation Letter
A formal resignation letter speaks a lot about your professional attitude and about you as a person in whole. While writing the resignation letter, you announce your decision + you should make sure that you pinpoint the positive aspects of working with the company.
The resignation letter is not a place to provide any negative aspects, or anything that you found the company to be lacking in.
The most important aspects to keep in mind while writing resignation letters are:
The Resignation Letter is a formality:
More or less, the resignation letter is a formality, with everything that has to be discussed and informed about being done so already in the meetings of the human resources and the immediate superiors. There is a very good chance that your resignation letter will be shared as is with the HR department and other superiors.
In some cases, you may require to send the resignation letter to various heads of departments along with the human resources department. Therefore, make sure that there is nothing weird or strange in the resignation letter.
The Resignation Letter is a Way of Thanking the Company:
Whether you liked your stint with a company or not, you will agree that the company taught you a lot on a personal and a professional level – do not forget that they’ve offered you a ladder to a professional career with a good salary and benefits.
It is not everyday that you get a chance to thank the company for the vast amount of knowledge that it has provided you, apart from the resignation letter. Take your chance and thank the company and everyone that you were affiliated with, so that you leave the company on a happy note and there is no bitterness amongst colleagues, superiors and juniors.
In some countries -
The Resignation letter and the labor authorities:
Your professional profile is uncompleted without the proper documentation of all the major landmarks of your professional life.
Just like how joining a company is an important landmark in your life, it is also necessary that you have the documentation of resigning from a company.
If you will be unemployed, you may have to present this document to the labor authorities of your country (state department of labor) for claiming unemployment.
The Resignation Letter proves your Exit from the Company
Leaving a company is a very important scenario in your personal and professional life, and it is very important that you have a document to prove that you have parted ways with the company.
When you apply for a job, without a proper and complete professional profile, you may lose some points against other competitors who are aiming for the same job as you are.
The resignation letter and other documents such as your resume, act as a glossary of all the events in your professional life, makes you equal to the other people who are aiming for the same job.
If and when you selected for a job, you might have to present the resignation letter of your previous company, because some companies will ever hire a person who is already working somewhere else, unless and until it is a part-time position.
Therefore, the resignation letter acts as a proof that you have parted ways with the company and are essential for your professional growth and profile enhancement.
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