The perfect letter of resignation template and sample

It’s official: You’ve shaken hands on it and negotiated salary over the phone. You can’t wait to start your new position – better benefits and a more prestigious title mean more opportunities for you in your career… and better potential for growth. All that’s left is for you to break the news to your current company with a professional letter of resignation, and we have the perfect letter of resignation template for you.

Maintaining your professionalism is more important in this situation than perhaps in any other – and you know that making a great last impression could leave the door open to getting rehired if you decide to return… or doing business with the company in the future. So how can your letter of resignation help you exit with a bang and impress your boss and HR alike with how you demonstrate class until the very end?

Writing the perfect letter of resignation is the ideal way to exit a job gracefully. What is a letter of resignation? A letter of resignation is a document that contains a simple statement explaining your intention to leave your current job and accept employment elsewhere. It contains important information that will allow your boss to properly prepare for your departure and smooth the road for your replacement.

After giving verbal notice to your boss and HR department that you’re leaving, you should prepare your resignation letter shortly afterwards. What should a resignation letter look like? For most jobs, you can follow the letter of resignation template below.

Complete letter of resignation template

PART 1: Written notice of resignation

This intro paragraph should begin with a formal statement of your intention to resign. In this section, you’ll also want to include formal notice of your last date on the job, which should fall two weeks after the day you gave your verbal notice. No need for theatrics here – just keep it short and simple.

PART 2: Thank you

Offering a formal thank-you to your boss and the company for the opportunities that they’ve given you is standard practice for a letter of resignation. It greases the wheels of communication and makes it more likely that you’ll be able to get a good reference or return at a future date – even if your time with the company has been horrible. In this section, you can describe key
lessons or skills you’ve learned, or fun experiences that have shaped your professional path.

Pro tip: Be sincere – insincerity can often be sensed and can negate the effort you’ve put into your resignation letter.

PART 3: Help with transition before you resign

A big part of showing that you’re truly professional, and committed to your now-former company, is handling the transference of job duties from old to new employee with dedication and care. This part of the letter of resignation is the perfect place to demonstrate your concern for your former company by offering to help recruit or train a replacement during your remaining time with them.

You should also commit to wrapping up your job duties in the most thorough and responsible way possible. You don’t need to go into great detail, but you should make a point of offering any assistance that might be needed.

PART 4: Contact information

Finally, you can wrap up your letter of resignation with your name, signature, and personal contact information in case your former company ever needs to get in touch with you regarding payroll, taxes, job duties, or any other matters. It doesn’t hurt to offer your well-wishes to the organization, and any further remarks regarding your desire to stay in touch or the like.

Letter of resignation sample

We gave you the recipe for success, but here is a letter of resignation sample to help you get started on writing your own.

(Date of letter submission)
(Manager’s name)
(Manager’s position)
(Company name)
(Company Address)

Dear (Manager’s name),

Please accept this letter as formal notification that I will be resigning from my role as (position title) at (Company Name). My last day of employment at (Company Name) will be on (date of last day).

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to learn and excel my career. Thank you for your guidance in my role throughout my exciting (time spent at company) at (Company Name).

Over the next (amount of time left at company), I will ensure as much as I can that my projects are complete. I am happy to aid in any way to help create a smooth transition to my replacement.

My time at (company name) has been extremely influential in advancing my career. Please do not hesitate to contact me at (your personal email) or (your personal phone number) if you have any questions after my departure. I would love to stay in touch.

Best wishes,
(Your signature)
(Your printed name)

If the letter of resignation sample wasn’t enough, here are extra tips for writing your letter of resignation

Something to keep in mind when writing your letter of resignation is that this is not the time to air your grievances with your employer or manager. Pearlie Oni, the senior manager of employee experience at RedPeg, encourages anyone writing a letter of resignation to keep it completely professional and express only gratitude for the opportunity.

This document is what will survive you at this company, so positivity is key. Oni suggests saving any feedback on how to improve the company for your exit interview.