When you receive a job offer, you’re excited about the prospect of working in a new location and with new people. However, your enthusiasm for the position may lead to you committing an error that could end up causing you serious problems later on. This article will discuss how you can put the kibosh on any potential mistakes by writing a formal letter of resignation when asked to do so by your employer.
The Golden Approach
In the ideal situation, you’d write your letter of resignation after discussing the offer with your employer in person or on the phone. This is because you’d have an opportunity to ask any questions you may have regarding the position and the company, and the person you’re writing the letter to would have the chance to answer all your queries. In this way, you’d both walk away feeling that you gained something from the meeting – even if it’s just a better understanding of what the other is offering.
If you decide to write a letter of resignation instead of meeting with your employer in person or on the phone, you need to make sure that your letter is well-written and expresses your concerns and questions about the position. Never send a handwritten letter, as this will make it easier for the person receiving the letter to throw it away without reading it. If you’re using email, make sure that your email is formatted appropriately – preferably in black and white – so that the recipient can easily comprehend what you’re saying.
Once you’ve composed the letter, it’s important to send it off as soon as possible. Do not, under any circumstances, show it to your employer first. The reason for this is that they may decide to alter some of the terms of the offer, and you don’t want your resignation letter to influence their decisions. Instead, send the letter after you’ve accepted the offer and decided to work for the company.
The Hazardous Approach
If you decide to write a letter of resignation instead of personally meeting with your employer, there’s still no need to send it right away. In fact, you can delay it for as long as you’d like. The problem with this approach is that if your employer decides they don’t want to hire you after all, they may discover your letter when they’re reviewing their mail and decide to keep it as a record of their rejection. In this case, you’ve put yourself in a dangerous position, as it’s very easy for an employer to misinterpret your motivations for writing the letter in the first place.
For example, if you’re writing the letter because you feel undervalued at your current workplace, your employer may decide that your motivations are personal and decide to punish you by giving you a smaller raise or promoting someone else instead. It’s not likely, but it’s possible that this could happen. To avoid this potential pitfall, make sure that you’re explaining your reasons for writing the letter clearly and unambiguously. If you’re not feeling that you’re receiving the proper recognition at work, it’s not a good idea to write a letter explaining your concerns. This will only make things worse.
The Risky Approach
If you decide to write a letter of resignation instead of meeting with your employer in person or on the phone – or even after sending it off to be hand-delivered – you’re taking a massive risk. However, this may be exactly what you want to do. The reasoning behind this decision is that you feel that the position won’t be to your liking, and you want to put the blame on yourself. This is risky because there’s no way of knowing whether or not your employer will agree with your assessment. In some cases, the employer may feel that your concerns are unfounded and decide to stick with the original offer.
If this is the case, you’ve put yourself in a bit of a pickle. You decided to write a letter of resignation, so you’re now committed to working for this company even if you don’t feel that you’re getting the proper recognition you deserve. This could potentially lead to difficulties down the line, especially if there are further layoffs or furloughs. You may also encounter problems with your performance reviews if they’re not up to par. Despite all this, you still have the option to go back and apply for a different job with a different company. You just have to decide if this is the kind of situation you really want to be in.
To be on the safe side, send the letter of resignation as soon as possible after writing it. Delaying it could lead to problems, as you never know what might happen with your employer. Even if you decide to go ahead with the resignation, there’s no need to show it to your employer first. Handing in your letter of resignation on your own will suffice. However, it’s always better to write a formal letter of resignation rather than sending an email or using the workplace’s internal messaging system. This is because there’s always the chance that your email or text message may end up in the wrong hands and end up being misinterpreted. When writing a formal letter of resignation, you’re taking the safety and security of writing it down and sending it by mail seriously. This is why you should always send it by mail, even if you decide to hand it in yourself as soon as you’re able. Not doing so could prove to be very dangerous indeed.
What If They Don’t Reply?
When you send off your letter of resignation, it’s reasonable to assume that your employer will at least acknowledge your decision. However, this might not be the case, and you don’t want to risk your new job by assuming too much. Even in the best-case scenario, your employer may not feel that you’re able to do the job you were hired for, and this could end up being a complete disaster. To avoid this, you should always follow up your letter of resignation with a phone call a few days later. This will ensure that your employer officially receives your letter. In the meantime, you can follow up with a text message if you feel that this would put fewer obstacles in your path should your employer choose not to reply.
Final Takeaway
When you receive a job offer, it’s natural to be excited about the prospect of working in a new location and with new people. However, this excitement can easily turn into a major mistake if you don’t know how to properly handle the situation. Before you commit yourself to accepting a job offer, make sure that you’ve thought everything through and are confident that this is the right decision for you. If you decide to write a letter of resignation instead of meeting with your employer in person or on the phone, send it off as soon as possible. Delay it for as long as you’d like, but make sure that you follow up with a call or an email as soon as possible so that your employer officially receives your decision. If they don’t reply within a reasonable period of time, it may be a good idea to follow up with a text message – as long as you still have service where you are – to ensure that they see your message.