Resignation & Counter Offers

Resignation

Rule number one - remove emotion. This is a business decision important to your career.

Keep the decision to yourself until you have spoken to your manager.

Be 100% sure of your reasons for leaving, and be aware that most resignations come as a surprise.

Ask yourself if you've had the internal discussions that may change your mind. For example, if you're unhappy working on a particular account, is there a possibility that you could change accounts?

Be prepared for a counter offer and consider what, if anything, would inspire you to stay. However, don't resign in the hope of a counter offer - you may end up with no job.

Resign personally to your direct manager.

Be honest about your reasons for leaving and if it is to do with your boss or co workers, be diplomatic.

Provide your employers with a brief and professional letter of resignation. Thank them for the opportunity of working with them and for all you have learnt and experienced while you have been there.

Counter Offers

Many people resolve that they won't accept a counter offer and end up doing so. Why? Emotion.

By resigning you have given your boss a load more work to do and their natural reaction is to convince you to stay. On the rare ocassion a counter offer may genuinely address issues and be a valid reason to stay. However, most people who are counter offered leave within 3-6 months because the emotion and buy-in to the myriad of promises that led them to stay have dissolved and the reasons for resigning remain.

Your boss is reacting to a problem situation making knee-jerk promises to have you stay. If you are enticed to do so, drill down and check the reality of the promises.

You may get the guilt trip 'how will we cope without you', 'what can we do to convince you to stay', as you boss searches for some words to convince you to stay and minimise their problems.

Then you will hear about the things that were JUST about to happen: the payrise, the training, the new systems, the promotion, etc. Why are they only being mentioned now?

Once you resign there will always be that doubt about your loyalty to the buisness and this will make advancement and day to day involvement in the business more difficult for you.

If you find a great job and then accept a counter offer, by the time you decide to leave again that job will be gone and you'll be starting over with your job search.

A counter offer is done for the company's benefit and it is a fact that high performing companies don't make counter offers as ultimately they don't serve either the employer or the employee.

If you are seriously considering taking a counter offer, strip away the emotion and take your time to consider the facts and your original reason for leaving.