There are right and wrong ways to resign, as with everything else in life, and getting it wrong can impact your career. Following these guidelines will help ensure that things go as smoothly as possible:

• Inform your boss face to face and dont labour on negative points about the company or the job.
• Do be cooperative if you are required to help with a hand-over period.
• Do try to make sure your work is up to date and organised before you leave.
• Do think about what you will say if your boss makes you a counter offer.
• Do try to leave on good terms. A good reference is vital.
• Do write a simple letter stating the date from which your notice period will begin.

• Don’t hand in your notice when you are angry or upset.
• Don’t feel obliged to provide specific reasons for your resignation.
• Don’t tell everyone else before you tell your boss.
• Don’t feel obliged to tell your boss where you are going. It is your choice whether you disclose this information.

• Don’t think because you are new, you can sit back and take it easy for a while and let everyone else show you what to do. Show initiative and enthusiasm.
   
• Don’t try and re-invent the wheel from day one. Learn the job and the processes that are in place before you start trying to change them. 
   
• Don’t be drawn into discussions about other members of staff. You don’t know whom you can trust and whom you can’t at this stage. Stay away from office politics.
     
  
• Don’t use your work phone to make personal calls without asking and even then, keep them to a minimum.
  
  
• Don’t leave on the dot, come back late from your lunch breaks or start booking holidays straight away.  
  

• Don’t sit in silence and wait for people to talk to you. Think of questions to ask people and start conversations yourself.

•  Demonstrate that you have researched the company & products wherever possible.  Have a note book and pen ready and write everything down.
  
  
•  Ask questions when you don’t understand (you are not expected to understand everything).
  
  
•  Make sure you are well presented and that your body language indicates enthusiasm and willingness to work.
  
  
•  Smile.
  
  
• Try to remember people’s names. It makes your life easier.

If your employer tries to persuade you to stay by offering you a pay rise equal to, or above your new job offer, you might first want to ask yourself why it took the action of leaving, to bring it about. Secondly your employer may also make some additional promises i.e. new responsibility bringing new challenges and skills. Be very careful and get written guarantees on both counts before declining any external offers. Even if you trust your employers you must have solid guarantees other wise you are exposed.

A very high proportion of candidates that accept counter offers are back on the market looking for a new career opportunity within 3 months. Regrettably most of these candidates will have missed out on that opportunity first time round by accepting a counter offer. In the trade we call these "counter productive offers". As this is the effect it can have on your career.

Prepare answers to the most frequently asked interview questions. In particular, those questions that you may find difficult to answer and work out how you will cope with them.