| I'm one of those people that move jobs more often than you do (roughly once every 2-3 years). I prefer to arrange an in-person meeting with my direct manager. If that's not possible, Zoom/other video platform. If it's impossible to get facetime in some capacity, phonecall/email is a last resort. Always on a Friday. Ideally in the afternoon (3PM). I rip the bandaid off quickly and tell them I've decided to move on and X day will be my last with the company (don't bury the lede). I thank them for being great. I talk a little about why I'll miss the team and company overall. Generally, the manager will want to notify the team. If it's going to be more than a week in the future, I tell my closest work colleagues and ask them to keep it quiet for the "formal" announcement. We then start the handover process. Document anything major that's fuzzy. Finish anything that you can. Don't be one of those people that coast for the next 2-4 weeks and do nothing. During the exit meeting, I never throw shade on the company. SHUT YOUR MOUTH. There is no benefit to YOU by unloading all the issues with a company. Sure, it might help them, but you will be leaving a bad taste in their mouth, which may come back around in the future (be selfish - shut up). I outline my reasons (almost always it's money, remote work options, or leaving to join a scrappy startup with a nice equity package). If you get a counter offer (after resigning, not during a normal salary negotiation), do not take it. You will regret it, trust me. |
I took a bunch of Psych classes in college, and one of the experiments I retained is that if you ask someone to recall their time on a long "thing" (e.g. a job, a relationship, etc.), they place much more emphasis on memories from the beginning and end of it than they do on the middle. So it's not just first impressions that are important, but last impressions too. This goes for pretty much everything btw. Same applies to sales calls, interviews, etc.