You have made the career choice to quit your present job. There could be many reasons why you've decided to quit. How to quit your present job may depends on the reasons. However, the followings are some simple suggestions.

1. Tender of Resignation Letter

It is a good suggestion to tender an official resignation letter. This is usually tendered to your immediate boss. You may wish to extend a copy this letter to the relevant Human Resource department. This letter should be concise and straight to the point. Do you need to notify your employer the reasons for your resignation or where you intend to move on to? That is a personal choice. If you are joining a different industry or a company of different work nature, then it is likely that your employer will respect your decision. However, if you are joining a competitor, you may not want to explain too much.

State the last date that you wish to stay with your present company. Ample notice should be given for the company to find a suitabe replacement for you. Four weeks' notice are usually considered reasonable. Check your employment contract, some contract requires that you give much advance notice.

Include in your letter, some remarks of thanks and gratitude for all the guidances and opportunities given to you in your present employment. Finally, conclude your letter with an offer to do whatever possible to make it easier for your succesor to take over your job. This shows that you are thougthful and will definitely leave a lasting good impression on you.

2. When to tender?

Many experts agreed that the best time to inform an employee that their services has been terminated is the last working day of the week. In resigning, this may not necessary the case, and it depends on each company. If you relationship with your immediate boss is beyond just ordinary working relationship, or if your company values you and is not expecting your resignation, you may want to tender your letter on the last working day of the week. This way, they will have more time to adjust to the surprise.

In my previous employment, I tendered my resignation on a Friday as the management team has regular meetings on every Monday. This will give them the opportunity to discuss on the human resource issue related to my resignation.

It is courteous to tender the resignation letter in a face-to-face meeting with your immediate boss. Be prepared to answer some tough questions on where you shall be moving on and the reasons for the resignation. You may answer along the same lines as written in your resignation letter. Prepare a list of all the outstanding issues that your succesors may need to follow-up. This is a good way to divert the sensitive topic of your resignation to some more productive issue. Maintain a good relationship with your employer as you will never know that you may cross paths again.

3. Request for Written Testimonial

Always request for a written testimonial from your employer when you resign. This written testimonial helps to gain you extra points on your next job. Prepare a list of what you have achieved in your present employment. Include dates of your promotions, if any. This list is always welcomed by your boss to help him write a testimonial for you. This list will also helps to ensure that the written testimonials are unique to you.

Offer your boss if he would prefer that you prepare a draft of the testimonial, but do not insist. If your boss needs your help, be generous to yourself and chose your wordings carefully. Be honest but you do not need to be humble. Include statements related to your character, such as hard-working, dedicated, committed, etc. This testimonial is only prepared once, but it is a statement that helps to sell your capability and you may use it for many years to come. It is as valuable as your educational qualification paper.

When do you request for the testimonial? You may request for it during the face-to-face meeting when you tender your resignation, or about 2 weeks before your last day of employment. This shall give adequate time for your boss to prepare the testimonial. If your boss has a busy schedule, you may need to remind him after 1 week after your initial request.

4. Handing-Over

Based on the list of outstanding issues that you have prepared earlier, agree with your boss what are the issues that you could complete in the remaining days with the company. You should not chew more than you can eat. Ask your boss who is your successor so that you may brief him personally.

Organise your documents properly. You would want to make your quitting of your current job a smooth and clean event. You do not want the company to keep calling you after you quit to ask about certain client or files previously handled by you.

To conclude, you should make your quitting from present job a smooth transition event for both your company and you. Leave a good lasting impression on your boss as you may cross paths again in the future, maybe on different levels.