Eng-Tips is the largest engineering community on the Internet
Intelligent Work Forums for Engineering Professionals
-
Congratulations waross on being selected by the Tek-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!
Give explanation to manager about why I'm leaving? 5
- Thread starter Fanman72
- Start date
-
2
- #2
I always give a written letter of resignation stating the date I will leave in compliance with my contract.
I always thank them for employing me and say something along the lines of however at this stage in my career I feel the new job offers better opportunities, keep it very short and sweet.
NEVER however tempting say you are leaving because your boss is a jerk, the pay is lousy and the company is a sweat shop.
One day you may well come across your old boss again but in different circumstances or at the very least want a reference.
I always thank them for employing me and say something along the lines of however at this stage in my career I feel the new job offers better opportunities, keep it very short and sweet.
NEVER however tempting say you are leaving because your boss is a jerk, the pay is lousy and the company is a sweat shop.
One day you may well come across your old boss again but in different circumstances or at the very least want a reference.
-
1
- #3
SomptingGuy
Automotive
A clear letter stating when you are leaving is the norm. Stating why you are leaving sounds like you are inviting an offer to stay. Reasons for leaving are usually discussed during an exit interview you may be offered.
- Steve
- Steve
Nixon's resignation letter is a great example of a good letter. It contains the barest minimum information, but can say a vast amount by what it does not contain. Most importantly it leaves no written record of how you feel or the reasons why you are leaving. Any good manager will know exactly why you are leaving, but whether it is for better opportunities, or more money, or better quality of life, or just because the boss really is a jerk, you are far better not committing any of those thoughts to paper.
----------------------------------
If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!
----------------------------------
If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!
Yup, ditto all the above. Don't get suckered into the briefly emotionally satisfying but highly destructive trap of editorializing to the company. They may have a policy of exit interviews that (in theory) will discern why people are unhappy and wish to leave, thus making changes to make the company a better place. But human nature being what it is, this is rarely how it is implemented. Spew a few platitudes and don't leave any dead bodies behind you and all will be OK.
TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering
TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering
MiketheEngineer
Structural
KISS - Keep it simple sweetheart or stupid - depending on who you are talking to...
spongebob007
Military
Here is the resignation letter verbage that I always use:
This letter is to inform you that I will be terminating my employment with the company effective on (insert date here).
Simple and to the point.
This letter is to inform you that I will be terminating my employment with the company effective on (insert date here).
Simple and to the point.
At my last company, I gave a 2 weeks notice in a letter. I made positive remarks, didn't burn bridges.
But, the president and director took me into their offices separately and wanted to know negatives and positives. I told them everything from what the company is doing in a positive way to the negative stuff, and what should be changed.
A few people were fired after I opened their eyes to what was going on. I was offered to come back if I want to.
Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 06/08
ctopher's home (updated Jul 13, 2008)
ctopher's blog
But, the president and director took me into their offices separately and wanted to know negatives and positives. I told them everything from what the company is doing in a positive way to the negative stuff, and what should be changed.
A few people were fired after I opened their eyes to what was going on. I was offered to come back if I want to.
Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 06/08
ctopher's home (updated Jul 13, 2008)
ctopher's blog
-
1
- #13
-
1
- #14
MikeHalloran
Mechanical
There exist the additional dangers of:
- saying something that can be used out of context with malice.
- praising people who are in fact your enemy.
- failing to praise people who will be offended by its absence.
- maligning people who were in fact protecting you from dangers that you did not see.
The best exit interview is none. If you can't avoid it, speak as little as possible, and if you can't avoid that, _say_ as little as possible.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
- saying something that can be used out of context with malice.
- praising people who are in fact your enemy.
- failing to praise people who will be offended by its absence.
- maligning people who were in fact protecting you from dangers that you did not see.
The best exit interview is none. If you can't avoid it, speak as little as possible, and if you can't avoid that, _say_ as little as possible.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
Depends on the situation, I guess. I have given three exit interviews over my career and at each one of them I was frank and honest. In each situation I was leaving for a better opportunity that could not be matched by my current employer. They all understood and appreciated my comments on my experiences and thoughts about the organization. In each case I was also told they would be interested if I ever chose to return.
Leaving in a cloud of uncertainty does not make for a good last impression. If you are leaving your company because you hate it there, chances are they have a good idea why you're going anyway...
Leaving in a cloud of uncertainty does not make for a good last impression. If you are leaving your company because you hate it there, chances are they have a good idea why you're going anyway...
Yeah, but if you're unprofessional enough to say right out loud what everyone's already thinking, that'll reflect badly on you.
The more you might want to say at an exit interview, the less you can actually say. If you're really just leaving a good place for a better offer, there's no problem saying so. If you're leaving because the place is, for example, full of incompetents, there is nothing to be gained in saying so, no matter how tempting. It's not like they'll purge the place of the incompetents based on your say-so in an exit interview.
That's what I say in theory. In practice, I don't know that I have the discipline to keep my mouth shut. Haven't had the situation arise yet.
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376
The more you might want to say at an exit interview, the less you can actually say. If you're really just leaving a good place for a better offer, there's no problem saying so. If you're leaving because the place is, for example, full of incompetents, there is nothing to be gained in saying so, no matter how tempting. It's not like they'll purge the place of the incompetents based on your say-so in an exit interview.
That's what I say in theory. In practice, I don't know that I have the discipline to keep my mouth shut. Haven't had the situation arise yet.
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376
Depends on how much the exit interview is genuine exercise in finding reasons and how much it is simply done because that's what your supposed to do.
Then again, how effective can they be?
As suggested by HgTX the outgoing employee will not and should not be saying anything that isn't in his/her own best interests which often doesn't include telling them what's really what.
What's the point anyway? finding out something ain't right through exit interviews suggests it is too late, and especially so for that employee (like voluntary redundancies, it is always the best employees that go because (a) they are better able to see when the company is going no where and (b) they are the ones with the best shot at a new job).
If something isn't right they need better means to detect it.
So, if anyone has had an exit interview, what happened, how did it go and was there any discernible point to it?
Anyway, the best exit interviews are with your colleagues in the pub for a bevy or two on your last day. This is where you'll let your hair down a bit and the best means for the management to discover what is going on would be to get the pub landlord to provide some covert CCTV footage (with sound); no good waiting for a report from their brown-nosers, these guys wouldn't know the truth if it bit them. Of course, for the real deal they ought to have ongoing covert video surveillance of the coffee machine.
Then too, as HgTX also suggests, management will only act on things they believe. They will not believe that they are a problem and may prefer to believe that you are the problem because that way, the problem is going. It is never good news to think they have a problem with themselves or the remaining workforce.
JMW
Then again, how effective can they be?
As suggested by HgTX the outgoing employee will not and should not be saying anything that isn't in his/her own best interests which often doesn't include telling them what's really what.
What's the point anyway? finding out something ain't right through exit interviews suggests it is too late, and especially so for that employee (like voluntary redundancies, it is always the best employees that go because (a) they are better able to see when the company is going no where and (b) they are the ones with the best shot at a new job).
If something isn't right they need better means to detect it.
So, if anyone has had an exit interview, what happened, how did it go and was there any discernible point to it?
Anyway, the best exit interviews are with your colleagues in the pub for a bevy or two on your last day. This is where you'll let your hair down a bit and the best means for the management to discover what is going on would be to get the pub landlord to provide some covert CCTV footage (with sound); no good waiting for a report from their brown-nosers, these guys wouldn't know the truth if it bit them. Of course, for the real deal they ought to have ongoing covert video surveillance of the coffee machine.
Then too, as HgTX also suggests, management will only act on things they believe. They will not believe that they are a problem and may prefer to believe that you are the problem because that way, the problem is going. It is never good news to think they have a problem with themselves or the remaining workforce.
JMW
Not too many people suffer in an awful job quietly. There are always signs and most of the time the person suffering is actively trying to change their environment which usually filters back to management.
I've always left one "good place" for another so I'm not sure how I'd handle going through an interview with months or years worth of pent up frustration and keep myself from saying something I shouldn't.
Points I did discuss with my managers when I left: Travel, career development opportunities, workload, inter-office communication, salary structure, reporting structure, etc. Some of these were kind of sensitive topics but none of them were the focal point of me leaving which allowed me to talk about them candidly.
Managers appreciate the opportunity to get honest feedback on why a staff member is moving on. If they can get another gear in your seat at your pay (or cheaper) then they probably won't be too upset to lose you. If you were a valued member of the team and they've lost other staff with similar thoughts, then they have some changing to do themselves to avoid losing good staff members in the future.
Leaving them guessing will just make managers use their imagination about why you're going....which most likely won't reflect favorably upon you. Thats burning bridges as well.
I've always left one "good place" for another so I'm not sure how I'd handle going through an interview with months or years worth of pent up frustration and keep myself from saying something I shouldn't.
Points I did discuss with my managers when I left: Travel, career development opportunities, workload, inter-office communication, salary structure, reporting structure, etc. Some of these were kind of sensitive topics but none of them were the focal point of me leaving which allowed me to talk about them candidly.
Managers appreciate the opportunity to get honest feedback on why a staff member is moving on. If they can get another gear in your seat at your pay (or cheaper) then they probably won't be too upset to lose you. If you were a valued member of the team and they've lost other staff with similar thoughts, then they have some changing to do themselves to avoid losing good staff members in the future.
Leaving them guessing will just make managers use their imagination about why you're going....which most likely won't reflect favorably upon you. Thats burning bridges as well.
You don't leave them guessing, you engage in some "selective telling". The new job has better opportunities for advancement, more preferable geographic area, etc. Same lines you fed your new employers when they asked you in the interview why you were leaving your old position. You don't just take the fifth and refuse to speak.
If the old employer saw all those signs that you were unhappy and did nothing about it, never came to you to see what the problem was, it's because they didn't really want the input. Why give it to them at the exit interview?
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376
If the old employer saw all those signs that you were unhappy and did nothing about it, never came to you to see what the problem was, it's because they didn't really want the input. Why give it to them at the exit interview?
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
- Question
- Locked
- Question
- Locked
- Question