Thinking about how to quit a job?
You’re probably feeling some anxiety about it, even if you’re certain it’s time to move on. Quitting a job is, at best, an uncomfortable experience. In some cases, it can bring on confrontation, drama, contention, resentment, and even sadness.
There’s no way to eliminate all of the negative feelings that come with quitting a job, but there are definitely ways to make it easier on yourself, your employer, and the colleagues you’re leaving behind.
This is your official guide to quitting your job. I’ll walk through how to know when it’s time to quit, what actions you should take before you break the news, how to resign with grace, and what to do as you close out this role.
What to do before you quit a job
The actions you take now, in the days and weeks before you put in your notice will have a big impact on how your departure plays out. Try not to rush this, especially if emotions are running high. Taking your time and thinking things through, rather than quitting quickly without planning ahead, will bring better results.
Signs it’s time to quit your job
Some people wake up one day and just know. For everyone else, the signs build slowly enough that they’re easy to explain away.
Here are the signals worth paying attention to.
You dread it more than you tolerate it. Every job has bad days, but there’s a difference between a rough week and a truly toxic work environment that puts you in a low-grade state of misery most of the time. Do the math: eight hours of work, eight hours of sleep, and the hours left over get eaten by commuting and decompressing from a day you hated. That’s a lot of your life! It shows up eventually—in your health, your patience, and how you interact with the people around you.
You’ve outgrown the role. Sometimes the job isn’t the problem, you’ve just hit the ceiling of what it can teach you, and staying starts to feel like standing still instead of moving forward. People often stay at jobs like these for too long, because leaving means giving up status or comfort they worked hard to build. But a good career doesn’t have to stay in one lane forever, and the version of yourself who took this job isn’t necessarily the version who has to keep it.
You want more control than a job can give you. If you’re constantly frustrated by decisions made above your head, or you keep circling back to an idea for something of your own, it might be time to quit. Autonomy at work is important, and if you can’t find it in your current role, it may be time to look for a new one or finally start that side project.
Your side project has outgrown your day job. Maybe you already did start that side project, and now it’s making real money, consistently. You’ll hit a point where staying at your job actually costs you money instead of protecting you financially. A good benchmark: six months of savings in the bank, and six straight months where your side income has matched or beaten your salary. Once you’re there, the leap gets a lot less risky than it feels. We’ve got a number of articles about side hustles to check out here:
Your gut’s already decided. Sometimes, you just know. Or at least, your gut knows, but perhaps you aren’t ready or able to listen to it just yet. Your body may be telling you what your mind already knows. You wake up with a feeling of dread in your stomach. Your steps are heavy as you approach your desk. You feel a low but constant state of anxiety on Sunday evenings. You are more irritable than usual, and people are noticing. All of these are signs that you should be listening to your gut and thinking seriously about quitting your job.
3 questions to ask before you quit a job
If you’re thinking about quitting your job, you’ve probably already got a lot running through your mind. So instead of giving you a bunch of questions to ask yourself, let’s focus on three questions that you can work through one at a time. Have a pen and paper nearby or a Word document open to jot down your thoughts.
1. What are the terms and conditions of quitting?
Before anything else, know exactly what you’re bound by. Check your contract or employee handbook for your required notice period, any non-compete or non-solicitation clauses, and how unused PTO gets handled when you leave. Some companies pay it out, some don’t, and that’s not a detail you want to discover after you’ve already resigned. If you signed anything when you were hired, now’s the time to reread it.
2. What plans do I need to make before I quit?
Start with your paperwork—pay stubs, performance reviews, anything you’d need later for a reference check or a dispute, since you’ll lose access to company systems the moment you’re out. Then figure out your financial runway: not just whether you can survive a gap, but how long of one, with an actual number attached instead of a vague sense that it’ll work out. If you’re leaving without another offer lined up, this is also the moment to think through health insurance and unemployment timing.
3. Who needs to be notified, and when?
Your manager should hear it from you directly, before HR, before your team, and before it becomes office knowledge. Beyond that, think about who else has a stake in your leaving—a mentor, a close colleague, anyone you’d want as a reference down the line. While you should aim to tell your manager and HR first, it doesn’t hurt to think about how you’ll break the news to others in your orbit.
How to quit your job professionally
Even if the job burned you out and you’ve been counting down the days, how you leave matters as much as when. You’ll likely need a reference from this job eventually, and you never know who you’ll meet again in future jobs. The manager you’re frustrated with now could be sitting across from you in an interview five years from now, or connected to someone who is.
That doesn’t mean you have to pretend the last however-many months were great. The moment you decide to leave is the moment those grievances stop being your problem to manage. You’re getting out. Whatever was wrong with the job stays with the job, so try to let go and prevent burning bridges.
The best resignations are minimal ones. You don’t owe anyone a full account of every reason you’re leaving. Stick to the facts and keep an even, unemotional, pragmatic tone.
How to put in your notice
Start with your manager, in person if possible. A face-to-face conversation, or a video call if you’re remote, keeps things professional and gives your manager the chance to hear it directly from you (instead of through email).
Even so, a verbal resignation needs to be followed up in writing. This creates a paper trail with an official date, which matters for your final paycheck, benefits cutoff, and any records tied to your notice period. Keep it short. This isn’t the place for explanation or emotion—just the facts your employer needs.
Here’s a quick template you can use, with a few important notes:
Resignation letter template
Your Name
Position
Company
Supervisor/Manager
Position
Department
Company
I am writing to notify you of my resignation from [company] as of [current date]. According to our company policy, my last day will be [date at the end of notice period].
My departure is due to [brief yet clearly explained reason for resignation].*
It has been an honor to work for [company].** Thank you for the opportunity.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
* This sentence is completely optional. You don’t need to give a specific reason as to why you’re quitting. If you want to include this line, it’s ok to be vague; something like “new career opportunities” is perfectly legitimate.
** What if it hasn’t been an honor to work for this company? Consider swallowing your pride and including a polite line anyway. If that feels dishonest, you can simply say, “Thank you for the opportunity to work in this role.” and leave it at that.
Preparing for the conversations that follow
Once the news is out, a few things tend to happen, and it helps to think about how you’ll handle them before you’re in the moment.
Your boss might ask you to stay. Don’t be surprised if your boss comes to you with a counteroffer in an attempt to get you to stay. Sometimes, a resignation letter is what’s needed for the raise and promotion you’ve been begging for to finally be on the table. Decide ahead of time whether anything—a raise, a new role, different responsibilities—would actually change your mind, or whether you’re set on leaving regardless. Knowing your answer in advance keeps you from being talked into something in the moment that you’ll regret later.
Emotions might run higher than you expect, either yours or someone else’s. A manager might take it personally. A coworker might feel abandoned. You might feel more emotional walking out than you thought you would. These emotions aren’t necessarily a bad thing, but they shouldn’t dominate your decision-making. Consider how you will respond if emotions get high. Will you go for a walk if your boss raises their temper? Will you take your work bestie out to a nice lunch to break the news? Will a good going-away party make your departure easier, or will you feel better if you leave without much fanfare?
Coworkers will ask questions, some out of genuine care, some out of curiosity. You don’t need a different answer for everyone. Having one simple, honest version of “why I’m leaving” ready to go means you’re not improvising every time it comes up, and it keeps you from accidentally saying more than you mean to. Again, you can keep it vague. “I’m looking at new opportunities” or “I’m taking some time off” should be enough to satisfy most people.
In your final weeks
Once your resignation is official, you’re in the final stretch of the job you’re quitting. This part can feel anticlimactic after the buildup of actually deciding to leave and making it official, but how you handle these last days still matters, both for the people you’re leaving behind and for how you’re remembered.
How to spend your notice period before you quit
The stretch between putting in your notice and your actual last day can feel strange. You’ve mentally checked out, but you’re still showing up every day for a job you’ve already decided to leave.
This is when you can solidify your graceful exit. Training your replacement, writing thorough handoff documents, and taking the time to get your projects organized before you go is one of the last things you can do for the people staying behind. A good handover says more about you than anything you’d say in an exit interview.
If you find yourself with less to do than usual during this stretch, that’s normal—it’s part of winding a role down, not a sign you’re doing something wrong. Don’t let a manager or coworker guilt you into picking up work that isn’t yours to finish. At the same time, if you’d rather help out than sit idle, there’s nothing wrong with offering. That’s your call to make.
What you shouldn’t do is spend company time on your job search. Updating your LinkedIn, browsing job boards, applying to openings—save it for your own time and your own devices. Assume your boss can see anything you do on the company wifi or devices, because they can at any time.
How to approach an exit interview
Some companies conduct exit interviews, either in-person, online, or via survey. This is your chance to provide constructive feedback, which is different from airing grievances or seeking revenge against colleagues.
An exit interview is typically done with a member of HR, not someone you reported to, because the idea is that you can give candid feedback on the people you worked with and the jobs you were in charge of.
If you’ve had a bad experience at this job, it can be hard to go into an exit interview without being bitter. Try to reframe it in your mind: This is your opportunity to give HR constructive ways to improve the working lives of your former colleagues and the hires who come after you.
Or don’t bother. You aren’t under any obligation to answer these questions extensively, and you can most likely refuse to attend the interview altogether if you’d prefer. You’re moving on, and the company will figure out a way forward, with or without your feedback.
What your last day at work should look like
However your last day plays out, keep it low-key. Some people mark the occasion with a party. Others end their time at a company by logging out and closing the laptop like any other day. Both are fine.
Whatever the setting, save any big moments—speeches, drinks, commiseration—for after you’ve clocked out and left the office for the last time. Don’t make a big show of exiting during working hours. If you’ve followed the tips in this article, then you’ve already said what needed to be said. There’s nothing left to prove on the way out the door.
Looking forward
What happens when you leave your office (or log out of your Slack channel) for the last time?
That’s up to you. Perhaps you already have a job lined up. If so, check out our guide to the first 90 days at a new job.
If you’re not sure yet, we have lots of resources to help you plan your next step. Check out some of these articles:
