Resignation Letter

Writing a resignation letter is not a straightforward task, although I did write mine in an hour. It was quite rushed at the time because I'd left it for too late, and was under pressure to get it out in time to fit in with my contractual notice period.

There are lots of example letters online, effectively the broad outline of this letter should contain:
- Introduction -  start with the intent to leave the company
- Body - some reasons why you made this decision, and thank the company for the experiences gained
- Conclusion - try to close gently, aim to keep the ties, don't burn any bridges

So this is how my last resignation letter went:

RE: Letter of Resignation effective Monday 21^st March 2011 (8-weeks, ending 13^th May 2011)

Dear Colin,

After considerable thought and soul-searching, I have decided to resign my position as Senior Project Manager/Principal Engineer at NDS. I assure you it was not an easy decision to make especially because working in a culture like NI was a long awaited dream of mine, as it would have allowed me to experience what it’s like to work with new ideas from the ground-up, something I always aspired for, in the hope of running my own start-up one day.

As you know, I left the country of my birth, South Africa (SA), over 10 years ago leaving behind all my family. Due to personal circumstances and obligation to family, I’ve decided it’s now time to return home. I’ve managed to verbally secure a job offer with the local SA broadcaster, but nothing has been formally agreed yet nor has anything been formally signed. Regardless of this fact, my decision to return home has been made, and I’ve already begun preparations for the move, aiming to be in SA at the end of May 2011.

Thus, in keeping with the terms of my contract of employment, the notice period being 8 weeks, effective from Monday 21^st March 2011, this makes my termination date to be 13^th May 2011.  As agreed we could renegotiate the exact end-date mid-way through this period around 15^th April, but at present, I am keen on working the full notice period.  I will aim to complete as much of the work expected from me during this period.

I value the past 8 years experience with NDS. I’ve had the opportunity to work in different areas of the business, and with teams from around the world, having built-up a good network. I’m confident that this experience will be very useful to me in my future career.  If NDS ever sets up an R&D/Professional services/Delivery office in SA, I would hope NDS would contact me to discuss potential opportunities for working together again.

Yours Sincerely,

Muhammad Khan

Senior Project Manager/Principal Engineer