The Manual
Vol. I · No. 1 · September 2026
The Gentleman's Guide
Part III · Work & CareerNo. 103 · Page 5 of 20

When and how to quit a job

Two weeks' notice in writing is the standard; keep the exit conversation professional and unemotional regardless of how you feel, since references and reputations follow you. Don't badmouth the company in your exit interview.

When and how to quit a job

Deciding it is time

A bad month is not a reason and a bad year usually is. The reliable signs are that you have stopped learning, that there is no path to the pay or role you want, that the work is harming your health, or that you have been asked to do something unethical. If you are leaving without another job, have three to six months of expenses saved.

Before you say a word

Do not resign until the new offer is in writing, signed, with a start date, and any background check or other condition has cleared. Reread anything you signed when you were hired, particularly non-compete, non-solicitation and confidentiality clauses. Their enforceability varies widely by state. Quietly take home personal belongings and save personal files and contacts, but nothing that belongs to the company. Some employers end your access the same hour you give notice.

The sequence

  1. You tell your manager first, in person or by video, before any coworker hears it.
  2. You keep it short: you are leaving, your last day is a specific date, and you are grateful for the opportunity.
  3. You follow up the same day with a resignation letter of two or three sentences stating your position and last day.
  4. You offer a transition plan and write a handoff document covering open projects, contacts, files and deadlines.
  5. You work the notice period properly, because the last two weeks are what people remember.

You are not obliged to say where you are going.

The counteroffer

Decide before the meeting what you would do if offered more money to stay. The reasons you searched rarely change with a raise, and you are now marked as someone who nearly left. Decline graciously unless pay was truly the only problem.

What to settle with HR

Ask when your health coverage ends, which may be your last day or the end of that month. COBRA generally lets you keep the same plan for up to 18 months at the full premium, and you have 60 days to elect it. Ask about payout of unused vacation and the timing of the final paycheck, both of which depend on state law. Check your vesting dates and any signing bonus or tuition money you would have to repay. Your 401(k) can stay put, roll into the new employer's plan or roll into an IRA. Do not cash it out.

Note Collect personal email addresses and phone numbers from the colleagues you want to keep before your last day. Work addresses stop forwarding the moment you leave.