How To (Confidently) Put in Your Two Weeks Notice

Whether you're leaving your current job for a better opportunity elsewhere, are starting school, or for another reason, putting in your two weeks' notice is pretty standard.

This is a formal way of letting your employer know that you will no longer be with the company as of two weeks from the submission of your notice.

Even though putting in your two weeks' notice sounds straightforward, there are specific ways to handle it professionally. If you're ready to quit your job and start a new chapter in your professional life, here's how to put in your two weeks' notice.

What Does a Two Weeks' Notice Mean?

Depending on your industry, giving two weeks is standard and allows them a decent amount of time to find your replacement before you're completely gone.

Even if they cannot find your replacement by the time your two weeks are up, this still provides them enough time to delegate responsibilities until they can hire someone else and better prepare for your absence.

Some people use the term two weeks' notice even when giving more notice, but generally, it's exactly two weeks. The whole concept of giving notice to your employer is a courtesy. You're extending them instead of up and leaving one day or announcing it's your last day, on the last day you plan on being at work.

As the standard for most industries, this is the most professional way to leave a company and generally allows you to leave on favorable terms. This way, you can still use them as a reference in future endeavors knowing you didn't leave on bad terms.

Step 1: Decide on a Final Employment Date

Determining your final employment date is the first step to putting in your two weeks' notice. Generally, most people give their notice on a Friday so that their official two weeks will be two weeks after that Friday.

Giving your notice on a Friday allows for two whole work weeks, and employers greatly appreciate this. Depending on your situation, you might need to give your notice on a Monday or another day. Usually, your new job's start date, school start date, or moving date will play a role when you give your notice.

While this isn't as common and not usually what employers prefer, it shouldn't be an issue if you give plenty of notice. The best thing to do when determining when your final day of employment will be is to read through your contract or employee handbook.

There should be information regarding leaving the company and giving notice in the handbook. Every company is a little different, so it's best to check to ensure you're following company policy. Some companies require you to give 30 days' notice or more. If yours doesn't specifically say, you can contact HR about policies or assume that two weeks is adequate.

Remember that some employers will try to negotiate your last day. Some might try to get you to stay longer or even take you off the schedule before your two weeks are up. It's best to be prepared either way.

Stand firm if you absolutely need to leave on the date you give, and they try to negotiate. They cannot force you to alter your last day.

Step 2: Share a Reason for Leaving Your Job

If you've ever left a job before, you know that people will constantly ask you why you're going. While you aren't legally obligated to give a reason, it's best practice to professionally answer the question in exit interviews and even on your two weeks' notice.

This might be very simple to answer, depending on your reason for leaving. Often, people leave because they're moving to a new city or state, found a higher paying position, are going back to school, or were offered a job that's more of a promotion.

These are easy enough reasons to explain why you're leaving. It can get tricky when you have reasons about company culture and similar issues. You want to be honest but not unprofessional.

The best thing you can do if you're not comfortable sharing your reason for leaving is that you're leaving for personal reasons. Stating personal reasons as your reason for leaving implies that you're uncomfortable sharing and do not have to. Be aware that if you list personal reasons for leaving, HR, your manager, or others might still push you for a "real" answer.

Stand your ground and state that personal reasons is an honest answer and that you won't be explaining further. You are under no obligation to clarify, so don't feel pressured to do so.

No matter your reasons for leaving, you'll still be leaving and looking for a new job if you don't already have one. Most companies use these reasons for data to see why people often leave their company.

Step 3: Write a Resignation Letter

Now that you have decided on your final work day and know your reason or what you want to address as your reason for leaving, you must write your resignation letter.

Even if you've told your boss verbally, this is a formal way to inform people you're leaving and will protect you in case they try to fight you on your leaving.

When it comes to resignation letters, keeping them short, sweet, and to the point is best. The main points you'll want to remember to include are:

• A statement saying you're leaving
• The date for your last day
• Show them an appreciation for the job
• Offer to assist with the transition

You don't want to write a lengthy letter because they'll look at your final date and probably not read much else. If they do, they'll be looking for the reason you're leaving and if you speak highly of the company.

There are plenty of templates you can find online to help guide you, but as long as you start with addressing the letter to whoever you need to and adding the components mentioned above, you don't necessarily need a template.

You'll also want to keep a digital copy and print it off. Some people prefer hard copies, while a digital copy will work for others.

Step 4: Tell Human Resources and Your Manager

After you've crafted a resignation letter you're happy with, it's time to do the most challenging part: informing your manager and HR. It's still not that hard, but telling your higher-ups that you're seeking an opportunity elsewhere or leaving for whatever reason can be intimidating.

The best way to approach this is to schedule a meeting with your manager or anyone who needs to be informed about your decision to leave. Ideally, if you can get all those people in a meeting at one time, that would be best. If not, scheduling separate meetings is still okay.

Some people email their letters to their bosses first so that they understand the nature of the meeting, but they also bring a hard copy with them in case they didn't read the email. How you approach that is up to you and your company policies.

Regardless of how you handle informing your boss and HR, you should always try to have an HR representative present during the meeting to ensure everything runs smoothly and you feel comfortable. These meetings tend to be pretty quick because an exit interview and paperwork will come later, but be prepared for your manager to ask questions.

Professionally informing them allows them to start delegating tasks and whatnot because you will likely have to fill out paperwork, turn in company assets, and more before your last day.

Step 5: Prepare for Your Final Day

Last but certainly not least, you can prepare for your final day at your job. Whether it's a happy or sad occasion, mentally preparing is the final step to giving your two weeks' notice.

If you can, it's always best to leave on a positive note so that your soon-to-be previous employer and coworkers can be an excellent referral for you in the future. You never want to burn bridges unless it's essential.

Preparing for the final day can look a little different for everyone. You might be tasked with helping your manager delegate tasks, train your replacement, or train your coworkers to handle some of your responsibilities until they can fill the role.

Other ways you might be preparing to leave could be informing your customers or clients that they will have a new representative or account manager (if applicable). If you have a cell phone, laptop, or other company property, you'll need to remember to turn that in before or on your last day of work.

If you're unsure where to start preparing, you're not alone. Your manager and HR should be able to walk you through everything you need to do to prepare for your final day.

When you're ready to figure out what's next, check out our collection of job opportunities in growing fields!