How to Resign (The Right Way) From a Job You Hate

Quitting a job that you hate can feel amazing.

There are many little things that can annoy you in your job. You might hate your boss but love your job. or simply hate both your job and your boss.

Nonetheless, you need to know what to do when you hate your job and want to quit.

How to Quit a Job You Hate Gracefully

It is tempting to tell your boss you are quitting and not showing up the next day. But it is one of the worst ways to quit your job. Knowing how to quit your job professionally helps to protect your reputation, and even helps you to build your career.

Even when you hate your job, you should properly quit your job without burning any bridges and build a great long-lasting professional relationship.

1. Before you quit, try to work things out

Getting a new job takes time and a lot of effort. If possible try to work things out before you quit. Often, talking things over with the right people can resolve the issue quickly and effectively.

You should never quit a job before doing your best to make things work.

Understand why you want to quit

• What will it take for me to be happy at my current job?
• What are the problems do I expect quitting my job to resolve?
• What do I want to do for my job, career, and life?
• Is my boss or coworker the reason for me to quit?
• If I am to transfer to a different team or department, will it make me happier?

These questions will help guide you to understanding why do you want to quit. These questions can help you to know what are the possible solutions, and how you can work things out with your employer.

Questions to ask before quitting

• Ask for a pay raise. If your reason for quitting is due to salary.
• Ask for flexible working hours. If your reason for leaving is due to the reporting time to work.
• Ask for a remote working opportunity. If your reason is due to a long commute, or require to take care of your kids at home.
• Ask for a change in job scope. If you want to develop your career in another field.
• Ask for an internal transfer to another department. If your reason for quitting is due to your boss or coworkers.

You may want to schedule a meeting with your boss or HR to discuss the possible solution. And if it doesn’t work, it might be time for you to quit your job.

2. Resolve conflict with your boss or coworkers before quitting

Negative emotions should be resolved even when you are leaving the company. In fact, your resignation presents a great opportunity for you to clear the air with your boss or coworkers and create a civil professional relationship.

With an end of a working relationship, it can be a start of a professional civil relationship.

Resolve conflict effectively with CARE

• Communicate: Effective communication is the most important way to resolve any conflict.
• Active Listening: Listen to what the other party has to say without interrupting. Listen to understand and not to rebuke.
• Review All Options: Explore all possible options together, and look for a solution that can benefit everyone.
• End with a Win-Win Solution: Get to agree on a win-win solution where both of you agree on. Resolving conflict is about balance.

C.A.R.E. is the acronym of Communicate, Active listening, Review all options, and End with a win-win solution.

3. Prepare to leave your job

Before you leave your job, try to stay for at least a few weeks, or even months, and use the time to prepare yourself mentally, physically, and financially.

Knowing what you’ll need to do before you quit can help you progress in your career even after you leave your job.

• Update your resume and LinkedIn profile.
• Research and understand the job market after work.
• Ask for letters of recommendation or referrals from former managers and colleagues.
• List down your list of soft skills and hard skills.
• Understand that you are not eligible for unemployment benefits when you resign voluntarily.
• Prepare yourself financially if you are quitting without another job lined up.

4. Don’t let everyone know you want to quit

Even when you hate your job and you’re unhappy at work, you should not let everyone know you want to quit, or you have resigned from your job.

It is natural for you to vent your frustration to your coworkers for emotional support, but there are things you shouldn’t say even when you feel frustrated.

Unless your boss has requested you to announce your resignation to your team, your boss should be the one to break the news of your departure from the company.

5. Give at least 2 weeks of notice to your employer

Two weeks of notice is considered to be the common practice to give your employer before you depart from your position. Certain professions might require you to give 4 to 12 weeks of notice, depending on your job role and position in the company.

Even if you hate your job, you should give an appropriate notice period to allow your employer to find a replacement for your role, and for you to do a proper handover of your task.

Your coworkers will be much more likely to have a good impression of you, and will be more willing to help you in your career if required; be your refferal, or assist in writing a letter of recommendation.

“Giving an appropriate notice to your employer shows that you respect your colleagues and you are professional even if you are leaving the company.”

A.C.

Most jobs require at least 2 weeks of notice period, while some managerial roles will require a notice period of 4 to 12 weeks depending on the company and your contract of employment.

Can you quit a job you hate without notice?

It is not recommended to quit a job without notice even if you hate the job. When you leave your job without notice, you will ruin the relationship between you and your employer, this can result in negative feedback given by your employer, and destroy your reputation in the field.

Finding your next job will be difficult due to your negative feedbacks and reputation.

Furthermore, if you quit your job without notice, your coworkers will often be the ones who will suffer as they will be forced to take up a job with no proper handover.

Unless you are working in an abusive environment, that is unsafe, or the company is performing illegal activities, quitting a job you hate without notice is not a good way to leave a job.

6. Resign With a Resignation Letter

Resigning from a job you hate with a resignation letter is the best way to tell your boss that you are quitting your job. A resignation letter lets you put your announcement down on paper so that HR will have your record.

Just telling your boss you want to quit is not good enough, it is not professional, and it doesn’t look good on you.

Especially if you are quitting a job you hate, your tone might sound different from what you’ve expected, and you and your boss might become too emotional.

It can be hard to stay calm when quitting a job you hate.

What do you write in a resignation letter?

All resignation letters should include these information:

• Tell the reader why you are writing this letter.
• When is your last day of work.
• How are you going to do your handover.
• Show your appreciation. (Even if you hate your job)
• End the resignation letter professionally.

Knowing how to write a resignation letter professionally can help you build professional relationships even if you quit your job.

7. Perform your exit interview professionally

An exit interview is a meeting conducted by the human resource with an employee before the employee officially leaves the company. The exit interview is generally conducted on the last day of the work for the leaving employee.

An exit interview aid the organisation to improve by allowing the employee who is leaving the employment to provide frank and honest feedback.

How to answer exit interview questions?

When answering exit interview questions, you should be as honest as you can without revealing confidential information or harming someone’s reputation. Your answers should focus on the company, and the information you provide should be helpful, constructive feedback.

Keep your emotions in check, especially when you are quitting a job you hate.

For questions you don’t feel comfortable answering, you can be as vague as you want. But never say things that are untrue or lie during your exit interview.

Can you say no to an exit interview?

Yes, you can say no to an exit interview, and it is not professionally wrong or unlawful not to participate in the exit interview. Declining an exit interview will not have any negative impact to you professionally, and do not affect your ability to use the company’s experience on your resume.

But when you decline an invitation for an exit interview, be as polite as possible.

An exit interview is generally for the benefit of the company and the people working there. The exit interview helps the company to grow and find opportunities where they can change to improve employee retention.

Is it normal to hate your job?

Most jobs lead you to feel stuck in some way, thus it is totally normal to hate your job, or complain about your job at work. Hating your job is a common human experience for working adults. In fact, one in three working adults doesn’t like the job that they are doing.

35% of American workers say they don’t feel satisfied with their careers.

Main reasons why people hate their job so much:

• Unclear expectations that are cause by poor leadership.
• Overwork and overload that are caused by a lack of resources.
• Low work satisfaction that are cause by lack of recognition at work.
• Getting paid lower than the average individual working in the same position

Study shows an average American spend 7.7 hours a day at work which is 1/3 of our day is spent working. Working at a job you hate can be tiring and miserable.

80% don’t feel passionate about their jobs.

While hating your job is normal, you may want to find a job that makes you feel more satisfied and happy.

Getting higher pay, does not always give you a higher level of happiness.

Sometimes, it is ok to get a job that pays lower but makes you happier.

Is it OK to Quit a Job You Hate?

Yes, it is ok to quit a job if your job makes you feel emotionally, physically or mentally draining. Feeling miserable at work can be bad for your personal and professional life. However, you need to leave your job on good terms with your employers and coworkers.

Regardless of the reason why you may want to quit your job, you should still be polite and professional when quitting your job.