There are many reasons for which people depart from jobs. Sometimes, a certain job or workplace no longer aligns with a person’s values. In other cases, the departure is purely income-based. However, regardless of why you’ve chosen to leave your current job, it behooves you to conduct yourself in a courteous, professional manner when getting your exit in order. Anyone looking for tips on leaving a job while keeping their professional bridges intact can benefit from the following pointers.

Provide Ample Notice of Your Resignation
Professionalism and common courtesy behoove you to provide your current employer with ample notice of your resignation. Although two weeks’ notice is often the standard for such things, your employment contract may require you to provide a much greater degree of advance notice. So, as soon as you’ve reached a decision to leave, get in touch with your boss – who should be the first person to learn of your departure. Telling coworkers about your intention to leave before informing your boss is likely to come off as unprofessional, particularly if the latter learns about it through the former.

Compose a Formal Letter of Resignation
While simply declaring, “I QUIT,” may be a popular way for fictional characters to resign from unsatisfying jobs, this method of resignation generally isn’t applicable in the real world. Instead, you’ll need to compose a formal letter of resignation in which you politely detail the reasons for your departure. In many cases, you’ll also be expected to go through an exit interview, which often entails reiterating the points outlined in the aforementioned letter.

Make Use of Your Remaining Insurance Coverage
If your current health insurance is provided through your employer, you should get any upcoming doctor appointments or dental checkups out of the way before exiting your job. Furthermore, if you suffer from a disability for which your new employer will not provide coverage, now would be a good time to look into long term disability insurance plans.

Use Any Remaining Vacation Time
Now would also be the time to use up any remaining sick days or vacation time. After all, if you don’t use this paid time off now, you’ll never get another chance. Taking these days off will also provide you with ample time to attend to any prep work your new job requires. For example, if you’ll be relocating for your new position, this would be a fantastic opportunity to start packing, researching your new locale or looking for the right moving company.

Return to School
Continued education is often a necessity for a change in career paths. So, if the job of your dreams requires an advanced degree, there’s no time like the present to start considering your options. Furthermore, now that many schools are offering convenient online degree programs, you can earn virtually any type of degree remotely. Needless to say, these programs are particularly attractive to people with jam-packed schedules. Coloradans – and out-of-state learners – in the market for a good MBA program in Denver should have no problem finding one suited to their schedule and lifestyle.

Turn Down Any Last-Ditch Counteroffers
The prospect of losing certain employees fills many bosses with dread. Even if someone isn’t particularly good at their job, their boss may view continuing to work with them as preferable to recruiting and training a replacement. That being the case, it’s hardly surprising for a departing worker to be met with last-minute counteroffers on their way out the door.
However, as tempting as some of these offers may be, it’s generally a good idea to turn them down, especially if you have a good job lined up. Accepting one may seem like a sound decision in the short term, but once the relief of keeping you on wears off, your boss may grow resentful of the position they were put in, begin to question your loyalty and become extremely difficult to work

It’s only natural that you’d be excited about leaving a job for which you have no enthusiasm. However, this excitement doesn’t give you free license to make a nuisance of yourself during your last days on the job. Even if you have another position lined up and genuinely don’t care about your current job, you should remain mindful of the manner in which you conduct yourself ahead of your exit. To help ensure that you’re able to depart your current job on a high note, put the previously discussed tips to good use.