After months of looking youve finally found the job of your dreams. The new company loves you and wants you to start work as soon as possible. The only problem is how to quit the job you have? Though you may have fantasized about telling your present boss to take this job and, well, you know how the song goes, there is a right way and a wrong way to quit a joband just up and quitting in a bout of anger is definitely the wrong way.

The right method of quitting a job means formally resigning from your position. And even when youre excited about leaving and perhaps even desperately want to leave, it can still be hard to actually resign. But it must be doneand the sooner the better. You should resign immediately when youve accepted a position with another company. This is particularly important if youre going to work for a competitor because some companies have policies where this could cause what they consider a conflict of interest and they will want you to leave immediately after youve given them your notice.

When resigning from a position, you will want to give your employer a written letter of resignation. This letter does not have to be long or detailed, but should include the following:

Salutation to specific manager of the department youre leaving or Human Resources manager
Date of tendering your resignation
Date youll be exiting your position
Brief explanation (i.e., Im leaving to take a position that will offer more opportunity for advancement, to be a full-time mother, etc.)

Again, when writing your letter of resignation, theres no need for in-depth details or to give the name of the company youll be going to work for. Also, dont give into the temptation to use your resignation letter to vent your anger and/or frustration. This could cause you career difficulties down the road. Make your resignation letter short and to the point, and keep it as positive as possible.

If youve had a good experience with your company and managers, dont be surprised if you receive a counter-offer. But youd be wise not to take one. Staying with an employer that youve already made plans to leave rarely works out well. In fact, in most cases people end up leaving within a year after taking a counter-offer.

Emotions run high when you quit a job, even a job you dislike, and its always easier to stay with the devil you know rather than take a risk on the one you dont know. Still, whatever reasons you had for seeking employment elsewhere will not go away if you decide to stay, so make your decision to leave and dont give into pressure to stay, well-intentioned as it may be. The last thing you want to do is to have to endure resigning all over again!