You've Accepted an Offer! Now how to break it to your current employer?

High contributors/long-time employees will rock an organization with news of an exit and need to take extra precautions before resigning.

1 — 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿. Make sure you have signed the official offer before mentioning anything! A verbal offer won't cut it. You need to make sure nothing will fall through before notifying your current employer.

Recruiter Kelli Hrivnak adds, "Wait for the background check and any other contingencies to pass."

2 — 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼. What's in print might not reveal what is in practice. Your formal job description might not include your full scope. For a clean handoff, make sure everything has coverage.

3 —𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀. Minimize interruptions for contracts and preferred partners by building relationships among your contacts and successor.

Loren Greiff of Portfolio Rocket adds to share client notes, such as likes and dislikes. "If you're you're the primary point of contact, you know the nuances better than anyone else, so best to ensure that relationship remains intact even when you're out the door!"

4 — 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱/𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗱? Create collateral/video on processes, shortcuts, company history, or legacy products/services that your organization can use moving forward.

Shelley Piedmont of Career GPS says, "I organized my online life into files and made a cheat sheet to find all critical material with my latest departure."

5 — 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲. If possible, offer a few referrals. Consider if the role should be divided into 1, 2, or 3 lower-level roles.

Katelyn Richards of Sweet Careers adds, "You might even be able to personally train your replacement to take some of the burden off of your company on your way out the door — this can go a long way to ensuring a smooth transition."

6 — 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿? Consider who deserves 1:1 versus a group notification.

Matt Tooker of Next Chapter Career Transitions advises exiting employees to quickly notify your own boss, "Never, ever let her/him find out before you have the chance to break the news."

7 — 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗶𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄. At most, list 2-3 points and keep it focused on positive ideas to keep your network intact. If it sounds like complaining, you might not be ready to share.

8 — 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿. No guarantees they'll offer one, but if you're definitely leaving, you'll want to let them down easily.

If you're open to considering a counter, know what you would need to stay.

9 — 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. They won't remember what was said. Outline your intentions, timeline, key handoff points, and a clear end date.

Also, if you have a start date that extends a few months out and you have a financial cushion, consider if need headspace prior to the new role.

10 — 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆-𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗹. You can better control the voice, tone, and cadence of communications if you personally write it.

11 — 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Essentially, this is a Thank You letter for the company. Keep it positive!

Don't start bragging about your new role just yet. This piece of content is about appreciating the company/coworkers and leave a positive impression.

12 — 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁. Similar to the internal letter, but for public consumption. It can be posted on your social platforms to notify of your formal departure.

13 — Individual 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀. Personal thank you notes should be reserved for your valued relationships and colleagues. Depending on the time of year, it might be appropriate to wrap it into your season's greetings.

14 — 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. Add value and show you care about your friends and colleagues outside your former role.

No clear cutoff? Wait until after you leave.