Building a successful loss prevention career requires dedication, hard work, and long hours honing our skills and abilities as we strive to become among the best at what we do. We spend our careers building upon our talents through both performance and professional development. We learn and grow from those who have provided guidance and direction. We build partnerships with our peers throughout the business to optimize our effectiveness in the field. We provide counseling and support to those that are following in our footsteps. We then put it all together to maximize our performance—and value to the organization. This essentially resonates through our reputation, our professional legacy, and a personnel file tucked away in someone’s office.
Knowing this, does it make any sense to risk soiling that reputation with a poorly written resignation letter?
The world has changed, and few people today spend their adult lives working for the same employer for their entire career. In fact, most will make several moves as they grow professionally. While this may happen for any number of reasons, professional transitions have become a typical occurrence for most in the workforce and one of the many common building blocks that are part of a loss prevention career.
Leave a Positive Impression
So you’ve decided to move on. You’ve conducted a successful search and found a position that you feel will move your retail loss prevention career forward in a positive and productive manner. You’re excited about your new position, but anxious over the best way to share the news with your soon-to-be former employer. Even when you know you’re making the right decision, it can still be difficult to leave something that you’ve invested so much time and energy to build. A good resignation letter can make that transition much easier.
Sometimes employees feel that they’ve outgrown a position, have become frustrated over a particular aspect of their work environment, or feel compelled to move on for some other reason. In these circumstances, it’s even more important to construct a good resignation letter.
Submitting a letter of resignation is more than professional protocol. While the document may serve as the means to notify your employer of your decision to move on, this should also be seen as an opportunity to build upon the things that you’ve accomplished, the relationships that you’ve established, and leave on a positive note. Always attempt to leave on good terms. By leaving a strong and constructive final impression, the resignation letter can provide a degree of closure and help pave the way for you to move on.
Tips for Writing the Resignation Letter
When constructing the resignation letter, there are multiple messages that you want to share. This would typically include:
- Officially announcing your intention to leave the company. Often, this will convey the weight that was put into the decision and reinforce your message.
- Providing notice of your last day of work. Two weeks’ notice is often offered; however, this may be a longer or shorter period depending on the position, the needs of the company, and the requirements of the new position.
- Thanking the employer for the things that were learned. Recognize both the lessons and the relationships by acknowledging what you’ve learned with the company.
- Briefly commenting on successful performance. A brief overview (1-2 sentences) recognizing what you’ve accomplished can provide a strong and positive footnote to your performance.
- Voicing your belief that your decision to move on is for professional growth. Acknowledge that you’re making the move for the right reasons, and your belief that the move will help move you along your loss prevention career path.
- Announcing that your decision is final. Announcing that your decision is final can add additional closure, and remove some of the stress related to attempts to have you stay with the company (although it won’t necessarily stop those attempts).
Here is a sample resignation letter that follows these simple steps. Keep the letter brief, professional, courteous, and to the point:
Respectfully, after much thought and consideration, I am submitting my resignation as [position] with [company] to accept a new position effective in two weeks [or established time frame]. My last day will be [day and date].
It has been a pleasure working with the team at [company], and I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for the many things that I have learned while working with the company. I feel that the partnerships that I’ve made and the lessons that I’ve learned have directly contributed to our improved shrink results and [other performance enhancements] that occurred in my [store, district, region, department, etc…] during my time with the company.
I am willing to do what I can to make this transition as smooth as possible, and will work with you and the team at [company] during the transition. Feel free to contact me anytime if you have any questions, or if I can offer any additional assistance as we move forward. However, I have made the decision to pursue the opportunity with the new company in order to further advance my loss prevention career, and it is my final decision to pursue it.
Thank you again for the opportunity to work for [company]. I wish you and the entire team all the best and I look forward to staying in touch with you.
Sincerely,
John Smith
Every attempt should be made to keep the resignation letter—and the resignation in general—both amicable and respectful. The resignation letter should not be used to make disparaging remarks, dissatisfaction with the company or leadership, or frame your tenure with the organization in a negative way.
Building a loss prevention career is an ongoing process that requires a steadfast commitment to growth, learning, and professional conduct. During every stage of our career development it is important to keep in mind what we’ve learned and how we got to where we are today. This helps to build relationships that endure and careers that last.
This post was originally published in 2016 and was updated March 6, 2018.