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When is the Best Time to Resign from Your Job?

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When is the Best Time to Resign...
Pub: 7/7/2023
Upd: 12/18/2024
5 min read

Times have come that you want to resign from your current job.

The reasons for resigning can be plenty, from chasing a new career, through being unhappy at your current position, all the way to personal reasons.

No matter why you want to leave your job, you need to make sure you leave on good terms.

One of the things you need to consider when leaving your job is when is the best time to do it.

We are here to help you, in this article, we are going to explore the following questions:

  • How to resign from your job?
  • Why is it important to pick carefully when you resign from your job?
  • What is the best month to resign from your job?
  • What is the best day to resign from your job?
  • What is the best time of the day to resign from your job?

So, if you are ready to learn how to pick the best time to leave your current job, stick around.

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How to resign from your job?

It is often not an easy task to quit your job, especially if you have been in the company for a couple of years.

However, to do it right, you can just follow four simple steps:

  1. Make sure you leave on a positive note – you would not want to burn any bridges, as you don’t know when your paths might meet again
  2. Keep the conversation simple – you don’t need to fall into lengthy discussions about your reasons for leaving, just be brief and positive
  3. Rehearse your resignation speech – that way you can ensure that you will sound confident, and you can prepare yourself for likely situations, like your employer presenting a counteroffer, or guilting you into staying
  4. Choose the right time to do it – that way you can help for your news to be taken in a more positive matter, and avoid any discomfort

Why is it important to pick carefully when you resign from your job?

The most significant reasons for you to carefully consider the right time to resign from your job is to leave a good impression.

Make sure you treat your boss, as well as your co-workers, with respect upon your leaving.

They might dislike the decision for you to leave the company, but they will remember that you treated them with respect.

If you do this right, your boss will more likely welcome you with open arms, if you ever decide to come back, or provide you with a good reference, if you need one.

What is the best month to resign from your job?

Generally, the most preferred and best month to resign from your job is December.

That’s because most American companies distribute their end-of-the-year bonuses in late December, and if you have made up your mind to leave, it is best to do it without missing out on it.

Furthermore, as December is widely preferred as the month to resign by many employees, there are lots of open positions, and you can find a new job in no time.

Other good months to leave your job are January, February, and March, as many companies have still not filled their open positions from December resignations yet.

When is the best day of the week to resign from your job?

When it comes to the best day of the week to resign, most people prefer to do it on Friday.

That’s mainly because that way you can be free from any work-related stress over the weekend.

Furthermore, employers and colleagues would have time to process your news over the weekend as well, and take them in more calmly.

On the contrary, you should absolutely avoid resigning on a Monday or Tuesday.

As that’s the start of the week, these days are typically busier and more stressful, and you will have to deal with all that stress without letting yourself, your employer, and your colleagues have the time to process your news.

What is the best time of the day to resign from your job?

For similar reasons why you should choose the end of the week for your resignation, you should also choose the end of the work day to do so as well.

If you select an earlier time of the day, you will likely have to deal with a whole day of more stress and awkward moments.

Furthermore, if you have chosen a day of the week different from Friday, you add up even more time of uncomfortable situations.

What you would want to do is choose a time towards the end of the day, with only an hour or two left before the end of the work day, so that you would deal with less stress from your news.

Takeaways

We are all done, now you know what is the best time to resign from a job, and why is it important.

Let’s go through all the important aspects of the time you need to take into consideration:

  • Best month to resign – if you can, you should choose December, as that’s when most employees choose to leave their job, and there will be plenty of open positions for you to choose from, and find a new position in no time
  • Best day of the week to resign – you should choose Friday to leave your position, as that will let you, as well as both your employer and colleagues, to process the news over the weekend
  • Best time of the day to resign – you should choose to resign from your job towards the end of the day, as you would have to deal with less stress and awkward situations until you can go home

All in all, you should best decide on the end of the year, the end of the week, and a time towards the end of the workday to leave on the best possible note.

Now that you know all that, it is time for you to leave your job in the most professional manner.

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Volen Vulkov
Volen Vulkov is a resume expert and the co-founder of Enhancv. He has written more than 500 resume guides and deep-dive articles on how to create your resume and cover letter, that inspire job applicants to make a resume to be proud of. His work has been featured in Forbes, Zendesk, HubSpot, and Business Insider, and cited by top universities and educational institutions, like Thunderbird School of Management, Rochester University, University of Miami, and Udemy. Volen applies his deep knowledge and practical experience to write about career changes, development, and how to stand out in the job application process.
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