The letter of resignation is needed when an employee voluntarily leaves a job. This may be due to a variety of reasons such as the pursuit of higher education, migration, taking on a new opportunity or even illness.
The letter of resignation is not needed when the employee has been laid off. For example, when business is slow, some companies may scale down their production and therefore need to “send home” or “lay off” several employees.
Also, the letter of resignation is not needed if an employee has been fired from the job. However, in some situations, an employee who has been fired may be asked to submit his or her resignation so as to maintain his or her integrity, or to put it in common terms, to make it “not look so bad.”
A good resignation letter is courteous and to the point. The following guidelines assumes that the employee has had a pleasant working relationship with the employer.
First Paragraph: State the purpose of the letter.
Second Paragraph: Thank the employer for the positive experience and explain reason for leaving.
Third Paragraph: Close with best wishes to the company.
The following example uses the “block style” formatting of letter writing. That means, all addresses and the closing is laid out on the left hand side of the paper.
Lot 111 Barrack Retreat, Lethem, Rupununi, Guyana.
19th March, 2026.
The Manager, Digicel Inc., Lethem Branch.
Dear Mr. Smith,
I hereby tender my resignation as a Customer Service
Representative at Digicel's Lethem Branch with effect
from 2nd of April, 2026.
The two years of working with your company
was indeed a fruitful and rewarding experience.
However, due to the fact that I have to pursue
studies at the University of Guyana, I am no
longer able to maintain my position here.
In closing, I'd like to thank you for this wonderful opportunity, and I wish your company the best of future success.
Yours sincerely,
…………………………………………. Floyd Williams
Some points to note:
- The resignation letter should be submitted at two weeks in advance of leaving. This is both courteous and gives time for the employer to find a replacement. It also helps if you need a recommendation from the company.
- In the closing, “Yours sincerely,” the word “Yours” starts with a capital “Y” but “sincerely” starts with a lowercase “s.”
- You sign above the dotted line while your name is printed below the dotted line.
Copyright 2026 by Patrick Carpen. All Rights Reserved.