Resignation letter for a job I don't want to leave

August 4, 2007 10:06 PM

I want to write a resignation letter that essentially says, "I am quitting because I am taking a full-time job elsewhere, but if you ever post any full-time jobs here, please call me!" Is there a way to do this without sounding sort of strange or desperate?

I have had the most wonderful job for three years. They love me, I love them, but unfortunately, the job is only part-time and I cannot afford to live off of my pay. I got a full-time at another institution, and I hate it, and I would like to be considered for any full-time positions at my part-time institution that may open up. Is there some tactful, professional way to say this in a resignation letter?

posted by waywardgirl to Work & Money (12 answers total)

Sure. Sounds like you're leaving on good terms, so just be honest and say something to effect of "this is purely a financial decision and I hate having to make it, because I'd would have liked to have made this place my career. If future expansion warrants hiring in my area, I'd love to come back and pick back up where I left off."

Of course, this is the advice of an unemployed guy who never held the same job for more than 3 years in his life. :)
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:16 PM on August 4, 2007

The magic word where I work is "contingent". Some summer part-time student employees go contingent when the school year starts. It just means they can come back whenever they're available; they're not fired and they haven't quit, but they won't be working there for the time being.

Did your old boss know you wanted a full-time job?
posted by carsonb at 10:18 PM on August 4, 2007

Response by poster: They know. It's a government job, and they can't just create positions. In fact, they haven't hired a full-time employee in eight years. And, because it is government, I can't go contingent. There is no flexibility at all.
posted by waywardgirl at 10:20 PM on August 4, 2007

Write up the resignation letter, as BitterOldPunk suggests. However, don't submit it. Call a meeting with your boss. Ask if it's possible to have a full-time position. Mention that you've got an offer in hand for a permanent job, but that you really like your current job and would prefer to stay. Any reasonable boss will understand the situation.

FWIW, I once quit a job because I kept getting hired for 2-month periods. My manager was sympathetic when I said I had a new job offer. A few days before I was due to start a new job, it became obvious that the new job was going to be awful, due to some interactions with my prospective boss. I talked to my manager and she let me stick around. I ended up being made permanent and went on to work for her at another company later.
posted by acoutu at 10:22 PM on August 4, 2007

Oh, and submit the letter once you've talked to your boss and been assured that they can't do anything. Forgot to explain that part.
posted by acoutu at 10:23 PM on August 4, 2007

Response by poster: I guess I should add that I have reason to believe they will post two full-time jobs by February.
posted by waywardgirl at 10:24 PM on August 4, 2007

Everywhere I've ever worked, when I left there was what was known as an "exit interview". I suggest that your message of willingness to return would be better delivered verbally during that interview, rather than being included in your resignation letter.

Or if they don't do that, then perhaps informally in discussion with your manager. I don't think it's very professional to include that in a resignation letter.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 10:42 PM on August 4, 2007

As Steven notes, resignation letters are not the place for that message. They're short, succinct. If 'I hereby resign the office of the President of the United States.' was good enough for Nixon, surely you don't need much more?

Make sure that as many people, especially people with hiring impact, know you're sad to leave and you love the place and you want to come back and please keep you in mind. But that's for emails, exit interviews and going away lunches, not resignation letters.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:53 PM on August 4, 2007

Talk to your manager first! Resignation letters are just a formality. Tell your manager how much you enjoy your job, remind him/her about the value you've added over the years, and ask to be considered for any full-time work. Give your two weeks - if you're really good, he or she will spend a good chunk of that two weeks trying to finagle the system to find more work for you.
posted by pomegranate at 6:22 AM on August 5, 2007

Stating your willingness to return in the registration letter *as well as* in any exit interview has the added bonus of keeping your desire to come back after a pleasant exit in your file in case your current manager gets replaced.
posted by mediareport at 6:54 AM on August 5, 2007

The resignation letter is a formality, mostly used to kickstart the process otherwise known as you leaving. It only needs to be a few lines, and I usually add something in about how much I enjoyed working there and that I hope our paths will cross again professionally. Which basically means, 'you're all really nice and I like you a lot and would be willing to work with/for you in the future." Even if you don't mean it (which in this case, you do), it's nice to show that you don't want to burn any bridges, particularly if you're staying in the same industry. Honestly though, even if you don't put that, it really doesn't matter. Talk to your supervisor directly about your options and give him/her the heads-up and option to do something about it before you hand in the letter.
posted by ml98tu at 8:02 AM on August 5, 2007

When I was in my TAP class (prepares military people for job hunting outside the military), one of the instructors was a lady who had been working for the Federal Government in some capacity for most of her life. She told the class "YOU SHOULD NEVER RESIGN FROM A (Civilian) GOVERNMENT JOB."

Due to the intricacies of how the hiring system works, she said that it was a very Bad Idea. She suggested asking for indefinite unpaid leave instead. That way you haven't quit, you haven't been fired, and you're still in the system as employed, but you aren't getting payed. That way, when something does come up, all you have to do is tell them you are on unpaid leave, and request a transfer.

It might not be quite that simple, but that is the way she presented it to us.

EIP, if you want her e-mail, I think I have it laying around still.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 9:15 PM on August 5, 2007