Recently, I had to write the “goodbye email” you write when you quit a job. I loved the company I worked for and knew I couldn’t take the standard approach. Below is what I wrote.
Five things you have to say when you quit:
You’ve got to write something interesting or funny, but what does that mean? I think it means that you include these five elements in your goodbye email:
1. Reassurance that the company you are leaving is still awesome.
The first thing people do when they leave a company is tell you that the company is still in fact wicked awesome. This is the “It’s not you, it’s me,” approach to changing jobs. Expect sentences like, “I am excited to see where this fantastic team takes the future of this company, which is bright like the sun!”
2. Explicit ways you grew as a human while employed at the company.
Sometimes goodbye emails get as emotional as the final scenes of the ABC show, “Extreme Home Makeover.” Expect sentences like, “I loved my time here and grew intellectually, physically and spiritually, learning so much about myself, my heart and Ruby on Rails.”
3. Promise a future run in.
You will work with a bunch of the same people over and over again, especially in Atlanta. Whether you end up at a news site, a weather site or dare I say a purveyor of health related information, it all comes back full circle. Expect sentences like, “Atlanta is a small town and I hope our paths cross again.”
4. Vague description of where you are going
Your ex-girlfriend doesn’t want to hear about how attractive your new girlfriend is. Stay high level and general. Expect sentences like, “I am excited about pursuing my new opportunity.” You could be going to a tech company or Guam with a sentence like that.
5. Contact info.
You’ve got to leave your contact info and this is my favorite part. I like it because it’s always revealing to see someone’s private email address. Often you get surprised with something like “You can reach me at [email protected] or [email protected]”
Those are the things I always notice about goodbye emails but I am sure there are a few ideas I missed
Thanks for making these four years so great
Jon
