Handing in my notice - advice please

Some of you may have seen this post about how I was unhappy in a new job I had just started, and wanted advice as to how to explain this in interviews. Anyway I have now been accepted for the job I wanted - absolutely delighted, however I now have to hand on my notice in my current job. I have only been in the job 2.5 months so far. Its an IT sales job. I have made some good connections and brought in a few small sales but nowhere near the amount of money that they have paid me in that time. They gave me very little support and assistance but most of all there was a lot of cold calling and chasing clients involved and I just did not enjoy it.

The problem is that they are a very new company and me leaving is really going to set them back in their plans. Before I joined they only had one salesperson, I was the 2nd for another territory. However just before I joined he left and they had to hire another new guy. So they were really set back in their plans. Now me leaving, they are going to be really really p1ssed. However, reastically I am not the right person for the job and I think its better for me to leave now than to waste more of their time and money.

They were pretty disorganised. They had not sorted out my tax and have been paying me gross, said they would sort it out this month. No healthcare of pension either... I have no formal contract so I strictly don't have to give any real notice. My new job starts in exactly 1 month, but I'd prefer to work up until the end of this month (3 weeks from now) that way I have a nice week off to relax.

Now, my sales director - my direct boss - has just gone on holidays for a week, but he is still contactable. My plan was to call him, say I am sending him an email (he can pick it up on his blackberry) and for him to call me back when he has read it, then he can pass it on to the Directors. Real nice news when beginning your holiday week off... has to be done unfortauntely.

Anyway I'd like some advice as to what to say in this email. I was thinking the main points being: Unfortunately its not working out, I feel I'm not the right person for the job, I just don't enjoy a lot of it and can't put my full effort into it. I must have had unreastic expectations of what the job was going to entail. I don't want to waste any more of your time and money, you need to find someone more suitable for the job... (they are offering huge money it shouldn't be a problem..

This is Ireland so I don't want to burn any bridges and say anything bad in case it comes back to haunt me. Can anyone offer some advice as to the best way to handle this?
Thanks

Keep your resignation letter to a minimum & emphasise the positive. i.e. I wouldn't say things like "must have had unreastic expectations of what the job was going to entail. I don't want to waste any more of your time and money, you need to find someone more suitable for the job"


There are plenty of websites out there, you might just want to go with the "plain & simple" below
http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/resign/resign2.html

<edit> the same applies for any exit interviews or follow up conversations. I'm of the "if you've nothing good to say, say nothing" school. especially when it comes to leaving jobs.

I agree with Tiger, keep it simple and as much as you can, positive. Most in reference requests do ask why you left the last job, keep that in mind, you don't know who in the future might be writing the reference, it could be someone you never met and they might base it on your resignation letter alone.

The problems the company might face with your leaving are simply not your problem - I have been in a similar situation myself in that I know leaving the company left them in awkward situation but I gave them notice and it was up to them to sort it out, I offered to help them out even after I left but they refused the offer and I know are now having problems I could have helped them avoid. Just say you are leaving because you have been offered a job that gives you the challenges and opportunities you are looking for, thank them for employing you and wish them well.

As someone said to me about my job change In a couple of weeks I'll bet you find yourself wondering why you even cared.

Cheers guys. I was hoping to just give them 3 weeks notice. I have no contract to say I have to give 4. However I don't start my new job for 4 weeks, so can give them that amount of time but I'd ideally like a week off. That said they may just tell me that I can leave then and there, as I am going to cost them a months pay, and I'm pretty unlikely to do much work in that time - I don't work in an office, I'm 100+ miles away from them, so I have to be prepared for that too.

I was planning on saying that "The job just isn't right for me" - I'd perfer not to mention where I am going off to. Is that ok?

Don't call him to tell him to read an email. Call him to tell him you are leaving and that you'll be following up on email.

Yep - you gotta be up front in you comms here - don't try and 'hide' behind an email.

ninsaga

As somebody once said to me, leaving a job is like taking your hand out of a bucket of water. It all fills right back in! No-one is indispensible so most companies are just fine when somebody leaves. I wouldn't worry about them too much.