There are many clever ways to quit a job, some more professional than others. No career expert, for example, would ever suggest that you emulate the Jet Blue flight attendant who quit a few years back by triggering the emergency chute and sliding down it while clutching a beer. You also might want to think twice before making a viral video documenting a resignation dance routine – even if hiring managers think it’s funny, they might not want to be subject of your next YouTube sensation. But there’s one thing every office worker can agree on, it’s that any excuse for cake is a good one. That’s what Mark Herman was hoping, anyway, when he resigned from his news director job at KOLD-TV in Nashville by printing his resignation letter on a cake.
(Photo Credit: Mark Herman/Reddit)
“I know a lot of people like working with me and they’d be sad to see me go,” Herman told BuzzFeed News. “I figured cake would soften the blow.”
The text on the cake followed the standard resignation letter format:
Dear Michelle,
Please accept this cake as formal (and delicious) notice of my resignation from the position of Newscast Director at KOLD News 13. My last day of employment will be Friday, May 22.
I will miss KOLD and all the incredible people I’ve been fortunate enough to work with over the last 4 years. I cannot thank you enough for all the opportunities and experience you have given me during my time here.
I appreciate your understanding and I wish you all the very best. If there’s anything I can do to help with the transition during my last few weeks here, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Mark Herman
Whether you print your resignation letter on a cake or email it or stick it in an envelope, informing your boss that you’ll be leaving is the right thing to do.
“Regardless of how your resign, write a resignation letter,” advises Alison Doyle at About.com’s Job Searching site. “A resignation letter can help you maintain a positive relationship with your old employer, while paving the way for you to move on. You never know when you might need that old employer to give you a reference.”
Ideally, you should also give notice. Most companies request that workers give notice equivalent to their vacation time, but two weeks is probably the absolute minimum you should plan on giving. And whatever you do, don’t smack-talk the boss, the company, or your former co-workers when you say goodbye. You don’t need to provide them with baked goods, but for the sake of future career, you want to make sure that your former colleagues think well enough of you to write a reference, should you need one.
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