Is it common to resign via email?

Hi, Mame!

Its nice 2 c u again.





David

I've not a job offer via email. Always a phone call with the initial offer and then followed up with a hard copy letter.

A job offer is different too in the sense that you are not physically there a short walk to your hiring manager's office. I think it would be different if say your boss was at a different location.

I am not also saying an email is not acceptable or in a sense not a way you can give your notice, just not the way you should for professional reasons. I would imagine it could also depend on your job itself. A little different to send an email when you are working at say McDonald's making minimum wage vs. a manager level at an investment firm.

It is simply dumb -- as in the future you ever you need references or a contact, you want to do everything you can to leave on a professional note. Even if you do not formally use some one from the previous organization as a reference, in my industry there are plenty of unofficial references provided...oh you worked here before did you know this person? Anyone that works in my industry with half a brain knows it.

You work in a very different field than I. In software engineering things work by real communication and relationships not by rules and rituals. Formality for formality's sake is frowned upon (if not openly mocked).

It is quite common for engineering jobs, even at the highest level, to be offered by email. Of course they are proceeded by the interview process, and followed up by face to face communication. There is no need for a formal ritual or for people to get bent out of shape about process. Everyone understands that what is important is the communication.

Of course, when you are leaving a company you need to notify them. An email is perfectly sufficient to let them know. No one cares about hard copy letters any more. They are just thrown away. Plus they are wasteful, and you can't search them. Email is preferable in every way.

Generally we give two weeks notice. You are right that references are important, but references come from professional relationships. Don't confuse empty formality with professional relationships, or even courtesy. The way to build up connections for personal references is to leave your work in a good state, help people with the transition, and talk to people when you leave.

I really don't see how printing a piece of paper is anything other than a meaningless anachronism. At least this is true in the software field.

U put that very well.





David

That's very true. Also, how does the sender of such a letter sign it?

One other thing, how does the sender know that the e-mailed letter was ever received if there is no response to his email?

The actual piece of paper vs email was not the important part of it -- the important part of it is speaking face to face. Giving respect to someone by speaking with them personally if it is at all possible.

But then engineers tend to be less personable than in the business world where relationships are huge.

I think times have changed/are changing.

I work in a very similar industry to yours. Very conservative in a lot of ways but ... paper just doesn't matter as much anymore. I haven't used a hard copy of my own resume in well over a decade now.

The references piece is interesting. There's no way to know (from here) what arrangements the person has made about future references. Does he want one from anyone at your company? Does he have references from outside of your group/team? I think there are a lot of times when people go around the old traditional source of references - esp when a lot of employers are now asking for references from people who have been clients/customers vs references from supervisors/managers.

The email address is, in effect, the signature. One good reason to be careful to have at least one professional e-ddress.

Emails can be marked to request received/read notices.

Ain't that the cotton pickin' truth!

I agree with that completely. The important part is speaking face to face. I don't think it matters how you notify you boss you are leaving. The way you interact with your co-workers and your boss after that does matter.

This video shows what the world is like for engineers (at the end this guy is perfectly personable)..

And I didn't mean it as a slight or put down on engineers -- just simply a difference in the environment - believe me sometimes being less personable in situations can be better. My boss just flipped out at me (and some of us) simply because we asked a question/concern. Ya gotta be real careful how you word things.

In my experience engineers are quite personable. In my current job, we often have spontaneous fun and we always eat together. During the day puns will fly. Of course, getting along well with each other is important to the work. Spontaneous, creative ideas are what it is about. We often work closely in this collaborative, creative sometime high-pressure profession.

We aren't too uptight about social convention... but this doesn't mean we aren't personable.

Possibly you are speaking from a skewed perspective.

Outstanding video, by the way. Kind of reminds me of a few discussions between myself and former boss (engineer) regarding accounting issues. He simply didn't have the basic concepts.

If this was an actual meeting, you should have known better, Linkat. By the time the boss calls a meeting soliciting 'input', the decision has already been made. Your function is to guess what that decision is, and then suggest what has already been decided.

I suppose the definition of personable is rather subjective as well. The people I work with interact with each other and know how to have fun with like minded people.

Some of us like to walk around without shoes which apparently bothers some people. When people visit from corporate we all have to remember to keep them on (and to us this is quite funny, but we do it). But I wouldn't say this makes us unpersonable.

No - it was an informal discussion - someone threw out some stuff - she thought she was helping - our boss quite honestly has no clue what is our files and how they are arranged (not that she needs to be) - so she mis-directed the person and we were following up to see why things were thrown out.

She flipped out -- which I could honestly see she could get mad if she took it we were upset around the fact they were trying to help, but the flip out was about something not at all related -- so obviously there was something else going on that I have no clue on.

I'll bet you also love to run around without any underwear on.

No Miller. That would be weird. (Unless of course, you are flirting with me with this comment... hmmmm)