Step 5 of your job switch: Resign
The job switch playbook: from resignation letter to your first day
Notice period, buyout, counter-offers and the exit paperwork nobody warns you about, in the order you will face them.
In short
- Get the new offer letter in writing before you resign.
- Ask about early release before you offer a buyout.
- Decide your answer to a counter-offer before the conversation.
- Collect your relieving letter, experience letter and payslips before your last day.
Switching jobs has a fixed order of steps, and most problems come from doing them out of order. This job switch playbook walks through each step from the day you accept an offer to your first day at the new desk, so nothing surprises you on the way out.
Before you resign
The safest order is simple: signed offer letter first, resignation second. A verbal offer, or an email saying the team is "happy to move ahead", is not an offer. Wait for the document with your CTC, designation and joining date, and read it fully before you sign.
Check three things in the offer letter:
- Joining date. Does it fit your notice period? If the new company expects you sooner than your notice allows, sort that out now, not after you have resigned.
- CTC split. How much is fixed, how much is variable, and how much goes to PF. Run the numbers through the in-hand salary calculator so you know your real monthly pay.
- Conditions. Background verification, probation period and any clawback on a joining bonus.
Only when the signed offer is in your inbox should you talk to your manager.
Notice period options
You usually have three ways out. Which one works depends on your contract and your manager.
| Option | How it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Serve full notice | Work the whole period and hand over properly | The new company may not wait |
| Early release | Your manager agrees to relieve you sooner | Get it in writing from HR |
| Buyout | You or the new employer pay for the unserved days | Ask who pays before you agree |
Ask for early release first. Many managers agree once the handover plan is clear, and it costs you nothing. If they refuse, a buyout is the fallback. Read Notice period of 90 days: can you leave early? for scripts that work.
Notice period buyout calculatorWork out what it costs to leave before your notice period ends. Open calculatorHandling a counter-offer
A counter-offer feels flattering. Before you answer, ask yourself one question: would the reasons you started looking go away with more money?
If money was the only reason you were leaving, a counter-offer can work. If it was growth, the team or your manager, it rarely does.
Decide your answer before the conversation, not during it. If you are leaving, say thank you and stay firm. The full decision guide is in Counter-offer from your company: stay or go?.
Exit paperwork
Tick these off before your last working day. Chasing them after you leave is much slower.
- Relieving letter and experience letter
- Last three months' payslips
- Form 16 and full-and-final settlement details
- Exit date updated on the EPFO portal, so your PF can move to the new employer
Keep digital copies in one folder. Your new employer's background check will ask for most of them.
Your first day at the new company
Carry your documents, bank details for salary and your UAN for PF transfer. Then focus on listening. The first few weeks set how people see you, and the guide on your first 90 days in a new job covers what to do in each month.
