How to give a two-week notice

"I quit dis #####"

But really I just had to do this at my job 3 months ago. I got a much better opportunity, and I was the life blood of my old group. I went into a meeting one day and as hard as it was just said, "I appreciate everything over the last 2 years, but I found an opportunity that's a better fit for where I want my life to be in the future, and it has much more flexibility to help me achieve my goals in and out of work"

Obviously a part time ice cream job isn't absolutely the same as a full time job, but you still want to be respectful and confident... and make sure they know that you're leaving, do not leave it up for interpretation. Try not to burn bridges, you might be able to snake free ice cream out of it for your service.. haha

Did you tell a group of people you were leaving? It's best to talk to your boss first one on one and then work with your boss on how to let others know. That said, what you said sounds fine to me, though I don't think you even have to make as many excuses (whether true or not) as you did in your quote.

As you said, the ice cream job is different and easier to say that you found a new job especially since nobody realistically thinks of that job as a long term one.

Tell your boss that you are leaving, and provide a letter that simply states "this letter serves as notice that I will terminate my employment with (name of company) effective (date of last day)."

When in doubt, do as Dwight Schrute would. "...I have enjoyed working with some of you"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJhXD_cnWSE

Assuming you are in an at-will state, you don't actually have to give two weeks notice. It's a courtesy.

If you want to then just tell your manager that you will be leaving the job as of thus and so date. Be warned that they may ask you to leave immediately (or not).

Tell your manager you have accepted an internship that will help you gain valuable experience to launch your career. He/she will understand since nobody would expect you to make a career out of ice cream scooping. If they do then they don't think very highly of you.

It is important that you are respectful and don't burn any bridges because for many years you will need this job as a reference when asked about your previous 5-10 year employment history by other potential employers and landlords.

DontFeedTheTroll wrote:

Assuming you are in an at-will state, you don't actually have to give two weeks notice. It's a courtesy.

If you want to then just tell your manager that you will be leaving the job as of thus and so date. Be warned that they may ask you to leave immediately (or not).

I doubt an ice cream shop would have you escorted out immediately (unless you work for Cold Stone Creamery and the internship is at the corporate HQ of MaggieMoo's). They would probably appreciate if you stayed as long as you could (though that's only 2.5 weeks at this point) since this is probably their busy time of year and they would likely have to replace you with a totally new employee.

I'd just type up a brief note to your manager stating when your last day will be. No need to make excuses like YungFartlek did above. If your manager asks, you can tell them what the internship is. They'll probably be happy for you. As pointed out above, 2 weeks isn't required for most jobs, but is a nice courtesy for a job like this. In some lines of work, 2 weeks might not be enough of a courtesy, but you'll figure these things out as you get more experience.

Congrats on the internship. Also, kudos for having the humility to spend the summer serving ice cream. Some kids are too lazy to do that.

Depending how formal this job is, a note might not even be needed. In most of the unskilled jobs I had in college, I just told my boss - politely - that I was out.

If they are a potential dick (or even if not), and you want to ensure a good rec, it always helps to put the ball in their court, even if just for show. Something like:

"I wanted to let you know that I just got a great internship opportunity that I can't pass up, so I'm going to have to resign. I really appreciate everything you have done for me here, and I don't want to leave you in the lurch. What would work best for you as far as my last day, and my shifts until then?"

"I'm out. Life is too short. I'll be in Kona. Paulo knows how to find me."

Never burn a bridge, even at an ice cream store.

Tell the manager in person, then give them a signed letter saying as much.

Be polite in the letter and don't make it too personal. It only needs to be a couple of sentences. The letter part is just a formality. Keep a copy.

Politely tell your boss that you will be leaving in two weeks.

runDirtyrun wrote:

Never burn a bridge, even at an ice cream store.

Tell the manager in person, then give them a signed letter saying as much.

Be polite in the letter and don't make it too personal. It only needs to be a couple of sentences. The letter part is just a formality. Keep a copy.

The only thing I would add is to thank the boss for the opportunity to work there.

Never burn bridges. I have left a couple jobs where I wanted to offer some thoughts about what I thought of a couple people. In one case I was moving more than 100 miles away and thought I would never see them again. I decided to leave with class, thanked them for a job and left. Over the years I have bumped in to these people and on one occasion asked for a favor.

It's always amazing who knows who and when I have hired people I have often found someone that the applicant worked for that I knew - from church, social clubs etc and gave them a call.

Alway leave with class and grace.

haha nahh, well my friends knew, but no co-workers... I told my manager and senior manager before anyone else. They had no clue and were at a loss, so I felt the need to make 1000 excuses haha

Here is how a guy from my hometown did it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYvqZjWuls4

As others have said, just tell your boss (owner?) you landed an internship in your field and have to give your two week notice. If you are required to start your internship sooner, tell him that as well and offer to switch some shifts around your internship schedule so you don't leave the ice cream place in a bind. If the two places are in close proximity, you can even ask to keep your job there, adjusting your schedule to keep a couple of shifts per week. You never know if you will need the job after the internship is over.

DontFeedTheTroll wrote:

Assuming you are in an at-will state, you don't actually have to give two weeks notice. It's a courtesy.

If you want to then just tell your manager that you will be leaving the job as of thus and so date. Be warned that they may ask you to leave immediately (or not).

While it's not required, the employer probably requests a certain amount of notice in their employee handbook. Choosing not to give the requested notice could look really bad to a future prospective employer.

When I interviewed for my first full-time professional job, the employer ran through my entire employment history. They didn't really care about my menial service jobs, except that they asked if I had given the requested notice before leaving each of those jobs. I imagine it would have looked pretty bad if I had walked out of a past job without notice and the interviewer had contacted the employer and discovered this.

So, it's true that notice might not be legally required, but I'd say that giving notice is more than just a courtesy. An action doesn't have to be illegal to be of concern to future employers.

With regard to the possibility that the employer will terminate you on the spot, most food service firms i'm familiar with are perennially understaffed. It's way more likely that they will try to talk you into staying longer. When I left my last food service job, they begged me to let them keep me on the payroll so that I could come back and work football weekends if they needed me and I felt like making some extra cash.

Also, what manager wants to scare their employees away from providing notice? From the second they terminate an employee who is trying to give notice, no other employee will ever give the manager that benefit. Everyone will simply quit without notice from then on.

While the employer can legally terminate you on the spot, It wouldn't benefit them to do so.

Just another voice from your future career to advocate for leaving with class and flexibility.

I always cringe at the threads where people brag or plan their bridge-burning, fvck-you resignations. It really helps nothing. If you think about it, burning bridges just gives the former employee fodder for ruining your life down the road. Honestly, if someone is treating you terribly and you leave with class, it probably irritates them even more than if you curse them out and piss on the carpet. No matter how epic it might seem in your head, making a show of your resignation just results in the office laughing at you once the door shuts. Think Jerry Maguire or Paulo (post referenced above).

With LinkedIn and other Social Media sites becoming ubiquitously tied to people's professional lives, it would be career suicide anyway.

Ben from around the Bloc wrote:

If you think about it, burning bridges just gives the former employee fodder for ruining your life down the road.

Employer... not employee. Sorry.