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Top tips for handing in and working your notice

4 September 2026

Top tips for handing in and working your notice

​Handing in your notice and working your notice period can be daunting, but with the right approach, it can be a positive experience for both you and your employer. In this blog, we will discuss some tips on how to handle handing your notice in and then on working your notice period in a supportive and professional manner.

How to Hand in Your Notice Effectively

Before you hand in your notice, make sure you have thought through your decision carefully. It’s important to be sure that leaving your job is the right decision for you. Once you have made your decision, plan when and how you will give notice. Usually, a written letter is the best way to hand in your notice. Make sure to include the date you plan to leave and thank your employer for the opportunity to work with them.

Remain professional: When handing in your notice, it’s important to remain professional and courteous. Avoid being negative or critical of the company or your colleagues. Keep your resignation letter brief, to the point, and professional.

Check your contract: You need to look through your contract to see if you have a notice period. If you have a contractual notice period, make sure you abide by it. Notice periods differ for companies and level of job role but are usually one month. The notice period gives your employer time to plan for your departure and begin the process of finding a replacement. Your employer will provide you with your exact leave date which may take into account unused holidays etc.

Be prepared for a counter-offer: Your employer may try to persuade you to stay by offering a better salary or working conditions. Be prepared for this possibility and consider your options carefully before making a decision.

Ask for a reference: Before you leave, ask your employer if they would be willing to provide you with a reference.

How to Effectively Work Your Notice Period

Keep your colleagues informed: Let your colleagues know that you are leaving and thank them for their support during your time with the company. Offer to help with the transition process and be willing to train your replacement if necessary.

Tie up loose ends: Make sure to tie up any loose ends before you leave. Complete any outstanding projects and hand over any responsibilities to your replacement.

Maintain confidentiality: Don’t discuss your new job or plans with colleagues during your notice period. It’s important to maintain confidentiality and remain professional until your last day.

Be open to feedback: During your notice period, be open to feedback from your employer and colleagues. This can help you improve your skills and make your transition to a new job easier.

Handing in your notice can be a difficult experience, but with the right approach, it can be a positive one. By being professional and courteous when handing in your notice and maintaining the same level of professionalism during your notice period, you can leave your current job on a positive note and make a smooth transition to your next career move.

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THE ONE GROUP

Where we're from,
and how we got here

Twenty years of specialist recruitment in the East – and a lot of small decisions that added up.

TOG started in Peterborough in 2004 with a small team and a simple idea: that recruitment is a people business, done best by specialists who stay in their sector long enough to know it properly.

More than two decades on, we've grown into four offices across the East of England and Home Counties. We recruit for finance leaders, HR directors, engineering managers, tech founders, scientists, and the commercial teams that keep businesses running day to day. Between us, we've built up over 258 years of collective recruitment experience across our specialist divisions, and a network of more than 150,000 candidates we've placed, coached, or come to know across two decades in the region.

The founding principle hasn't changed. Recruitment as it should be.

OUR STORY

Key events timeline

2004

Doors open in Peterborough.

Our first office launches with a team of six on Lynch Wood. Cambridge follows the same year, giving us two offices before our first anniversary.

2015

Northampton makes it three.

Our third office opens with a team of five, quickly growing to eleven consultants covering the wider Midlands region.

2017

Peterborough moves across the road.

The team has outgrown the founding office. We move into Arena House on Lynch Wood, big enough for a growing consultant base and the back-office team that supports the whole group.

2018

Cambridge moves too.

Our second office relocates to Cambourne Business Park, giving the growing Cambridge team the space it now needs.

2023

Four offices, three counties, one very good year.

The Hertfordshire & Essex office opens in Potters Bar, extending our footprint into the Home Counties.

In the same year, we're named Business of the Year in Northamptonshire, and Employer of the Year in both Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire at the regional SME Business Awards. Three counties, three panels.

TODAY

Still growing.

Four offices, more than 258 years of collective recruitment experience across our specialist divisions, and a network of over 150,000 candidates.

Same founding principle.

SPECIALISTS BY DESIGN

What we do

We're specialists, not generalists. Every consultant at TOG focuses on one sector and stays in it. Not because it's the only way to do recruitment, but because it's how you build the depth to spot the difference between a strong CV and a strong hire.

It's also why so many of our clients come back to us years, even decades, after a first placement.

01
Accountancy & Finance
→
 02
Human Resources
→
 03
Commercial Office
Administration, customer service, project management and more
→
 04
Technology
→
 05
Engineering & Manufacturing
→
 06
Scientific
→
 07
Sales, Marketing & Creative
→
 08
Executive Search
Across all of the above
→

Beyond the recruitment itself, we produce annual salary guides, regional market reports, and the practical resources our clients and candidates turn to when they want a clearer view of what's happening in their sector.

THE WAY WE WORK

How we work

Four principles show up in every conversation and every process.
01

Be curious.

We stay interested in the market we work in, and in the people who work in it.

02

Keep it human.

We remember your kids' names and know how you take your coffee. That's just how we work here.

03

Make a difference.

We're here to help people build careers they love and businesses they're proud of.

04

Enjoy the ride.

Recruitment is a career, but it should be fun too. If it isn't, we've done something wrong.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

Recruitment
as it should be.

Hire with TOG → Looking for a role →
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