Resignation Tips

Resignation Tips For Finance Directors And Chief Financial Officers

You have reached the difficult decision to move on and now it is time to resign from your senior finance position, these times are never easy, you have built loyalty in your team, you have professional friendships and as with all human activities there is inertia. Typically you have invested a lot of time in the organisation you work for.

Moving on is a step that has to be taken sometimes, you career is advancing, you have a better offer, or a role that better matches your skills, or it is just time for a new challenge, whatever the reason how you handle and approach your resignation will have an impact on your team and your colleagues in senior management. Often personal development is only possible with a new role and a new opportunity.

It is important therefore to carefully think through the decision and find the right moment to speak to the CEO/MD and break the news.

Here’s some tips and advice we’ve put together to help with your senior finance resignation.

Prepare the team for the news

Before you hand in your notice and immediately after, you need to prepare your team and function for their future.   Good ideas and actions include:

  • Building up the most senior team member so they are familar with more of your work and task, often a Group Financial Controller or FC will be eager to develop and they may be your logical successor.
  • Re-distribute tasks so at least some of your work can be done in your absence.  This gives the team the opportunity of personal development and you are the person best placed to judge what they are capable of given the chance.
  • Consider promotions, this should be carefully thought out.
  • Make sure as many tasks as possible are covered by more than one team member, so knowledge is not limited to individuals.

The benefit of this approach is that you leave your team with a positive feeling and give them a chance to step up and partly fill or even fill your role.

Always act in a professional way.

Keeping up your standards and acting professionally is always important, particularly if the timing of your resignation is coming at a challenging time for the business. You will be remember for the positive and professional way you handled things, which if in the future you need a reference will be in your favour.

Clearly explain why you are resigning and when you plan to leave.

Always present your resignation in a positive light, focus on that resignation is right for you to move on, its a personal opportunity but also positive for the business.  The sorts of messages to convey include:

  • A great opportunity has come along for you personally, both financially and from a career development point of view.
  • You have throughly enjoyed your time with the business, have made friends and always worked for the benefit of the organisation.
  • It’s an opportunity for the business to build on the progress you have made.
  • New ideas and skills will allow the business to move to the next level.
  • You want to keep in touch with the business and team
  • Explain your motivations in as a postive a way as possible.

Negativity never helps in these circumstances so always attempt to present your departure as a mutual oppportunity.  Make sure you prepare at least three or four points and get them across during the resignation meeting.

Prepare yourself so you keep calm and get your message over.

Handing in your notice and resignation can be a stressful situation, so make sure your find the best time to speak to the CEO/MD or HR director and prepare yourself so you are not flusters and remain calm during the conversation, make sure you get your points over in a calm and clear manner. If possible find the right moment when things are quiet and it feels right.

FD Capital Recruitment

FD Capital Recruitment are a niche FD and CFO network, we specialise in Part-Time, Interim and Full-Time FD Recruitment, if you are thinking of moving on and handing in your resignation, we would be delighted to be introduced to your employers as we can help with the handover and to find the perfect replacement for you.  Reach out to us today on 020 3287 9501 for an initial confidential chat.

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About us

We operate across the London and south east and West Midlands areas, our ambition is to grow the business to a national operation.  Our team is made up of finance professional and experienced recruiters who between them have an extensive network of FD’s and CEO with a strong database of companies we have connections within.

Formed in 2018 FD Capital Recruitment was founded with the objective of becoming a leading provider of Finance Directors and CFO’s

We offer three solutions :-

Part-Time FD’s and CFO’s our idea being to bring the skills and experience that finance directors have gained in larger corporates and plc’s and make them available to SME’s on fractional time basis.

Interim FD’s and CFO’s available for short term assignments

Full Time FD’s and CFO’s – we’ll find the perfect senior financial professional for your business and its requirements.

We have grown and grown and had our busiest year so far in 2020 with some of our team working six days per week.

Our main offices are based in Great Portland Street, London.

Our FD’s are currently based in North London, South London, Crawley, Northampton, Birmingham and Telford, so we can provide coverage from South Cheshire down to Brighton on the South Coast.  You can see our coverage on the footer of this page.

Planning ahead

If you are planning ahead and looking for your next opportunity then make sure to speak to our team and share your CV with them, also keep an eye on our job board, we update it regularly. Not all our opportunites are advertised as we offer opportunities to our network of FD’s and CFO’s before going public so keep in touch with your contact at FD Capital. That will also give us an opportunity to find the ideal candidate to backfill your own role.

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