With the economy looking like it’s on an upswing and companies starting to hire again after a year in the doldrums, many people feel that a career move is long overdue. However, once you’ve landed a great new role, how do you handle telling your current employer?

David Leyshon, Managing Director of award winning engineering and technical recruiter CBSbutler offers his advice.

The first, and probably most important, point to make is that you should never hand in your notice or tell your boss you’re leaving without a firm offer of a new job in writing. There’s no point jumping the gun and a verbal offer should always be followed up by a formal written offer. Waiting until you receive this will ensure that the offer you get is the one you agreed to, so you’re not placed in the awkward position of having to renegotiate salary or conditions after you’ve already told your current boss you’re jumping ship.

The second thing to be sure of before drafting your resignation is that you’ve agreed a starting date for your next role and that this takes into account the required notice period in your current contract. When you’ve got your formal written offer, you shouldn’t hang around and dither, worrying about how to broach the issue. You need to get your facts clear and prepare a letter that sets out the date your notice starts, which should be when you intend to hand in your resignation letter, and when your last day will be, so that it’s all straightforward.

That said, the act of handing over the letter and speaking to your employer about resigning can be daunting and you should pick your moment. Whilst the morning of a major client meeting, or in the middle of a companywide crisis, isn’t the best time to mention you’re leaving, do remember that a career move is about your priorities, not your employer’s. So, whilst choosing the right time to bring it up is considerate, you shouldn’t be intimidated by ongoing events and should arrange a private meeting with your boss as soon as you intend your notice period to start. If this isn’t possible, you should still ensure that the letter will be received on the date that your notice period needs to begin.

When you tell your boss you’re leaving, you should expect a reaction and be prepared for surprise, disappointment or even anger, but you should stay calm, be co-operative and stick to the facts. A resignation letter is a formal legal document that terminates your contract, so there’s no need for confrontation or drawn out discussions. For the same reason, you should never hand in your notice – or even threaten to do so – as a tactic aimed at securing a pay rise. This might improve things in the short term, but is just as likely to work against you, and if your employers really do value you, they shouldn’t need threats in order to improve your package.

But, even if you’ve handed in your notice and it’s not a bluff, your current boss may still make you a counter-offer. Situations of course do vary, but in general it’s worth thinking very hard before accepting these. Your reasons for leaving may still exist and is your employer really thinking about what’s best for you, or for the company? Research indicates that employees who accept counter offers tend to be back on the jobs market within six months, so if you’ve already secured a suitable career move, you could spare yourself the hassle of starting from scratch to look for a new role once again.

Practicalities aside, there are other very important things to consider when resigning. You may well be leaving because you hate your boss, the company or your colleagues, but burning bridges by telling them all exactly what you think of them via either a massive gibbering meltdown in the office or a masterpiece of passive-aggressive prose in your resignation letter – or anywhere in between – is a bad idea. You need to think about the reference you’ll get and remember that if your career move is to a similar sector or industry to the one you’re leaving, you may well see the same faces again. It’s not out of the question that your co-workers, or even boss, will end up moving in a similar direction to you and join an organisation that you may want to work for at a later stage. So, just stay professional. On the other hand, you may genuinely like and respect the people you’ve worked with. It definitely won’t hurt to let them know this in a sincere way at this point.

For the sake of your personal reputation, you should continue to be as professional as possible during your notice period. You could offer to help recruit your successor and to be available to assist with interviewing, compiling a job description, or training anyone that will be handling your role during any interim period. Try to finish any uncompleted projects, or leave them in a state where they can be handed over easily, and don’t think that punctuality and dress codes become optional, just because you’re leaving.

Finally, in a world where networking and staying connected is increasingly vital, make sure you find ways to keep in touch with your former employer and colleagues. Who you know can be as vital as what you know, so picking up a few email addresses and Facebook or LinkedIn profile connections before you go could be a vital source of future business and career opportunities.

David Leyshon is Managing Director of award winning engineering and technical recruiter CBSbutler