We’ve all been there before. Sometimes your time at a specific company runs its course.

Just because you spent a certain number of months or years in a position, it doesn’t mean you’re forced to stay there until you reach retirement age.

It’s perfectly fine to change career paths or simply start working for a different company in the same industry.

Leaving your job on good terms is a crucial move to make, though. Here’s how you can do that and why it’s so important.

How to leave your job on good terms

Putting in notice at your job means you’re letting everyone know you’re moving onto a different and new opportunity.

Whether you’ve given notice that you’ll be gone in one month, two weeks, or some other timeframe, it’s a sign of respect to your former employer to give notice instead of simply dipping out after receiving a new offer.

Draft a thoughtful letter of resignation thanking your former employer for the opportunity they granted you. Specify when your last available day of work will be. Send it to your boss via email or print it out to hand to your boss in person with eye contact.

Exiting your job on good terms is something to prioritize if you want to leave the door open to potentially return in the future.

It’s best to continue handling work assignments and projects you’re trusted with while serving your final notice.

Even though your time is almost up, continuing to handle the work expected of you until you leave proves that you are a genuinely good person.

Why is it important to leave on good terms?

At one point, you applied for your former job and went through an entire interview process.

One of the higher-ups at your company took a chance on you and offered you the position.

Even though things haven’t worked out for you at the job, it was a lifeline for you at one point.

The job provided you with income for a period of time. For these reasons, it’s a great idea to show respect and leave on good terms.

Even if you’ve decided that this particular job is one you’re never going to return to in the future, leaving on good terms means you’ll possibly still have that option if you ever desperately need it.