I need to resign today but there's a problem - help!

[Lizzie523]

I found a job through a recruiter and after the process I have been offered the job. I negotiated a better salary but said I want to see the overall package.

The recruiter said he would send the offer letter by close of play yesterday but I've received nothing. Just emailed this morning and got an on annual leave response!

I would need to resign today to start when they want me. I have the details of the hiring manager who interviewed me. Should I just email him directly?

Yeah just say what you said here!

If they don't get you the offer letter in time, they can't expect you to start on their preferred date.
Please don't resign without it.

Has the recruiter left an alternative contact in their ooo message @Lizzie523?

Or could you call the main number of the recruitment firm and explain?

Yes I would contact them directly.

@Nilbog there is an alternative email contact but time is short and what if they don't have a clue about it etc?

We finish early afternoon today so I'm left with hardly any time both to receive this letter and actually resign.

Perhaps I will just contact them directly AND email the alternative person?

Good plan! Do both!

Call the recruiter and email the new line mgr

The alternative recruiter should now, or at least have access to records regards your job.

Email the recruiter ccing the hiring manager explaining politely that if you receive the offer letter by e.g. noon (or whenever works for you), you will be able to start on their preferred date, but otherwise your possible start date will be x.
The recruiter may respond anyway, many people do a few mails on a day off.

Do not resign till you get it on writing. Email the alternate contact.

What @CherryRedDMs said. I'm a manager and this kind of thing happens fairly often. People plan to start on date x but paperwork isn't ready so they start on day z.

As pp have said, don’t resign until this is sorted and contact both parties.

Absolutely do not resign without having signed new contract! You will just have to start at a later date, happens all the time.

Email them both and explain exactly what happened. They may wish to rethink their use of this recruiter after such a bad error. Tell them that you can’t resign until you’ve got the offer letter.

I would email the alternative contact first. Give them until 10 & then contact the hiring manager if you haven't heard from the recruitment company.

Good Luck!!

I will probably do this @NovemberNovemberDarkNights

The issue is that I'm going to left with no time to actually pull my boss aside to resign in the end. All very stressful!

@Lizzie523

I will probably do this *@NovemberNovemberDarkNights*

The issue is that I'm going to left with no time to actually pull my boss aside to resign in the end. All very stressful!

Do you feel you want to do it in person? Otherwise you could just email later on today as long as it's still 'today'!

@Polmuggle. To be honest not really.

I wanted to offer them the courtesy of in person notice but it may not be possible.

Do you think it would be considered rude to just email?

Surely you need to resign in writing anyway. Don’t worry your leaving :) but don’t do a thing till you get your new contract.

Yes, unless they already have an idea that you are leaving it would be rude to just email in most places.

Is there a phone number for recruitment firm. Probably be easier to ask for quick reply by phone.

I'd email if you need to - if the contract comes through after you finish today.

Alternatively you could just phone them after work and let them know, if you really wanted to do it personally.

Definitely call the recruitment company. If their team or boss finds out that a placement might not happen then that affects their financial so they will certainly want to resolve this. The recruiter themselves would face a bollocking as well as losing their commission and rightly so.

I worked in recruitment a few years ago and that is very bad form on the recruiter. If you don't get anywhere after a couple of hours then contact the company directly.

Please don’t resign until you have seen the letter. It’s not unknown for offering companies to hold back on precise details until you’ve resigned so you are in a weaker negotiating position

I personally wouldn’t want to burn bridges at a former employer by resigning after normal working hours by email. If you’re in a professional job it’s irrelevant that you won’t be working there any more, people in a field talk to one another.