* Your career goals have evolved, and you are ready to pursue new opportunities.

Once you have made decision to resign, plan for following:

* Write a letter of resignation. Keep letter short and to point. The letter should mention two key points (1) date of your last day of work and (2) a thank you to your immediate superior for having provided you with opportunity to work for organization.

* Prepare for an exit interview. This is not an opportunity for you to provide a laundry list of pet peeves. Instead, use this time to offer objective and constructive feedback.

Possible exit interview questions include: What were factors that contributed to your accepting a job with our Company? Were your expectations realized? Has that changed? What constructive comments do you have for management with regard to making this a better place to work? Why are you leaving? What would have kept you here? What do you expect to find somewhere else?

* Go extra step. Ask your manager what you can do to make transition easier and, if possible, offer to train your successor.

* Extended yourself. Be available for a certain time after your last day to answer any questions your employer may have.

Most important of all, do not burn your bridges. Keep your resignation professional and brief.

Some cultures are high context, by which we mean that messages are derived not so much from words used but from all sorts of other signals such as body language, way personal space is used, dress, way a room or office is furnished, unspoken rules of behaviour. An example would be old school tie in Britain. A man who wears his old school tie will be recognised by others who attended same school and this recognition will entail all sorts of obligations on both sides. Only those within such a system can possible understand it. By contrast, in low context cultures messages are overt and clearly stated.

If you find yourself in a culture that is at opposite end of spectrum from you own, you may find it very hard to settle down and feel comfortable. By understanding these oppositions and by observing how they work, you can gradually begin to adapt to them and see them for what they are. I used to think that unpunctuality of my French colleagues was very insulting, but I now accept that in south of France attitudes are very polychronic and so being late by fifteen minutes or so is perfectly normal.