It’s your lucky day.  You just got a sweet job offer at a company you’ve been dying to work for.  Congratulations!  Now, though, you want to make sure you leave with your great reputation intact.  In business, you should never burn any bridges, because you never know when you might be working with these people again, or when you might need a former colleague or boss as a reference.  If you’re planning on saying your goodbyes to your current company soon, observe these rules of engagement:

Be discreet: don’t tell anyone you’re leaving before you have a signed agreement and official start date from your new employer.  If you jump the gun and your job offer falls through, your best case scenario is that you look like a jerk.  The worst case is that your boss decides he might as well get rid of you anyway.  When it comes time to formally resign, tell your supervisor first, and let her decide how to inform the rest of your team.

Be conscientious: give a full two weeks notice, or however long is considered standard in your organization.  Make it a priority to leave your projects in good hands, and do your best to thoroughly train the people who will be taking them over.  Stay on top of your workload and responsibilities so that your colleagues don’t have to do massive clean-up after you’re gone.  

Be kind: resist the urge to tell the people you despise exactly what you think of them, and if there’s anything you’ve been working on that you feel negatively about, keep it to yourself.  Complaining or venting now will only make you look bad, and what’s the point?  Since you’re leaving, it doesn’t matter anymore.

Be HR’s best friend: read the employee handbook to understand what your departure will entail, including severance, the transition of benefits, and the shipping of your belongings.  If HR asks you to do an exit interview, comply and be as positive in your comments as possible.  Does your company have an alumni network?  Even if you have no interest now, join it.  It’s strange the way the world turns sometimes, and you never know when it might help you in the future.