How To Perform An Exit Interview

Benefit #: Enhance Recruiting

Exit interviews are extremely useful not only for retaining but also for attracting employees.

They provide employers with a unique opportunity to find out what swayed their employees to accept a job offer from another company.

By using the obtained information, employers can adjust and improve their employee value proposition and use it as a magnet for attracting new talent.

When Should You Conduct An Exit Interview

Some professionals recommend conducting exit interviews within the last week of employment, even the last day. Others say several months after employees leave is best. According to Harvard Business Review, the most productive time to conduct exit interviews is halfway between the announcement of resignation and the day of departure the emotion of the resignation has passed and the terminating employee is still engaged in their role.

Consider the nature of the resignation when deciding when to schedule the exit interview. If the employee seems deeply upset or frustrated, allow some time to pass before reaching out about an exit interview. With peaceful transitions, you can conduct the exit interview during the last few weeks or days of employment.

Should An Employee Fill Out A Questionnaire Themselves

Definitely not. An employee is not very likely to want to put down in writing some of their opinions, which will cloud your ability to gain real insights from them. You can find out so much more in an informal conversation, guided by a questionnaire, rather than over-formalizing the process.

Do your best to explore the employees thoughts and motivations. Then, ask them appropriate supplementary questions. However, dont push them too far or exert undue pressure. If an employee doesnt want to comment on a topic, respect that right. Follow the general rule for feedback sessions and do not comment on or judge the statements they make.

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Foster Innovation By Soliciting Ideas For Improving The Organization

EIs should go beyond the individuals immediate experience to cover broader areas, such as company strategy, marketing, operations, systems, competition, and the structure of his or her division. One emerging best practice is to ask every departing employee something along the lines of Please complete the sentence I dont know why the company doesnt just ____. This approach may reveal trends.

Is There Something We Could Have Done To Retain You

Being one of the most asked interview questions, this question is asked in a rather candid manner.

Your answer will act as feedback to your Hrs and employee which will benefit the future employees.

However, avoid being unnecessarily sarcastic, harsh, or negative. You can answer such candid exit interview questions like this,

I have had a great journey while working in this organization.

I was really excited about the awaiting opportunities when I first came and to date, I have had a great experience of learning.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all the opportunities and experiences.

I must now move on to look for new opportunities, challenges, and learnings. Thank you .

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How To Conduct An Exit Interview That Benefits Your Company

• How to Conduct an Exit Interview that Benefits Your Company

Why do good employees leave your organization? Knowing the answer to this question will help you with a myriad of your responsibilities as an HR professional, from retaining valuable talent to pinpointing managerial problems to fostering a positive company culture. This is why conducting interviews with departing employees as a part of your offboarding process can be so valuable. If youre unsure of how to conduct an exit interview, keep reading.

Conducting exit interviews with employees leaving your company can help you figure out what your organization is already doing well, and what areas need adjustment. Well-conducted interviews can also give you insights on your industry based on the employees expectations of your company, in terms of compensation, benefits, and other key criteria. Lastly, an exit interview can provide an opportunity to ensure the employee leaves on a high note, feeling appreciated for their contributions and respected for their feedback.

Tell Me About A Time That You Felt Proud During Your Internship

This question allows you to share a positive memory from your time in the internship programme with the employer. You can share anytime you felt proud of it can be about your achievements throughout the programme, if you managed to solve a particularly difficult issue or a time you worked well with team members on a project or task.

Example:’At the start of my internship, I struggled with talking to the clients. I didn’t feel confident relaying the information that the client was looking for, and my concern was that I might give them the wrong information. I approached my line manager and informed them of my concerns. He was quick to help me and provide me with files that had the correct and up-to-date information.

This helped me gain more confidence in speaking with clients. I was proud that I had recognised an issue in myself and reached out to a superior for help, which resulted in my confidence and performance improving’.

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Always Ask The Same Questions

When it comes to exit interview best practices, Tuggle suggests, “For conducting productive exit interviews, I think one key is asking the same questions of all people who leave. This structure allows us to codify the exit responses so we can extract actionable data around why people are leaving, and how we can improve the employee experience.

We do this by having a standard exit interview form that leavers submit, and then have an unbiased third-party follow up in-person to go deeper on the answers the person filled out in the exit interview. Exit interviews aren’t necessary unless you plan on using them to gather as much data as possible that can be coupled with employee survey data to understand the employee experience.”

Do You Have Any Proud Moments To Share With Us During Your Time Here

Not all exit interview questions are complicated to answer.

One of such most asked interview questions is about the proud moments of an employee while working in their organization.

After all, HRs would want to leverage the positive aspects of their organization to attract future employees.

So, feel free to answer these exit interview questions with great positivity and enthusiasm.

There were quite a few moments while working here that I am proud of.

However, the one moment I am really proud of is when our team managed to achieve and cross the Half-Yearly sales target despite a few road bumps.

Despite the pressure to meet targets, the team had each others back at all times which led us to victory.

Hence this particular moment is one of my most proud moments while working here.

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Consider Who Will Be Involved

A member of the Human Resources team should be conducting the formal exit interview, but that doesnât mean theyâre the only ones who should be involved in the process. Direct supervisors usually arenât viewed as a great choice because, as the old adage goes, âPeople donât leave jobs, they leave managers.â Many professionals believe that an employee is unlikely to share openly with their soon-to-be-former manager because the manager may be part of the reason the employee is leaving in the first place.

Nathanson isnât so convinced. âI think both can work,â she said. Perhaps managers shouldnât conduct a formal interview like that with HR, but they owe it to employees to have a casual chat. âI think managers â good managers, anyway â are beholden to their employees to see if they are willing to share anything,â she continued.

And Nathanson also questions the idea that an employee wonât be willing to share honest feedback with their manager. âEspecially in some of these bigger organizations, a discussion with a trusted manager may shed light on some of the broader corporate that are at play in their decision to leave,â she noted.

For a well-rounded approach, have HR conduct the formal interview â but also encourage the manager to touch base with employees before they leave.

Trends You May Encounter When Analysing Exit Interview Feedback

Trends will vary from company to company, but here are some trends that you may typically encounter off the back of exit interviews:

• A certain manager has low staff retention
• Particular members of staff frequently receive negative feedback
• People tend to leave when they join a particular department/team
• Changes in company policies have triggered people to leave
• Consistent dissatisfaction with aspects of how the company is ran
• Employees tend to leave within a certain number of years of employment
• Employees frequently leave to join one company competitor in particular

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Distill The Answers Into Insights

Identify patterns you see from different exit interviews, and use that data to draw conclusions on which feedback you should use to improve the employee experience moving forward. As mentioned, take similar notes for each exit interview. To make it easier, you could use a survey software that helps you collect the employees written answers.

Did You Have The Tools To Succeed At Your Job

Why they ask it: An employer should give you the things you need to do your job. This isnt just physical tools, like a computer or phone. Tools include training, professional development, mentoring, and timely feedback. HR is asking if you had what you needed to succeed because if you didnt, it might be something they can provide current and future employees.

How to answer it: This is a case where you can probably be more honest than with other questions, but choose wisely. If your biggest problem was a loud office or a lack of training, bring these things up as they may be easy to fix.

For example, Im not really a fan of open office plans. And the bench-style seating didnt work for me. It was very distracting. Also, I would have liked to receive feedback about my work more often than I did. Im not the kind of person that likes to wait for my annual evaluation to see how Im doing.

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Do You Feel There Was Adequate Support From The Management Throughout The Internship

This question allows you to give the company feedback on their managerial style, which allows the employer the opportunity to gain insight into how their management team interacts with the interns. It’s important to give your feedback positively, and ensure that you highlight the management’s positive aspects while including any changes that you feel they would benefit from and improve on.

Example:’The management provided me with a significant amount of support throughout my time in the internship programme. I received many emails from the management team to check and see how I was progressing with the internship and ensuring that I had the necessary assistance I required available to me.I found these emails to be encouraging and reassuring and helped me stay motivated through the internship’.

Hold The Exit Interview One

When youre considering how to conduct an exit interview, holding it one-on-one is key. While you may want HR and/or a leadership team member there, a panel-style exit interview is intimidating. Furthermore, its ideal to conduct the exit interview either in-person or by phone. An in-person exit interview will help create rapport since they can see your body language and look you in the eye. But talking via phone can make things easier for someone to be honest and relieve the pressure of having to give a perfect answer since some folks get more nervous having an in-person conversation. Both are factors to weigh when deciding the precise format of the one-on-one.

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Would Make You Reconsider Your Decision To Leave

Team members sometimes because of a companys specific shortcoming. The team member may be seeking a higher salary or to join a different department. Consider whether you are able to meet these requirements.

If you cant meet their requirements, determine whether their requirements are reasonable and if these are things you should improve for others. If they say nothing will prevent them from leaving, be understanding and accept their response.

Possible follow-up questions:

• In what scenario, if any, would you consider returning?

Effective Exit Interview Questions

It’s important to have a productive meeting with the employee that results in an open and honest conversation where the employee feels at liberty to share their thoughts with you about their time employed at the company. Here are some questions to consider asking:

• Why are you choosing to leave our organization?

• What are your thoughts about working here?

• What is the company doing right?

• What do you feel the company is doing poorly?

• How can we improve as an organization?

• Do you have any specific thoughts about your manager or the department you work in?

• Are there employees who feel the same as you do?

• How do the other employees feel about their jobs or the company in general?

• What are your favorite things about working here?

• Do you have ideas you wish you would’ve been able to implement during your time here?

• What are your favorite things about your direct supervisor?

• Would you have any advice for the person we hire for your position?

• Who are some employees, managers or executives who have made a positive impact on your time here, and why?

• Is there anything we should do differently during employee orientation?

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Thank The Employee For Their Time

Finally, be sure to thank your employee for taking the time to provide feedback during an exit interview. While one individual likely can’t pinpoint issues regarding an entire team or department, you’ll likely see commonalities over time that can help you determine how you can improve your workplace for the long-run.

Should You Take Part In An Exit Interview

In the final days of your job, the last thing you probably want to get involved in is an exit interview. Youve likely already mentally checked out, and your natural inclination is probably to look forward to your new opportunities, rather than backward to old wounds. Even if you are filled with a sense of burning injustice depending on the circumstances of your leaving you are probably unsure that an explosive, tell-all interview will serve any useful purpose.

Youd probably prefer that the topic of an exit interview just didnt come up, but given that 91 percent of Fortune 500 companies and 87 percent of mid-sized companies conduct them, chances are that youll be asked to participate in one. So, the question is: should you do it?

Unless it is specified in the terms and conditions of your employment, you are not obligated to take part in your employers exit interview process. In my own personal experience, most employers dont make exit interviews mandatory. Youll most likely be safe if you decline an exit interview, if thats what you want to do.

This is not to say that there is no reason at all to ever participate in an exit interview. Your former coworkers could benefit from the insights and changes your exit interview brings about. If you believe your exit interview could improve working conditions for any beleaguered coworkers or for the business in general, then doing an exit interview could be an important final act of altruism.

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Why Do Companies Conduct Exit Interviews

Companies conduct exit interviews so to hear an employees opinions about their job, supervisor, organization and more. An exit interview is a conversation between you and your employerlikely a human resources representative. This is an opportunity to discuss job satisfaction or offer feedback on policy and direction.

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Calibrate Your Reaction During The Exit Interview

Dont defend. Dont deflect. Dont try to fix the issue in the moment. Listen, be appreciative, and thank them for their candor. Your goal is to create an environment that makes it as safe as possible for them to be honest. The more honest they are, the more youll learn what will be beneficial for the company.

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What To Say During Your Exit Interview

As in any interview setting, do not lie during your exit interview. However, you may want to carefully word your responses so you do not burn any bridges.

The world of work can be small, and you never know when youll encounter a former colleague in a new job. Also, it is difficult to request a reference once youve burned a bridge.

What Is An Exit Interview

An exit interview is a meeting between an employee who is leaving the company and a member of the human resources team. The exit interview serves as an opportunity for you to learn more about an employee’s reasons for leaving the company, which can provide you with important feedback that you can use to improve the workplace for the other team members and future new hires.

Read more:

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Disadvantages Of Exit Interviews

• Employees might not be completely transparent
• Exit interviews arent beneficial unless followed up correctly
• If the reasons behind them moving on are unfavourable, the exit interview could be a tense experience
• Employees may feel frustrated if they werent given the opportunity to provide feedback before resigning

How Was Your Manager

Why they ask it: Theres a saying: People dont quit jobs. They quit managers. And this is exactly what HR is trying to find out. Did you quit because of your manager?

How to answer it: If your manager was fantastic, say so! Thats a time for open praise and honesty. If, however, you and your manager didnt get along, that could be a time to keep things more general. You can go with something like, We didnt always see eye-to-eye, but we managed to succeed on multiple projects.

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