How To Prepare For Exit Interview

The Importance Of An Exit Interview

How to Navigate an Exit Interview | Indeed Career Tips

Exit interviews have become standard practice in most businesses in fact, 90% of Fortune 500 companies conduct them. While some employees appreciate the chance to share their opinions with their company, others fail to see why exit interviews matter. Therefore, lets discuss why exit employees can be great for your former company AND you.

Exit interviews help companies improve their daily operations. As an employee, you are intimately familiar with the way things work in your office. Telling HR what you like, what you dont, and ultimately why youre leaving can be a great way for them to glean valuable insight and make changes that help the organization run more effectively.

Exit interviews can also benefit the outgoing employee. For example, lets say you are leaving your job because you were offered a higher salary at another company. If you disclose this information during your exit interview, theres a chance the company may offer you a raise to keep you employed there!

Even if you dont get a raise out of your exit interview, the experience does give you a chance to share your insider view of the organization. This can give many employees a sense of closure and make the exit process more satisfactory.

Remember The Good Times

Exit interviews dont have to be entirely doom and gloom! Ultimately, if your employer is conducting an exit interview, they either are a good employer or are aspiring to be one. Barring an inordinately horrible experience, you likely had some good times at the company.

Dont hesitate to bring up what you liked about working there and how the role helped you develop in your career. Being gracious throughout your departure will reflect well on you, and your employer will appreciate it to boot.

Examples Of Exit Interview Questions To Ask

Here are 14 exit interview questions to ask employees who are leaving the company on good terms:

1. What prompted you to start looking for another job?

The answer to this question will invariably contain details unique to the individual taking part in the exit interview, but asking it gives you the ability to track common themes. For example, if many employees leave because they were discouraged by a lack of career advancement opportunities, you may want to take another look at your strategies for promotions. And if people are moving on for better pay elsewhere, you should consider raising salaries and instituting a bonus plan.

2. Under what circumstances, if any, would you consider returning to the company?

Boomerang employees are people who leave a job on good terms but later decide to come back. And with todays talent shortage, more employers are eager to keep the door open for top performers who already understand their corporate culture. Thats why its good to know what factors would lure a highly skilled professional back into the fold. But even if they never reapply, asking this exit interview question can help you develop better retention strategies. Dig deeper with follow-up hypothetical scenarios regarding pay, perks, flexible scheduling and greater responsibilities.

3. Do you think management adequately recognized your contributions? If not, how do you think recognition could be improved?

Don’t Miss: How To Prepare Data Structures And Algorithms For Interviews

Communicate The Purpose Of The Form

Use the end of the exit interview survey to explain what the document is for and how the company plans to use it. For example, if your company compiles data from the survey into statistical reports for communicating with executives, provide these details so employees understand the purpose. This way, staff members understand the importance of the responses they share. Additionally, consider keeping survey responses anonymous to encourage open and honest communication from employees.

Using Inappropriate Or Vulgar Language

How you communicate your ideas during an exit interview is more important than what you say. Your departure should never be the reason to throw words or speak crudely and unacceptably.

Whether your experience with the company was awful or great doesnt matter. Strive to leave the company respectfully. The interview might not be conducted formally, but ensure that you give individuals their due respect.

Never say anything to insinuate that you are taking the exit interview exercise lightly. Do not take the interview casually if you feel like its a waste of time.

Be critical in answering questions and speaking cordially. An interviewer will also tell if you are serious about the interview through your body language.

An exit interview is not an opportunity to criticize the companys policies or rules. No matter the position you hold at the company, take it as your last responsibility or duty to your employer.

While some policies and regulations may seem wrong or ineffective, keep them to yourself as nothing is likely to change because of your words. Answer every question appropriately and to the best of your ability, and avoid saying things that might land you in trouble in the time to come.

Never share your views about the future of the company. Try your best to give neutral answers and if you are asked what you think about the companys future, say that its promising, and with dedication and hard work, things will even be better.

Also Check: What Are Some Questions To Ask During An Interview

Prepare: Exit Interview Questions

Some of the questions you might be asked are:

“Was the company’s benefits package sufficient?”
“Did you receive enough training to do the job effectively?”
“What did you like least about working for the company?”
“What did you like best about your job?”
“Why are you leaving your job?”

To conclude

That was just a brief overview of the different types of interview you might encounter throughout your career and what to expect from them. Theres a lot more to it that would be impossible to cover on paper!

If you choose to work with a recruiter for your job search, they will be able to offer deeper insights and more detailed information based on the company and role you are applying for in advance of your interview.

This insider knowledge is like gold dust and can really give you the advantage over other applicants – just one benefit of eliciting the help of a recruitment agency!

In the next episode, we will be getting our heads around the best approach to take if you have been made redundant and find yourself on the lookout for a new job – pretty topical at the moment for many people. Hint: Don’t panic and rush into things!

Keep an eye out for that in two weeks’ time. Don’t forget to and spread the word to your friends, colleagues or even family – it’s an easy way for you to help them get ahead in their careers.

Thanks for reading.

Can You Describe Your Relationship With Your Manager

Your manager plays a huge role during your stay at the company. It is important to describe how you got along. This includes what they did well, the areas they could have done better and when they performed poorly.

Example answer: “I felt that the manager and I remained on good terms throughout our period of working together. We had no conflicts, and I always performed my duties well.”

Recommended Reading: Talent Acquisition Coordinator Interview Questions

Python Exit Command Interview Questions

How would you terminate a script in Python?

Which Python command to exit program would you prefer and why?

Which Python command to exit program would you use in production code?

When is os._exit used?

What message will you get if you print quit or exit?

Is there a difference between exit and quit in Python? If yes, explain. If not, explain why both exist as a functionality simultaneously in Python.

Why is the sys.exit command preferred over the other methods in production code?

Do all methods raise the SystemExit exception to exit?

Would Make You Reconsider Your Decision To Leave

How To Conduct An Exit Interview

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?

Don’t Miss: How To Prepare For A Professional Interview

Tips To Prepare For An Internship Exit Interview

Here are some tips to help you prepare for an internship exit interview:

Practice your answers: Before the interview, try to prepare your answers with a friend or colleague. It may be useful to meet with other interns who were a part of your internship program.
Remain objective: Try to stay focused on talking about the company rather than individual members of management or specific employees.
Ask questions: It’s useful to ask questions during your exit interview that provide feedback on your performance or the position.

Related: How To Find an Internship: Resume and Cover Letter Advice

In this video, Jenn explains how to find an internship, how to create a resume and cover letter and some great advice on what NOT to do.

Don’t Talk Too Much About Your New Job

You are leaving the company for a reason, and there is no harm in mentioning some aspects of your new position. However, avoid going overboard by keeping your responses simple. For example, you can mention higher pay, but you do not have to give an exact figure for your new salary or the specific perks that come with the job.

Read Also: How To Interview A Data Scientist

Dont Lead The Conversation Guide It

As the interviewer, you might feel a temptation to lead the conversation to the topics you badly want to talk about. This is especially true of founders, who often feel passionately about the business they have built and have strong ideas about how they think it should be run.

However, its a mistake to seize control of this conversation. By all means, guide it to the topics you think might be relevant, but the goal is to hear what the leaver has to say so let them take the interview where they want to take it.

You may find that it yields unexpected and surprising answers.

Also Check: System Design Interview Preparation

How To Use Exit Interviews To Improve Performance

The exit interview process: A guide to offboarding employees

Theres another, perhaps unexpected use for exit interviews: performance feedback. By sitting exiting employees down and finding out why people quit, youll be able to identify any flaws in your processes and what your systems could do with overhauling. Also, exit interviews give your human resources department valuable insights into how they can improve future performance management processes.

Here are some ways that exit interviews can pinpoint areas for improvement:

Example Form For Exit Interviews

Use the example to create an exit interview form:

The purpose of this form is to collect insight into the effectiveness of the practices, policies and operations at I-Tech Solutions. All responses are anonymous and remain confidential.

Background Information

Office location:

Employee Support and PreparednessThis information helps I-Tech Solutions understand the effectiveness of company policies, tools and resources in regard to employee support and development. Please review the following questions and rate your experiences on a scale of one to 10, where 10 represents the highest level of satisfaction:

Was the job description you received comprehensive and relevant to your role?
Was the training you participated in impactful in understanding your job duties and how to fulfil them?
Were company training courses and resources sufficient in preparing you for your role?
Was someone available to you as a resource or guide in your career development?
Do you feel that you had access to all of the tools and resources necessary to perform your job?

Workplace cultureThe following questions receive YES or NO answers. Provide as much detail as you prefer to help I-Tech Solutions better understand your experience:

Reasons for departure

Part 1: What factors did you consider before your departure? Please select all that apply.

______ Lack of team and departmental connectedness

______ Work duties were unmanageable

______ Work duties were not challenging

______ Relationship with manager

This Place Is Going Downhill Or This Place Is A Sinking Ship

If you feel underappreciated or invaluable, your employer should notice this on their own. So, keep it classy and avoid sounding nihilistic or egotistical.

We know you might be tempted to make the remaining employees feel like they are in the wrong place just because you are leaving, but it wont cost you anything to wish them well, whether you are going on bad or good terms.

Wishing remaining employees bad things like I wish this place dies a slow and painful death, can only make you look petty and spiteful and say more about you than the company.

The fact that you will not be speaking directly to your boss, unless you work in the HR department, does not mean that you should lose your cool and make careless comments about your boss.

Being too honest about your boss can be a disadvantage, especially if you ever get a chance to return to the company.

Even if its true that your boss wasnt that good, make your comments about them general, kind, concise, and cheerful, and let no one accuse you of having a bias or a vendetta.

Direct insults to your former manager might be the biggest regret of your departure. There is a high chance that your new employer will do their due diligence on their new employee, and the first person they call will be your previous manager.

It might not work well if you also decide to return to the company. Therefore, never say anything negative to and about your manager.

Recommended Reading: Pre Recorded Video Interview Examples

What Is An Exit Interview For An Internship

An exit interview is a meeting that employers have with interns upon completing an internship at their company. During the meeting, employers can gain insight into an individual’s internship experience. It also allows interns to give specific feedback on the internship position, such as whether it met their expectations and if they plan to continue working for the company.

Leads To Structural Developments

Exit internship interview do’s and dont’s

Survey responses can also benefit statistical analysis, where companies may use the data to evaluate retention rates, onboarding and training costs and departmental budgets. Then, management may use this information to make improvements to different processes, including hiring, onboarding and training new employees. Structural changes and modifications to crucial processes like these can help your company reduce costs and increase retention.

Why Do Job Exit Interviews Exist

Companies conduct exit interviews to receive constructive feedback when an employee leaves the company. Not every business does this, but those that do gain valuable insight into what its like for employees to work at the company.

Companies want to know what the employee thought of their work environment, management, workload, and more. To sum it up, they want to know why departing employees have sought new jobs. Why didnt they want to stay? What makes their new position better than their current one? Is this something the company can fix moving forward?

Exit interviews provide a constant flow of feedback that describes why employees would want to stay, leave their position, and most notably, what the company needs to change. Engaged employees that feel appreciated are more likely to stay in their current position. But if employees arent engaged or feel underappreciated, the company needs to know to correct course.

Perhaps many employees have been quitting recently, and most have said its because theyre burnt out at work, or the company culture doesnt make them feel included. The exit interviews bring this to attention. It allows companies to improve working conditions for existing and new employees, which is great for growth.

How To Prepare For An Honest Exit Interview

So, youve decided its time to leave your job. Youve submitted your notice, youve returned your laptop to the IT department. Youve said your goodbyes, maybe even enjoyed a cake courtesy of your coworkers. Theres nothing left to do except the exit interview.

In theory, this shouldnt be a nerve-wracking situation. After all, the exit interview isnt about YOU its your chance to evaluate the company and their performance, rather than them evaluating yours. However, exit interviews can still feel uncomfortable for employees on their way out the door.

Good news: you dont have to stress about exit interviews! Here are a few tips that can help you prep for your exit interview and speak honestly and constructively with your former employer.

Also Check: Questions Asked In Immigration Interview

Reasons Why Exit Interviews Are Important

Weve compiled a list of 10 reasons highlighting the importance of exit interviews to help your organization get the data and insights needed to create a more positive work environment and to protect your organization from risk.

Departing employees are generally more forthcoming than those still in their jobs

You will learn the reason for an employees departure

The exit interview allows the employee to provide constructive feedback and leave on a positive note

That last touchpoint provides you with an opportunity to review continuing obligations with the employee

It provides the opportunity to ask if there are any open issues of which you need to be aware. This can help reduce risk and identify matters that may require immediate attention.

You will get a candid assessment of your organizations environment and culture

Insight into recruiting, on-boarding, and training needs may be revealed

The feedback will help you to identify areas that can help improve staff retention

Improvement opportunities in management development and succession planning can be detected

Its cost-effective to facilitate quality exit interviews

No matter the size of your company, exit interviews provide an opportunity for an employee to discuss the workplace environment, concerns about misconduct, or issues within management.

Learn how employees feel about how management teams handle issues in the workplace and what bearing that has on whether they stay or leave the organization.

Don't Miss