Smart Exit Interview Questions To Ask
The particular Exit interview questions addressed during a departure interview may differ based on the firm and the individual employee its important to keep in mind that these are merely examples. An exit interviews primary objective is to obtain information and input from the departing employee that will help the business develop and retain future workers. The following list of 40+ possible questions for an exit interview includes an explanation of what the interviewer may be hoping to find out or achieve with each one.Also check most common STAR interview questions and sample answers.
Do You Feel Your Job Responsibilities Have Changed Since You Were Hired If Yes In What Ways
The demands of a role sometimes evolve with time. Employees may begin to feel that theyre much more than the job description states. Or perhaps, the changes in the role require a higher skill set than what was originally required.
Situations like these can make an employee feel overburdened or less enthusiastic about their job, especially if theres no increase in their remuneration proportional to the increased job demands.
Ultimately, this question can help discover if theres a need to update the job description for the role to ensure that your next hire is well befitting. Also, it signals that you may need to increase the remuneration for that position.
Best Exit Interview Questions
What makes for the best exit interview questions? The best exit interview questions get to the heart of why employees leave and what can be done about it.
Below youll find examples of some of the best exit interview questions that weve seen, which can replace some of the questions in the sample exit interview above.
- What were the most important factors in choosing another job? Salary? Benefits? Time-off? Company culture? Something else?
- What does your new company provide that we dont?
- What advice would you give to new hires at our company?
- What changes to your job would have made you stay at our company?
- What were the three biggest challenges you experienced when working at our company?
- How would you describe our company culture to one of your closest friends?
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Were You Given The Proper Tools To Succeed
If there were areas where you lacked the tools or specific software to do the job efficiently and effectively, its okay to state it in a kind and constructive way
- If you had a specific need: Overall, I had the right tools for the job most of the time. But it would have been great to have a second monitor to manage multiple spreadsheets simultaneously. Providing my replacement with one may help set them up for success.
- If you want to dodge the question with humor: I had the correct tools to navigate the work environment for the most part, but you know how it is . You can never have too many resourcesbudget, people, office space.
- If you want to support your team: While our team always met its goals, I didnt feel like we were empowered to work to our full potential. We could not communicate in real-time from diverse locations and made our manager aware of these gaps but didnt hear any follow-up. Investing in this tool could help the business increase revenue by reducing response times.
Who In Your Opinion Is The Best Person In The Office
Alternative Question: Who do you like the most in office?
Whoever you name here, youll be helping them build a lasting relationship with the organization.
You dont have to name a senior or an executive not even your own manager. Just name the person who had the most positive impact on your performance and your disposition as an employee.
For example, you can mention a coworker who encouraged you to take creative and calculated risks and come up with out-of-the-box ideas. Or someone who listened to your ideas and created preliminary plans out of them to test their effectiveness.
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Example Questions The Role
Turnover among long-serving employees, who have accrued knowledge and skills, has a greater impact than the loss of a relatively new hire. There may be specific trends or issues prompting resignations among valuable current staff.
Assess your hiring, interview, and onboarding processes, and the role they played in selecting the right candidate. This can also yield data about the job description
Certain circumstances may require an employee to take on new or different responsibilities. Find out what these are and the impact they had on the employee by asking them what changed and why.
Burnout and overwork can be a factor in unwanted turnover. A business could be over-estimating an employees capacity for more work, especially if theyre seen as high-performing top talent.
Each employee values different areas of a job, and it may help to understand this employees perspective to see obvious patterns. Good aspects can be promoted to keep the role interesting.
There may be potential areas that werent working in the employees role. Help retain your next hire by resolving these issues for a better experience.
What To Expect In Exit Interviews
Dont be incredibly nervous about your exit interview. Like any job interview, you want to be specific and honest with your answers. Youre already leaving the company, though, so you can be honest about what you didnt enjoy. Just dont burn any bridges with your feedback.
If youve never done an exit interview before, its OK to feel some jitters. But knowing what to expect in an exit interview should ease any of your nerves or uncertainties.
When learning how to prepare for exit interviews, it helps to know what type of questions youll be asked. Having an example of exit interview questions will help you brainstorm and prepare specific answers.
You should also know that human resources usually conducts these interviews as one-on-one meetings. But in some circumstances, your or another teams manager will join. It could also be done in person on your last day in the office or over the phone or video call.
Here are eight common exit interview questions to expect:
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What Skills And Qualifications Do You Think We Need To Look For In Your Replacement
Here are two truths: one, no one understands what it takes to do a job well better than the person who is currently doing it well. And two, research shows companies are pretty terrible at writing accurate, useful job descriptions.
Combine these two realities and what do you get? A strong case for asking your departing employee for some advice on how to hire their replacement. Which is why the Muse suggests the question above for exit interviews.
Good Exit Interview Questions To Ask Employee
The interviewer is interested in learning the employees opinion of the companys policies and processes, including if they were perceived as just and efficient.
2. Did you think that the company constantly followed its rules and regulations?
The interviewer is trying to learn how the employee feels about how consistently the companys standards and procedures were followed.
3. Were your role and responsibilities described to you in detail?
The interviewer is trying to determine whether the employee feels that their job expectations are clear.
4. Did you think you received enough training for your position?
The interviewer is interested in learning the employees opinion of the suitability of their training for the position.
5. What did you think of the companys communication procedures and channels?
The interviewer is interested in learning how the employee views the companys communication channels and procedures in terms of efficacy and efficiency.
6. Did you feel that you had enough chances to offer suggestions and criticism about your job and the way the business was run?
The interviewer is interested in learning how the employee views their ability to offer suggestions and criticism for both their work and the way the business is run.
7. Did you think the business appreciated and recognized your contributions?
8. Did you think that, while working for the company, you could manage your work-life balance?
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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.
Did You Find Achieving Your Goals And Objectives Easy
Alternative Question: Was it easier for you to target your goals and objectives?
The goal of this exit interview question is, again, to determine if youre leaving because of your leader. If you received clear goals and objectives but werent able to reach them and your manager didnt adjust them, call it out but in a diplomatic manner.
For example, tell them that your manager was quite helpful in helping you achieve the goals and objectives set forth, but the process of accomplishing said goals meant having to sacrifice the work-life balance.
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How Did This Job Match Up With Your Skills And Qualifications
Did this employee feel as if her position fit well with her own experience and competencies? Or, did she feel as if she had certain skills or areas of expertise that were completely ignored or under-utilized?
In addition to focusing on the actual qualifications of the job, you can also dig a little deeper to find out if this job matched her personal goals and interests. That way, you can uncover if there are steps you need to take to better understand your employeesand then adjust their career paths accordingly.
What Should We Look For In Your Replacement
Heres an exit interview question that gives you a chance to facilitate real change. You know your job better than anyone else. Was there anything about the day-to-day in this position that you had to adjust to because it wasnt mentioned in the initial job description?
If so, talk about it. This feedback could guide hiring managers in the right direction when searching for your replacement.
Example AnswerMy job involved a great deal of problem-solving at the eleventh hour. It wasnt something I was prepared to do initially, but I adapted and got better with time. I think that my replacement should come into this position with some problem-solving skills so they can succeed from day one.
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How Has Your Job Description Changed Since You Got Hired
This is an excellent alternate question to asking the skills and qualifications needed for a replacement. In a subtle way, this question can touch on the necessary prerequisites for the role while giving you a birds eye view of how the role has changed over time. It offers you the employees perspective on organizational shifts, team dynamics, and long-term growth in the role.
An important suggestion: take careful notes of the employees answer to this question. They will help you craft an accurate job description to find the perfect replacement one of the most important next steps after an employee submits their resignation.
Would You Recommend This Company To Others Seeking Employment
When employees answer this question, they should be straightforward about why they would or would not recommend their employer to someone else. Employees who are being interviewed can consider offering suggestions that might make the position more attractive.
Example answer:It would depend on which positions were open and what that persons career goals might be. I would recommend this company to friends or family if the position matched what they were looking for. A comprehensive benefits package would make the job more appealing.
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Did We Provide You With Clear Direction
Heres a question thats more focused on the performance of management and leadership in the company. They want to know that you were led in the right direction while you worked here.
Again, this is a trick question to answer. You dont want to bad-mouth your managers directly. Doing so may lead to them providing a negative job reference in the future.
You can be honest, but throw in some positives in your response.
Example AnswerFor the most part, I felt very supported in this role. I received clear direction, but I think future position-holders could benefit from more transparency. A little more clarity into project objectives may make things easier when tackling complex initiatives.
Is There Anything We Could Have Done To Keep You Here
An employee who enters an exit interview has already made their decision. Theres very little chance to turn their decision around. But still, this can be the last chance to offer solutions that keep them on staff. You can offer better pay, more resources, more flexibility in working time, more opportunities for work-life balance, or a chance to move to another team/role.
Even if the employee doesnt agree with any offers or you cant afford their requests, this question may help spark some insights into what you can offer the next employee.
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How To Set Up An Exit Interview Process
First of all you should start by deciding upon your interview format. Using a questionnaire may be quick, easy and allow you to avoid uncomfortable conversations, however you are far less likely to obtain honest and valuable information as you would if you conduct face to face exit interviews. Furthermore, conducting exit interviews face to face gives you the opportunity to end things on a personal and positive note.
The next step is to decide upon your interviewer. If possible, this should be someone other than the employees manager, as the power dynamic here may allow for bias feedback in so that the employee feels comfortable asking for a good reference. Therefore many people use their HR team to conduct exit interviews or outsiders who are not part of the organisation.
Finally you need to decide upon the questions you are going to ask, and those that are not necessary to ask. Although you donât want to make the exit interview feel scripted, its useful to get some topics prepared, and areas you wish to cover, both positive and negative, as well as being role based. No matter what, you must ensure confidentiality.
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Why You Should Conduct Exit Interviews
With employees leaving their jobs in record numbers since 2020, the Great Resignation reflects major shifts in the global workforce, from the reasons why employees leave to the ways employers are reimagining the workplace experience. According to Work Instituteâs mid-2021 Retention Report, top reasons why employees left their jobs in 2021 were for career reasons and work-life balance reasons , the manager they were working with or the total rewards of the position .
A high employee turnover rate can be costly for any organization, not only when it comes to recruiting and training new talent, but also in terms of serving customers and increasing revenue.
Conducting exit interviews with departing employees can be especially vital to the way your organization operates, because they give you the chance to learn more about your organization from the departing employee’s perspective. You can use information you gather to improve company culture, attract and retain top talent, and better serve external customers and clients.
Use the questions below to gather feedback and make the exit interview experience a favorable one for everyone present.
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Did You Receive Feedback To Help You Improve
No one wants to feel like theyre stuck in a rut, especially at work. So if an employee feels stagnant, its vital that you know about it sooner rather than later.
When youve identified a floundering employee, the best way to inspire them to greatness again is by providing constructive feedback to help them improve. Maybe they need to focus on a different aspect of the job or go back to basics to perfect their skills.
Whatever the solution, managers should be ready and willing to provide guidance to help employees get better at their jobs. If an outgoing employee didnt receive that guidance, you have some changes to make.
Sample Exit Interview Questions By Role
Depending on the position you have held in a company, HR department will want to know what the company needs to improve. While many questions are general, certain questions may provide additional detail. Each employee has different needs depending on his/her job. Therefore, here is a list of questions based on the types of roles you may encounter in an exit interview.
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