What Is An Exit Interview
An exit interview is typically conducted by human resources, the employees managers, or an external consultant done before an employee departs the company for a variety of reasons. According to the same Harvard Business Review article, EIs conducted by second or third-line managers lead to the most action, and second-line managers typically receive the most honest feedback.
Hosting exit interview questions offers a lot of insight if done correctly. Asking the right questions will give the employee a chance to explain their reasoning for leaving, offer insight into company culture, and even suggest what could be improved or what needs to change. These interviews should be respectful and end on good terms with the employee and individuals conducting the meeting.
Tell Me About A Time You Disagreed With A Decision What Did You Do
No one agrees with every decision. Disagreements are fine it’s what you do when you disagree that matters.
Show that you were professional. Show that you raised your concerns in a productive way. If you have an example that proves you can effect change, great — and if you don’t, show that you can support a decision even though you think it’s wrong .
Every company wants employees willing to be honest and forthright, to share concerns and issues, but to also get behind a decision and support it as if they agreed, even if they didn’t.
Interview Questions About The Team:
- Can you tell me a bit about the team I would be working with?
- What are the key positions and groups that I would be working with? What are the leadership or personality types of those people and groups?
- What are the three biggest challenges your team faces when working with other groups within the organization? What do you do to minimize the challenges?
- What is the single largest problem facing your team today?
- What is the approval process for projects and tasks within the group?
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How Might Your Expectations For This Role Change Over Time
The purpose of this question is to assess what the company’s expectations are for the role throughout the length of the position. The job description can give you a good idea of the day-to-day responsibilities, but it’s helpful to be able to hone in on specific time frames for different stages of the position. For example, you may ask how long the training will take in addition to how long it’ll take for the position to start to call for potential cross-training.
One of the best ways to coax the necessary information from the interviewer is by framing this question in specific periods of time. For example, you can ask what the expectations will be after 30 days, 60 days, and a year.
Are You A Us Citizen
The question you can ask regarding this issue is, Are you authorized to work in the United States? And the hiring manager shouldn’t need to ask this question at all. Your job application should ask this question, and the recruiter was responsible for weeding out candidates who can’t legally work here.
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How Did You Learn About The Opening
Job boards, general postings, online listings, job fairs — most people find their first few jobs that way, so that’s certainly not a red flag.
But a candidate who continues to find each successive job from general postings probably hasn’t figured out what he or she wants to do — and where he or she would like to do it.
He or she is just looking for a job often, any job.
So don’t just explain how you heard about the opening. Show that you heard about the job through a colleague, a current employer, by following the company–show that you know about the job because you want to work there.
Employers don’t want to hire people who just want a job they want to hire people who want a job with their company.
Questions About The Company
7. How would you describe the culture here? What type of people tend to really thrive here, and what type dont do as well?
Sometimes hiring managers are pretty bad at accurately describing the culture on their teams in part because they have a vested interest in seeing it a certain way and in part because they have an inherently different vantage point than their staff members do. For example, Ive heard incorrigible micromanagers tell candidates that they like to give people a lot of independence and autonomy and they probably really believed that about themselves. So take managers descriptions of culture with a heavy grain of salt , but theres still value in hearing what they do and dont emphasize.
But asking about what types of people tend to thrive versus those who tend to struggle can get you more revealing information. Youll often learn what that manager really cares about in their employees, or which traits will set you up to clash with them, or whos likely to bristle at their management style.
8. What do you like about working here?
You can learn a lot by the way interviewers respond to this question. People who genuinely enjoy their jobs and the company will usually have several things they can tell you that they like about working there and will usually sound sincere. But if you get a blank stare or a long silence before your interviewer answers, or the answer is something like the paycheck, consider that a red flag.
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Questions You Can Ask
What type of work will you be doing?
- Can you tell me more about the day-to-day duties and responsibilities of this position?
- What would a day in the life of a _____ with your organisation look like?
- What challenges will I have in this job?
What training and progression opportunities are there?
- What kind of induction or training programme will I complete when I begin the job?
- Will there be opportunities for increased responsibility?
- Is there a regular performance review? How is this organised?
What are the people like?
- Can you tell me about the team I will be working with?
- How big is the team I will work with?
- Does the team work closely with other teams?
Whats the organisation like?
- What is the culture of the organisation like?
- What are the biggest challenges and opportunities the organisation is facing right now?
- Where do you see the organisation headed in the next few years?
More Tools To Help You Ace Your Interviews
If you want more tips to stand out in your next interview , here are a couple of things to make sure youre doing.
First, be sure to send thank-you emails one day after the interview. This is a great way to set yourself apart and show the employer you made the extra effort.
Also, Id recommend reviewing this in-depth article on tips for how to pass a job interview. It contains some of the best info I learned while working 5+ years as a recruiter.
And finally, heres a list of the key things every hiring manager is looking for. Make sure you review that so you target the things they care most about in your interview.
Asking good questions is one piece of the interview puzzle, but you also need to perform well in the interview and follow-up professionally after its over. So those resources above will help you with those areas.
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What Sort Of Career Growth Opportunities Do You See For Someone In This Role
According to Woodruff-Santos, this question is important to ask in order to ensure you dont end up in a stagnant role, especially if you see yourself wanting to grow both within the company and in your industry.
Transparency is really important and telling people exactly whats expected for them to get to the next level helps with retention, she says. You can tell them, Im really excited to join your company at this level and can see myself staying here for several years, but what sort of career opportunities do you see for someone in my role?
You should also ask why a position is open to find out if someone got promoted or even resigned, says Vicki Salemi, a career expert and former corporate recruiter based in the New York City area. This can give you some insight into whether your role has room for upward mobility.
Tell Me How You Think Other People Would Describe You
I hate this question. It’s a total throwaway. But I did ask it once, and got an answer I really liked.
“I think people would say that what you see is what you get,” the candidate said. “If I say I will do something, I do it. If I say I will help, I help. I’m not sure that everyone likes me, but they all know they can count on what I say and how hard I work.”
Can’t beat that.
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How Many Questions Should You Ask In An Interview
You should ask four to six questions in your job interview. Ask a mix of questions about the position, the team and company, and the interview process and next steps.
As you move through your job interviews, think about each person youre speaking to and try to ask questions that theyre best-suited to answer, too.
Dont worry if youre not sure about this, but as an example, youd want to ask a CEO higher-level questions about the companys direction, strategy, growth.
Youd want to ask a recruiter about the basic duties of the job, the companys story, etc. And for the hiring manager who would be your future boss, youd want to ask about career path, training, what type of person they feel is the best fit for this role, etc.
Thats just a rough example, so dont stress too much over which questions to ask which person in your interview. Almost any interviewer can answer basic questions about role, team, career path, and hiring process, and if not, the interviewer can go ask and find out for you.
+ Questions To Ask In A Job Interview
Job interviews should feel like a conversation, with two people asking and answering questions. You should follow the lead of your interviewer and prioritize giving them information about yourself, but know that interviewers expect you to ask questions, too. When you do, it shows that you have enthusiasm for and genuine interest in the job.
In this quick video, Indeed recruiter Linda gives examples of questions you can ask your interviewer.
Your opportunity to ask these questions typically comes at the end of the interview. Its a chance to learn more about the company culture, the challenges and opportunities the organization is facing, and what being in this job is really like.
Related: 39 of the Best Questions to Ask at the End of the Interview
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How Could I Impress You In The First Three Months
This is a good question to ask at the end of a job interview because it shows potential employers that you’re eager to make a positive contribution to the organisation.
Pay close attention to the recruiter’s response as it will tell you how they want you to perform and will highlight particular areas of the job you should be focusing on during the first few weeks of employment.
What Are The Top 5 Questions To Ask
Well they should be different for each candidate depending on the situation, but here are 5 great ones:1. Can you tell me exactly what I would be expected to do if I was hired for this position?2. Can you walk me through a typical day here at Company X?3. Can you tell me what you love the most about working here?4. Is there anything else I can provide you with that would be helpful or questions I can answer?5. What are the next steps in the interview process?
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What Really Drives Results In This Job
Employees are investments, and you expect every employee to generate a positive return on his or her salary.
In every job some activities make a bigger difference than others. You need your HR team to fill job openings, but what you really want is for them to find the right candidates, because that results in higher retention rates, lower training costs, and better overall productivity.
You need your service techs to perform effective repairs, but what you really want is for those techs to identify ways to solve problems and provide other benefits — in short, to build customer relationships and even generate additional sales.
Great candidates want to know what truly makes a difference and drives results, because they know helping the company succeed means they will succeed as well.
What Kind Of Qualities Will Be Required To Thrive In This Position
Even if you are able to gauge what kind of skills the job requires from the previous question, this question helps you get a clearer answer. Plus, it’ll help reveal any relevant skills that aren’t immediately apparent based on the job description alone. Typically, these skills have more to do with company expectations and culture, so be prepared to highlight how you possess these necessary skills as well. Also, make sure to relate them to the duties stated in the job description.
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A Snail Is At The Bottom Of A 30
Questions like these have become a lot more popular in recent years. The interviewer isn’t necessarily looking for the right answer but instead a little insight into your reasoning abilities.
All you can do is talk through your logic as you try to solve the problem. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself if you get it wrong — sometimes the interviewer is merely trying to assess how you deal with failure.
Top 5 Job Interview Mistakes
When it comes to job interviews, first impressions really matter so make sure you plan ahead to avoid making these common interview mistakes
It’s essential to use this opportunity to showcase your best qualities, and ensure that you’re memorable for all the right reasons. Nerves do play their part in the interview process and everyone has areas that they could improve upon. However, more often than not it’s the most preventable errors that cost you the job.
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What Are The Three Traits Your Top Performers Have In Common
Great candidates also want to be great employees. They know every organization is different — and so are the key qualities of top performers in those organizations. Maybe your top performers work longer hours. Maybe creativity is more important than methodology. Maybe constantly landing new customers in new markets is more important than building long-term customer relationships. Maybe the key is a willingness to spend the same amount of time educating an entry-level customer as helping an enthusiast who wants high-end equipment.
Great candidates want to know, because 1) they want to know if they will fit in, and 2) if they do fit in, they want to know how they can be a top performer.
Why Is This Position Available
If the company doesnt come right out and say why the position is available, you should do your best to find out.
If its a new position, find out what they hope the new position will add to the company or what problems it may solve.
If the company is hiring for a lot of new positions, ask about their growth plan and what products, services or programs the growth is based on. I have turned down two positions before where the roles didnt seem sustainable. In both cases, I was correct and neither of the positions were still around within a year. If I hadnt done some digging into their intentions, I could have found myself back on the job search sooner than I wanted.
If the employer is vague with their response regarding a previous employee, make sure to respect their discretion but dont be afraid to ask about the average turnaround of the position. If theyve gone through six employees in the last year for the same position, is it because the employees were promoted within the company or because they were all not a good fit? If they werent a good fit, what does the employer think was missing and what would you need to survive?
Believe me this is one question I learned the importance of the hard way. After I began what seemed like a great position, I quickly learned that company turnaround was so bad they could barely remember the names of all the employees that had come and gone in the last year yikes!
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What Would You Do If A Penguin With A Sombrero Walked In The Front Door
Some hiring managers like to ask these fun and creative questions they found on the internet. Please don’t. Unless you’re in the business of zoo animal fiestas, there is no answer to this question that will help you evaluate the candidate.
Keep your questions relevant to the job. Don’t try to pry into personality. Unless you’re a trained psychologist, you won’t even know how to interpret the candidate’s answers. Ask about knowledge, skills, and abilities instead.
Questions You Can Ask Before An Interview
Youre all set to accept an interview invitation. As you hit Reply and type in your thanks and confirmation, a million questions suddenly whoosh through your mind about what to ask before the interview.
You wonder if you should append any of those questions to your confirmation message, or if you should keep them to yourself and look up the answers later. How do you know what should you ask before an interview?
Luckily, its okay to do a little digging about what to expect come Interview Day.
In fact, if you ask most employers about the common mistakes interviewees make, theyll put inadequate research and winging it somewhere in the top six. When an applicant shows genuine interest in the company before theyve had face-to-face communication, they notice.
Of course, its also a matter of asking the right questions. Unless youre going to ask about what specific questions to expect during the interview, employers will be more than happy to answer queries like:
It might sound like an embarrassing question to ask an employer before an interview, but its not. Some companies may not show up on Google Maps for a number of reasons. And even if they do, Maps wont tell you things like where you can park in the building premises or whether the building is in a high-security area. If you show an employer that youre serious about making it to the interview on time, theyll probably think youre serious about getting the job, too.
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