Exit Interview Tips, Questions and Answers

Useful exit interview tips. Make the exit process easier by being well prepared for exit interviews.

From the employer's perspective the purpose of the exit interview is to understand why the employee is leaving and to gain insight into what areas the company can improve on, the strengths the company can build on and how the organization and management is perceived.

From the employee's perspective the exit interview provides an
opportunity to give constructive feedback about the organization, the
working environment, the job itself and management.

Use these exit interview tips to answer in a professional and well-considered manner.

Exit Interview Questions and Answers

The complete list of exit interview questions will prepare you for your  interview. Know how to answer these questions properly.

• Be as objective and fair as possible. Try
  to remove any feelings of hostility or disappointment from the
  situation. Don't get involved in the blame game. Be honest but
  diplomatic.

• If your reason for leaving is something negative, try and share the responsibility for this.  For example: "It
  has become apparent that my manager and I have different ideas on how
  to do the job. Both of us have come to the conclusion that it is never
  going to be a good match and that it is better to move on." Recriminations are not a good departing gift!
• Stick
  to the facts. If you offer an opinion be sure you can support it with
  an actual example. Always have a constructive suggestion for improvement
  if you are offering honest but negative feedback. For example: "My
  manager did not always ask for my input before making changes that
  significantly impacted on my job. For example, she changed the process
  for handling customer complaints without discussing it with me. It is
  easier to accept change if one is part of the process. Setting up a
  meeting to discuss  potential change with an employee and asking for
  suggestions would improve the process."

• Don't get personal. Stick to an objective assessment of the situation
  rather than focusing on individuals. Bad mouthing colleagues and
  managers by name is not appropriate. If asked to describe your
  relationship with other employees provide a general overview like, "On the whole we enjoyed a positive working relationship and if there were any problems we generally managed to sort them out"
• Make
  notes to take into the exit interview with you. It is easy to forget
  what one wanted to say when confronted with a formal interview
  situation. Referring to your notes demonstrates that you take the exit
  interview seriously  and have spent time thinking about it beforehand.

• Be aware of your non-verbal signals.
  If your exit interview is conducted face to face be conscious of your
  body language. Folding your arms across your chest makes you appear
  defensive. If you are doing it over the phone be aware of the tone of
  voice.
• Don't feel pressurized. An exit interview is a voluntary
  exercise. If you feel too uncomfortable about answering a specific
  question then simply reply that you have no comment.
  

Standard Exit Interview Questions

How to Resign > Exit Interview Tips

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