7 Exit Interview Questions Every Employer Should Ask

Exit interviews help you better understand management style, processes, and employee morale. Always take the opportunity to learn about a departing employee’s experience at your company.

What is an Exit Interview?

An exit interview is an interview held with an employee before their last day at your company. This interview gives the employee an opportunity to explain why they are leaving and give feedback about their experience working at the organization.

The Challenges of Exit Interviews

While exit interviews are helpful, it’s also unrealistic to expect 100% honest answers. The employee could be worried about burning bridges or uncomfortable candidly sharing problems they faced. Your best bet is to make the interview as open-ended and safe for the departing employee as possible. The more honest feedback you receive, the more information you have to improve your company as a whole.

Reflect on who might best conduct the interview. If you don’t have an HR representative, choose someone removed from the departing employee’s team. They may feel more comfortable divulging details if the interviewer doesn’t work intimately with everyone involved.

If you think a departing employee feels intimidated by talking to someone in person, consider offering anonymous exit interviews online. You may open your company up to harsh criticism, but you may also be more likely to get honest feedback. Speak with another leader in your organization and decide what fits your organization best.

Once you’ve decided the process for your exit interview, aggregate the answers in a central place. As the months pass by, you’ll aggregate feedback and be able to paint a bigger picture of organizational strengths and areas of weakness.

Seven Interview Questions You Need to Ask

1. Why did you decide to leave this position?

2. What led you to accept your new position?

3. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the least and 10 being the most, what number would you recommend this place of employment to a friend?

4. Did the job align with your original expectations?

5. Would you change the job description for the next person in your role? If so, how?

6. What support or resources would have helped you accomplish your job better?

7. What could have been done to keep you employed at our company?

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