Exit interview questions and tips for taking action

Gone are the days of decades-long job tenures. Today’s employees are building their careers across multiple companies, with the average job tenure at only four years in the US. The Great Resignation in the US has caused a stir amongst companies seeing more frequent departures than before - many in the tech and healthcare industries. 

So, if it’s inevitable that employees will leave, what can be done about it? 

There are certainly employee retention strategies you can employe, but when it comes to an employee who is simply ready to move on, it’s important to learn from the experience. This is where employee exit interviews come in, and we’re here to take you through the process, from what exit interview questions to ask, to a full meeting agenda.

What is an exit interview

An exit interview is a voluntary meeting that takes place between HR and/or a manager and a departing employee. The goal of an exit interview is for the company to learn about the employee’s experience, and collect feedback as they’re departing the company. 

The exit interview often benefits the employer, more than the employee, given that the employee is on their way out. It can serve as a ritual for closure for the departing employee, and it is more likely to be offered in the event of a voluntary termination. 

Exit interviews typically take place during the employee’s last week, for 60 minutes. Some may finish early, but it’s a good idea to give people the time if it is needed. In-person or virtual meetings are ideal, and then you can decide if you would also like to conduct exit surveys (we cover those in a bit). 

Now, let’s dive into our recommended exit interview questions. 

Exit interview questions

Questions about the departure

• What factors contributed to your resignation?
• Is there anything we could have done to prevent your departure?
• What about your new role feels like a better fit than your current role?

Questions about employee experience

• Do you feel like you were given the training/tools/support you needed to be successful in your role?
• Do you feel like the duties and responsibilities described during your interview process were consistent with your experience in the role?
• What was your overall experience working here?
• Would you recommend a friend or family member work here? Why or why not?
• If there was an opportunity you felt was a good fit, would you accept a job here in the future? Why or why not?
• What did you enjoy most about your role? What did you enjoy least?
• What did you enjoy most about working here? What did you enjoy least?

Questions about the employee’s manager

• Do you feel like you had a positive working relationship with your manager?
• Did you feel like your manager gave you the support you needed to be successful in your role?
• How often did you receive feedback from your manager—and what was the quality of that feedback?

Questions about improvements

• How would you suggest we improve this role to make it more appealing/challenging/enjoyable for the next person?
• How would you suggest we improve our company culture?
• How would you suggest we improve our organizational management style?

Exit interview vs. exit surveys 

While an exit interview is a conversation between people, an exit survey is taken by the departing employee individually. Some companies choose to do both. 

Stacey Nordwall, Pyn’s Head of Employee Experience explains how this works, “The survey would be completed first, and then the interviewer would review the employee’s responses and ask additional questions if needed during the exit interview. Doing both the interview and the survey helps because sometimes people are less willing to be forthright in a survey (or vice versa).” 

The very important next step with both exit interviews and surveys, is to take all of your data in aggregate and identify trends that you can use to decide what needs action.

Taking action on the results of your exit interviews

Asking consistent exit interview questions helps you take the responses of individuals and understand trends among departing employees. 

For example, says Stacey, “If you notice that a steady stream of high potential employees are leaving and they are citing growth opportunities or compensation, then you know there is something you need to take a real look at fixing.” 

A helpful question to decide how you will take action on results is: What is the goal you’re hoping to achieve? 

If your goal is to prevent employee turnover, exit interview data can help, and you may also want to take action earlier in the employee’s journey. For example, 30/60/90 day check-ins are a good time for managers to get feedback from their employees on how they’re progressing. The same goes for performance reviews or 360 evaluations. 

If your goal is to improve the experience for retained or existing employees, exit interview data can also help as an input into other feedback channels like an engagement survey.