7 Questions Youll Probably Be Asked in Your Exit Interview

7 Questions Youll Probably Be Asked in Your Exit Interview Exit interviews are a universal practice conducted by organizations to understand why you’re leaving the company and how to build a better employee retention program.The questions are set by the employer and usually revolve around them asking the reason behind your resignation to get a grasp of how satisfied employees are with the company and what needs to change.While this may feel like a perfect opportunity to vent out all your work frustration, it’s best to maintain a positive vibe and provide honest feedback in a non-condescending manner.Ensure no bridges are burnt along the way and provide your employer with the necessary assessment they require in ensuring future employees don’t face the same agony you had to go through.WHY EXIT INTERVIEWS ARE IMPORTANT AND HOW YOU CAN AFFECT THE FUTURE OF THE COMPANY WITH YOUR FEEDBACK?Exit Interviews can help uncover potential issues within the companyEvery employee feedback is important in shaping and managing the workforce of the comp any.If you have any issues that you faced, chances are there are a good number of employees that are facing them. By providing your feedback, you can fix the issue and work towards providing all future candidates and the current employees with a stress-free environment.When employees depart, they are more open to discussing nuisances faced in the company as compared to when they are working with the company. The company uses this opportunity to access information that was otherwise withheld by the employee to identify the obstacles and eliminate them.By increasing the overall employee satisfaction in the workspace, the company gains a dedicated and loyal contribution from the employees and thus increases employee retention in the long run.Exit Interviews Can Increase Employee Retention Through Feedback AnalysisThrough regular analysis of employee feedback, the company can grow further by addressing the concerns of former employees and get a better understanding on employee retention .Let’s say the existing problem isn’t addressed in time, the company begins to lose a percentage of its workforce due to the lack of commitment shown by the organization. A company that doesn’t pay attention to its employee’s concerns can decrease its profit rate and halt the overall development of the company.Feedback of exiting employees is critical and must be accounted for. As an employee, it’s your responsibility to provide the necessary feedback through honest evaluation of your experience with the company.When employees openly communicate their outstanding issues, the company can create a troubleshooting plan to come up with ways to counter the problem and minimize the damage, so the other employees aren’t affected.Exit Interviews Provide Statistical Data to Act UponOver time, feedbacks create reliable data through which charts can be created and the top issues of the company can be highlighted to be addressed immediately. Statistical data is ideal for comparing r esults on an experimental plan.Take for example, a company received strong negative feedback from its exiting employees that there wasn’t any free time left for their families. The company decides to convert the feedback into action and rolls out an employee scheme where every employee gets a 2-week all-expense paid trip to their destination of choice.The company can now compare the old data with the present one and see if the employees are satisfied with “Work-life balance” or if the plan was a failure, thanks to the statistical data available for analysis.Exit interviews provide valuable information that can be converted into an actionable plan and can be researched for later use. As an employee, you would appreciate the perks of your job due to the employee feedback program that is currently active in the company. It allows you to receive employee benefits due to the nature of how employee retention works.Here’s a short video explaining useful tips on how an exit intervie w transpires and how to manage the questions asked by the interviewer. 7 QUESTIONS THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST PREPARE FOR DURING YOUR EXIT INTERVIEW1. What is the reason for your resignation?A key question that is presented to every employee to understand their intentions behind leaving the company.The interviewer would like to know if you had a personal reason to leave or if there were any drawbacks posed by the company to make you take the decision.If you’re exiting driven by the pressure of the company, it’s important to speak your mind and demonstrate what went wrong so the board can take necessary measures to ensure it doesn’t occur again.Every company has an employee retention program, your feedback for this question is likely to help your company achieve the necessary results in the long run.It’s important to remain calm while answering the question and don’t vent out your frustrations under any circumstances.While one exit interview may not shape conclusive evidence of your feedback, when data is collected via several exit interviews, a pattern and trend is created where the company can identify management issues and take appropriate action. Always take your exit interview seriously, it’s in the company’s best interests to improve.Sample Answer“I have been in the company for a span of 5 years, but to be honest I am looking for a move into a more private venture. The company has been a great learning experience and I’ve made many friends along the way. I offer my sincerest gratitude for every responsibility that the company has handed my way, it has helped me become the person I am today.”2. Were your concerns addressed by your assigned manager?During your time with the company, there’s rarely a chance that you would ever consider reporting your manager due to the fear of losing your job.However, while you hand over your resignation, the company is going to inquire on how receptive and approachable your manager was to you, during you r stay with the company.It’s important to provide honest feedback without the need to sound aggressive. Make a list of all the things that were provided to you by your manager and things that weren’t provided to you.This makes it easier to provide the information to your exit interviewer. Keep away from office politics, the interview doesn’t take gossip seriously and shouldn’t be part of your report.Your company could also ask your suggestion on who would be more suitable candidate for a managerial role, it’s important to state the responsibilities in where your former manager lacked and why the new candidate would make a perfect fit.Sample Answer“Quite frankly, the manager could have helped me in achieving meaningful results within the company but decided to offer these responsibilities to a selected few. One of the reasons for my resignation is based on the manager’s lack of trust in his employees. It would be a good initiative by the company to have a word with the assigned manager to keep things running smoothly within the company.”3. Name any three things that can improve the company according to you?The company would like to know in the areas they could improve upon.For a starting list pick three core areas where you would like your company to seriously kick it up a notch. Are the staff meetings not held on a schedule? Prepare a report stating how erratic meetings can affect the work hours of employees and why a schedule can help organize the situation.If you felt the work-life balance wasn’t adequate at the company, point out the factors such as long work hours or insufficient vacation pay as major contributors to a decline in employee satisfaction. Mention as to why family time is important for employees, especially the senior ones and how loyalty can ensure long lasting commitment.Was there no scope of growth or future in the company? Highlight reasons to why branching for an employee is important and that the company should offer pr omotions or upgrade remuneration on regular intervals.Sample Answer“Communication is a core responsibility of the company and I feel the senior managers as well as the board members haven’t given their best in this regard. There have been several times in the past that a presentation was scheduled at the last minute although I was provided a flexible time to work on the project. This caused me to rush through the project and deliver a final product that I wasn’t fully satisfied with. The other two things that the company could improve in is increasing existing allowances for employees and job satisfaction rate. These two are important factors that tie the companies and its co-workers together. On a personal level, I’ve constantly felt the need to take time off to unwind from the stress of work, but I wasn’t granted a leave as often as I would have liked. The company should work out a vacation policy to solve this issue. “4. Were you provided the appropriate tools to succ eed at your job?Outdated systems, lack of resources, unhygienic washrooms, broken coffee machines, etc. are things that can cause great distress to employees and the management would like to address these issues by inquiring about them.It’s your responsibility to bring these issues to their notice by compiling a list of tools that require immediate resolution.If you felt you had to work with unhelpful technology or an uncooperative team, then describe them in detail and help your company improve.However, it’s necessary to practice restraint while explaining these issues and not to hurl complaints. Burning down bridges with your former company isn’t a great way to exit your position.Sample Answer“No, there were times that my complaints had never been addressed by the company. In one incident, the tap in the rest room was broken and it took me more than 3-to-4 follow ups with the department to get it fixed. The company should appoint a team that conducts a fast resolution in u rgent matters such as this. In another incident, I had requested for a software update to be commenced at the earliest. The same wasn’t processed until a week and by then, I had lost my client’s patience and along with it, the project as well. The company should pay more interest in addressing the concerns of its employees and walk in their shoes to understand the challenges they face.5. What are the skills we should look for while hiring your replacement?You’re most likely going to be asked this question to ensure the company makes a clear judgment on the type of recruit they should look out for to replace you.After all, only you can make this decision for them, you’ve been in this position for years and you understand the job like the back of your head. You understand the skills required for solving the challenges that you did in the past and you are their best bet to ensuring they land a candidate based on your reasonings.If you feel the job description wasn’t clear eno ugh at the time of application, provide the necessary information to make it clear on what should be added and what should be removed while placing the new job offer. If the job requires communication skills, mention it to your interviewer and explain why adding this soft skill is a necessity in your job.Your interviewer will more than likely appreciate your input and will surely take the assessment into consideration during the recruitment process.However, it’s considered rude to recommend a pay package for the recruit so keep this information to yourself.Sample Answer“At the time of joining the company, the job offer didn’t mention a number of responsibilities that I would be taking up aside from my primary job description. The new employee taking my place should be updated on the type of work they are going to be doing by the assigned HR team. This would help them facilitate their transitional process in a convenient manner.The core talents to look out for in the next candi date would be to place a strong emphasis on soft skills aside from just assessing their technical skills. Problem solving areas, time management, team work, and communication are the core areas where this job’s position requires the most experience in. “6. What interested you the most in this job and what did you dislike?An exit interview is like providing a feedback on a product you just purchased, in this case you get to list out your experiences on how you felt the working environment of the company was. Too much work and less break time? Not much options in the cafeteria? Add them to your dislike list.If you enjoyed an aspect of the company such as the lawn on the terrace and the game room that the company provided for relieving stress, thank them for it by adding it to your most liked list.Every employee has something that they like or hate about the company and it’s important for the company to generate an overall analysis on what’s bothering the employees and what the y love.Sample Answer“Let’s begin with what I disliked the most, so we can end on a good note. I’ve truly felt that the job felt monotonous and the responsibilities handed over were the same each day in the time that I’ve worked here. There is a lack of challenges in the company that excites the employee, and this is my grievance with the company.On the other hand, I’ve absolutely loved how amazing the interiors of the office are. From the day I first walked in to this day, I’ve adored the relaxing atmosphere at which we conduct our daily operations in. If there’s one thing that I hope that never changes in the company, it’s the absolute rich taste in décor and stunning ambience.”7. Would you recommend us to a friend or colleague in the future?Finally, the company would like to know if you are leaving on a bad note or if things have been handled professionally.The answer to this question should be extremely honest and is critical in shaping the company’s future. If you answer â€" Yes, do state why you feel you would recommend others to the company and what the strongest points are.On the other hand, if you’ve answered no, be honest and explain what needs to improve for you to reconsider the decision. If you felt that the office environment was a spawning ground for gossip and negative banter, mention it to your interviewer, they can initiate action against the offenders and ensure the environment improves in the long run.If you ever felt unsafe in the office for whatever reason, highlight this issue and recommend a solution. Companies take issues such as safety on a top priority so it’s important to come forward and explain in detail.Sexual harassment and violence are a top reason for employees to quit their respective positions. Ensure you have the courage and speak up for it.Sample Answer“To be honest, I’d rather not recommend anyone to the company in the position it now stands. There are areas of concern that I feel the company h as neglected in tackling issues. Until things haven’t been fully ironed out, I don’t think I would be giving the right advice to my acquaintances on recommending the company. However, It would be my utmost honor in recommending the company if in the future I believe you’ve truly addressed the concerns and that the company has in fact achieved a lot in terms of development and employee/customer satisfaction.”BENEFITS OF EXIT INTERVIEWS FOR EMPLOYEES AND ORGANIZATIONSExit interviews don’t just benefit the company but the employees as well. Even if you move to a new company, you enjoy the employee satisfaction policies because former employees provided their feedback in shaping the current policies into existence. Hence, it’s your responsibility to ensure your colleagues have a much easier time than you did at the time of your exit.Organizations thrive on feedback and they understand that employees can be forthcoming in their answers during their exit interview compared to when they were working with the company.Hence, the opinions matter and they take much importance in creating statistical data to be reviewed upon.Once the company gathers enough data, they break down the analysis and understand the major reasons for employees wanting to leave their company. In this way, your assessment can lead to the betterment of the company in the long run.An exit interview is an area where you don’t have to fear or feel threatened, you provide honest opinions on behalf of the company. You can come clean about issues faced by your managers or at a senior level. Don’t hold back any negative feedback that you may have about the company but ensure you phrase them in a professional manner.Exit interviews are effective tools for assessing staff retention for a company and every feedback is valuable. Utilize numbers and statistics to make your report more authentic like â€" 8 out of 10 employees in the company are unhappy considering the work-life balance of the co mpany. In this way, you can clearly paint a picture of the organization to strictly consider your feedback and take instant action.Finally, there would be plenty of friendly co-workers that have helped you over the years. You’d be doing them a great favor by identifying the existing issues and getting the company to take swift action thanks to your feedback.To understand why employees, leave most organizations and the reasons behind it, here’s a video by “DrakeNewZealand”. CONCLUSIONExit interviews are a formality as well as a quick way for the company to understand and address issues efficiently. It’s important to always come prepared and compile information into a piece of paper. While most of your advice will be considered not everything will be executed. The more well-thought out your explanations are, the better the chances of the company considering your ideas.Maintain an honest opinion on your reviews and always maintain a cool collected head while explaining issues that have long bothered you. Also, it’s important to provide positive feedback along with your negative feedback, to be taken seriously.