Exit Interview Questions and What to Do With the Answers
An exit interview is your last chance to learn why a good person is leaving. It only matters if the answers change something for the people who are still there.
Good exit interview questions include: what made you start looking, what could we have done to keep you, what did you enjoy most about working here, how would you describe your relationship with your manager, and what would you tell a friend considering a job here? Make it safe to be honest, ideally with someone other than the direct manager, look for patterns across many exits, and share what you change as a result.
Exit interviews have a reputation for being a formality: a form, a polite conversation and a file nobody reads. That is a missed opportunity. Gallup found that 42% of people who voluntarily left their job say their manager or organization could have prevented it. The people walking out the door often know exactly what would have kept them, and an exit interview is one of the few times they may tell you.
The goal is not to change their mind. It is to learn something that keeps the next good person from leaving.
Make it safe to be honest
People who are leaving have little reason to be candid if they worry about references or burning bridges. Have the interview conducted by someone other than their direct manager when you can, such as HR or a leader from another team. Explain how the information will be used and that it will not affect their reference. A short survey before their last day can help too, for people who would rather write than talk.
Ten exit interview questions worth asking
- What made you start looking for a new role?
- Was there a moment when you decided to leave?
- What could we have done to keep you?
- What did you enjoy most about working here?
- How would you describe your relationship with your manager?
- Did you feel recognized for your work?
- Could you see a future for yourself here?
- What does your new role offer that we did not?
- What would you tell a friend considering a job here?
- Would you consider coming back someday?
Listen for the real reason
The first reason people give is often the easiest one: better pay, a shorter commute, a great opportunity. Those can be true. But pay is often the tipping point, not the whole story. Gentle follow-up questions, such as what else made the new role appealing, often surface the deeper reasons: a manager relationship, feeling unnoticed or not seeing a future.
Listen without defending. If you argue with what someone tells you, they will stop telling you.
Look for patterns, not one-off stories
One exit interview tells you about one person. Twenty tell you about your organization. Review exit feedback regularly and look for themes: the same team, the same manager, the same frustration with scheduling, the same lack of growth. Those patterns are where retention work should focus.
Act on what you learn
An exit interview only matters if something changes. Share the themes with leaders, choose one or two things to fix, and tell your current team what you are changing and why. That closes the loop and shows people that feedback leads somewhere.
Better still, ask these questions before people leave. Stay interviews ask many of the same things while there is still time to act. See Stay Interview Questions and Signs a Good Employee Is About to Quit.
Retention is at the heart of my culture keynote, You Are Capable of a Better Culture.
Exit interviews are worth doing well. Make it safe to be honest, ask what made them start looking and what could have kept them, listen past the first reason, look for patterns across many exits and act on what you learn. Then ask the same questions of the people who are staying.
Frequently asked questions
What questions should you ask in an exit interview?
Who should conduct an exit interview?
Are exit interviews worth it?
What is the difference between an exit interview and a stay interview?
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