Exit interview questions are an effective strategy for obtaining straightforward information about your business. We'll demonstrate the ideal inquiries to make in order to advance your company. Let’s start!
1. Why did you start looking for a new job?
The option for a range of responses is provided by posing this model exit interview question. You might observe that a worker only desired a position that was closer to where they lived, or it might identify a particular event or circumstance as the motivating factor.
2. What ultimately convinced you to take the new job?
This is a fantastic exit interview query since it will enable you to compare and contrast the status of your company with that of another organization.
The secret to this response is usually in what you just do not see. For instance, if a worker tells you they're leaving for a higher salary, it can be a sign that your pay isn't competitive enough.
Read more: What To Wear To A Job Interview?
3. Did you think you had the skills necessary to accomplish your job well?
Asking this question will help you directly retain the person who takes over for you in this role in the future. It's one of the most effective exit interview questions for eliciting a quick proactive reaction.
Be ready to hear tales of technical mishaps, inadequate training, and more, but also to learn key lessons on how to perform better the next time.
4. How would you characterize our company's culture?
Instead of looking for individual examples, this question will help you spot trends. Keep an eye out for patterns as you track employee exit interviews to assist you pinpoint the true issues.
Finding trends can also assist you in separating genuine worries from the subjective opinions of workers who are sensitive or have a bad impression of the business.
Read more: What Is An Advantage Of Hiring Contingent Workers?
5. Would You Ever Think About Coming Back To This Company?
Asking a follow-up question, such as, "What factors would change your mind," will help you delve a little deeper and get a more in-depth response. Consider the solutions as a method to increase retention and keep important roles occupied.
6. What could have been done to keep you here?
No query is more straightforward than this one. An honest question will frequently give staff members the chance to open up where they previously felt reluctant to. Obviously, the purpose of this inquiry isn't to grant their request in order to keep working there, but it will be beneficial in the future.
7. Were You at Ease Speaking With Your Manager?
This question stands out since it provides information on both the manager and the departing employee.
The information you learn from the employee's response can be used, first and foremost, to enhance the performance and professional growth of the manager who is still employed by your organization. The information can also be used to assist in recruiting a new member of the team.
8. What could have been done better by your manager?
Questions 4 and 6 focus more on the business as a whole. Your investigation into the precise areas where the employee's boss may have performed better is aided by question nine. This query aids in removing the layers so you can see what's happening in the trenches.
9. What Best Describes the Culture of Our Company?
Instead of a specific example, you want to know the general pattern that your departing employees notice when you ask them this question.
You may encounter some outliers (such as responses from staff members who are distressed or have a negative opinion of the organization), but with time you'll begin to recognize your corporate culture.
For instance, if 50 employees state that the corporate culture is honest and open, and 10 employees state that it is something different, that provides you a reasonably good indication of how your company is seen.
10. Did you discuss your concerns with anyone at the company?
This query offers an additional facet of the working environment's corporate culture. If an employee praises the open and honest attitude of the workplace but keeps quiet about their concerns for the fear of retaliation, there could be extra going on than is initially apparent.
11. Did You Consider Yourself An Important Member Of The Company?
If the response to this query is "no," use that as a sign that there might be other employees in your company who share that sentiment.
Recall that fire always exists where there is smoke. The solution to this query can assist you in identifying the issue and in taking action to address it before it worsens.
12. Did you have all you needed for your job to be successful?
Just as other employees aren't always aware of what happens at work, you don't always see what happens on a regular basis in other aspects of your business.
This inquiry enables you to identify areas in which the crucially important workplace environment (including resources, training, and working conditions) should be improved.
13. Do you think your job description has changed since you started? And How?
We work in a dynamic environment, so it shouldn't be shocking if an employee claims that his position changed while he was employed by your business.
Before beginning the hiring process, use the details provided by this employee to amend the job description. You may be certain you are searching for candidates with the appropriate abilities to fill the open post in this manner.
14. What Characteristics Should We Look For In Your Replacement, In Your Opinion?
The fourteenth question was about abilities. Question 15 is about attributes. Undoubtedly, the position may have evolved from one that prioritized verbal communication to one that prioritized written communication (a skills-based change).
But it might also have evolved in terms of some of the softer traits, including tolerance, interpersonal skills, and organization.
A good way to identify this transition is to ask the departing employee what traits you should be on the lookout for in her replacement.
15. What About Your Job Was Best?
The responses you receive to this question, like the first, will be as diverse as your employees' personalities. But as time passes, you'll begin to notice that the same responses keep coming up. Use that information to highlight these positive elements of the position.
16. What Aspect Of Your Job Was The Worst?
Even though they all have the same job, no one will have the same response. However, as you compile an increasing number of responses, patterns will begin to show up in the data.
Always explore for solutions to lessen the challenges such as negativity in the workplace; don't discount any answers. However, when a response starts to become more prevalent, concentrate your efforts on fixing that issue.
17. What Was Your Best Workday Like?
The answer to this query revolves around employee involvement. Determine what a person in this job enjoys and what gives him a sense of success. Use the facts he provides to help you answer the following question: "Is it possible to make more days like the best day?"
What Was the worst day you ever had at work?
Although it is the exact opposite of question 14, this one reveals potential areas for improvement in employee engagement at your business. Once more, utilize the results to guide your search for ways to make less of the best days happen.
18. Were your objectives and goals made clear to you?
If the response is affirmative, research the origins of such objectives and encourage the procedure. If the answer is "no," make the necessary changes to show staff members that their job contributes to a greater good and that they are more than just insignificant parts of the overall system.
19. Did You Get Any Advice To Help You Get Better?
Everyone dislikes feeling trapped in a rut, especially at work. Therefore, it's imperative that you become aware of an employee's feelings of stagnation as soon as possible.
The best method to encourage a struggling employee to achieve greatness once more is to give them constructive criticism that will help them advance. Perhaps they should concentrate on a different element of the profession or review the fundamentals to hone their talents.
Managers should be prepared and eager to offer advice to help staff members become more effective at their tasks, regardless of the solution. If a departing employee didn't follow that advice, you need to make some adjustments.
20. What aspects of your job would you change?
The response to this question can assist you determine whether you need to change this role before hiring someone else. You can be recruiting someone into a precarious position if the job itself led the person to quit. Improve the position and you can avoid future high turnover.
21. Would You Recommend Our Business To A Friend Needing Work?
Ideally, you want to hear "yes" when someone asks you this. It shows how well the business has done overall.
Despite the fact that the departing employee may have a few minor grievances about her work, you want her to remain positive about the organization. Find out why she wouldn't recommend your business to her friend, then change it.
22. What changes can we make to our training and development?
There are many reasons why employees leave their jobs, but one of the most frequent is that they don't feel like they are improving, developing, or growing as much as they would like to. If that's the situation, ask your departing employees, and they'll tell you how you might do better in that area.
Keeping employees motivated in their current work is more important than teaching them new skills or helping them advance in the company. You can decrease turnover and boost staff retention if you can find better ways to achieve that.
23. Would you ever think about returning to work here?
Ask workers if they would ever think about returning. They can just want more experience in a specific role, or they might seek a raise in pay. In any case, having this knowledge is helpful if more roles that interest you arise.
24. Do you want to address any further problems or comments?
As a result of its extreme openness, this question allows the employee to make comments on subjects that the other questions would not have covered. It may also expose information that you were unaware of or don't want to hear, which makes it potentially volatile.
However, those things that you weren't aware of could fester, spread, and infect all of your staff, not just a few. Better to address it openly immediately so that you can make the required adjustments.
25. What benefits does your new job provide that encouraged your decision to leave?
The particular areas where your organization is deficient will be revealed by the answer to this question. It can be the corporate culture. Benefits or money could be involved. It can be a lack of adaptability. There are several possibilities.
It's crucial to keep in mind that the knowledge the departing employee offers can be applied to make up for any shortcomings your organization may have had.
26. Did You Feel Prepared to Perform This Job?
This question will provide you specific information about how to train new hires. It can also assist you in determining how to retrain your current personnel.
Everyone dislikes being confronted with their failings, so you could get honest responses that make you uncomfortable, but you'll also get useful knowledge that you can use to start making adjustments right away.
27. What might we have done differently?
Although this may appear to be identical to question three, the answer looks at a different aspect of the problem. Imagine that a worker answered question three by saying, "More opportunity for professional advancement." That response implies that the quantity of opportunities is crucial.
However, if issue number four is posed, he can respond with the following counsel: "Actively support professional development and inspire people to reach out."
Therefore, it's possible that the secret lies in how you market those chances rather than how many you give. Combining the two questions can make these subtler points clear.
28. Before leaving, did you discuss your worries with anyone at the business?
This often asked question brings up your company's employee culture and whether or not your employee felt free to raise issues with managers or coworkers.
Understanding whether you foster an atmosphere where workers feel safe and at-ease to express their ideas is crucial in this situation.
Common Asked Questions
Can you be honest in an exit interview?
Never tell a fib in your exit interview. To avoid tearing down any bridges, you might want to carefully consider how you phrase your reply. You cannot know when you'll run across a previous coworker at a new job because the working world might be small.
How do I prepare for an exit interview?
- Be impartial.
- Work on your responses.
- Make a note.
- Take into account body language and nonverbal cues.
What does HR do with exit interviews?
Essentially, the exit interview serves three functions: identifying areas for company improvement, ensuring that employees feel satisfied with their service, and, in some cases, encouraging the employee to continue working under other conditions.
Ask These Questions Now, Instead of Waiting Until the Exit Interview
Want to get this data before your staff members decide to quit? Include these inquiries in your performance evaluations. Finding issues early on might help you keep important staff and keep your organization operating effectively.
And don't be hesitant to inquire as to whether their choice to depart was influenced in part by their work schedule. Use Tanca Schedule if you want.
A valuable employee may simply be replaced, thus it would be unfortunate to lose them over a timetable issue.
The Tanca app can be useful if you're unsure how to schedule such choices. It offers strong features, such as built-in artificial intelligence, to make scheduling five, ten, or even one hundred people simple and quick.
By using Tanca to manage your staff, you can spend more time making sure that everyone has what they need to execute their work successfully and that you won't need to repeat these exit interview questions.
Visit Tanca right away for other free tools that will help you run your company more effectively, manage and schedule your crew, and track and estimate labor expenditures.
