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The Exit Interview: How to
Handle It, What to Expect
(by
Hallie Crawford)
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As a career coach, I'm used to
hearing questions related to job interviews and how to
land a position you want. But every once in a while,
someone wants to know about the "exit interview." This
is a great question because the exit interview is an
important part of the career transition process. It's
your chance to leave a final, positive impression on
your way out the door and on to new horizons. Here are
some questions and answers, below to help you think
about and prepare for the exit interview.
Why would a company want to interview you if you're
leaving?
For many companies, an exit interview is part of
standard human resources legal procedures. Its purpose
is to file a complete employee history. The answers to
the interview questions are recorded in order to clarify
and document the reasons why the employee is leaving the
company. This way, the organization can avoid a
potential discrepancy between termination and voluntary
resignation, should the question arise in the future.
Many "forward-thinking" companies have adopted what is
known as the "360-degree" exit interview, where not only
is the employee's performance evaluated, but she/he is
also given a chance to analyze/critique his manager
and/or coworkers in the department. In this way, a
company is able to gain insight into organizational
dynamics, productivity, and areas that need to be
improved.
What's a good way to prepare for the exit interview?
Jotting down a few notes in advance often helps.
Practice stating what your issues or concerns were
without finger-pointing or assigning blame to any one
particular person. When the time comes, ask your
employer or the human resources representative who will
be handling your departure process whether this will be
a 360-degree interview - and if not, is it possible to
request one. Then, ask yourself: how can you make the
feedback constructive as opposed to derogatory? For
example, if you felt lost and your job description and
responsibilities were unclear, you can say something
like "I needed more direction, this wasn't a fit for me
because I was unsure of my role on projects xyz."
If there is a question of abuse or harassment, there
will likely be a paper trail assuming you have pursued
the matter. In this case, you may want to seek advice
from your lawyer on how to best handle this interview,
what to say and what to hold back until further action
is taken.
What types of things are appropriate to reveal during
your exit interview, and what should you avoid doing or
saying?
If you're asked point-blank for feedback, give it. And
do it in a way that doesn't make the employer feel like
he or she is in the wrong. Focus on how the situation
can be made better, and offer possible solutions. This
will help set a positive tone and prevent you from
leaving people with an unfavorable impression of you
that could tarnish your professional reputation.
And consider this - how well will they take feedback, or
a complaint? If your gut instinct tells you that your
honesty won't be well-received, then just ask yourself:
what's the benefit to me of providing the feedback? If
it is important to you, go for it. You have to be the
judge. Go with your instinct a bit here.
If you know that there's an exit interview in your near
future, keep in mind that old saying, "Don't burn your
bridges!" No matter what the situation is at your job,
it's always best to take the high road and leave things
on a positive note. You never know what the future holds
in store and honestly, when you'll need a recommendation
from your previous employer.
Copyright 2007 Hallie Crawford and Authentically
Speaking. All rights reserved.
Want free tips, tools and expert
advice on finding a career you're passionate about?
Visit Career Coach
Hallie Crawford and sign up for her monthly
career newsletter. Bookmark her
career blog
for recommendations on resume writers, online career
tests and more career resources. |
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Editor's Note |
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If you are a
career coach or a human resources professional
and would like to contribute an article to
WorkBloom, please
contact us. |
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