Exit Interview Questions

Use this sample of employee exit survey questions to understand why your employees are leaving the company. Conducting exit interviews with your departing employees is a unique chance to gain valuable insights you can use for improving your company’s retention and recruiting strategies.

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What are employee exit interviews?

Employee exit interviews are the interviews employers conduct with employees who are leaving their company.

The importance of conducting exit interviews

Conducting exit interviews with departing employees is a unique chance for employers to gain valuable insights that can be used for improving the company’s retention and recruiting strategies.

By identifying bottlenecks and frustrations in the employee’s experience, HR professionals can create an action plan for addressing them and preventing future employee turnover.

When to conduct exit interviews?

Every company should conduct an exit interview with each and every employee who leaves a company.

In other words, employee exit interviews should be conducted no matter the position, department, job tenure or the reason for leaving the company.

A sample of employee exit interview questions

In order to better understand what was the main reason why the employee is leaving the company, it is advisable idea to ask open-ended questions. That way, leaving employees can express themselves better and get into details.

Common exit interview questions include reasons for leaving, job satisfaction, frustrations, and feedback concerning company policies and procedures.

Exit interview questions may address different aspects of employee experience, such as work environment, relationship with supervisors and colleagues, compensation and benefits satisfaction, the position itself, and the company culture.

Examples of the best exit interview questions

Here are most common examples of the exit interview questions related to:

Reasons for leaving the company

• What prompted you to start looking for another job?
• What was the biggest factor that led you to accept this new job?
• How does your role at our company compare to the new job role you’ve accepted?

Job satisfaction

• What did you like most about your job?
• What did you dislike the most about your job?
• Did you have the tools and resources you needed to effectively do your job?

Work rewards

• Were you happy with your benefits, perks and other incentives?
• Do you think our company offers competitive compensation for your position?
• Do you believe your work was adequately recognized and appreciated?

Work relationships

• What was your relationship with your manager like?
• How enjoyable was to work with your team members?
• How would you describe your working relationship with your colleagues?

Company culture

• Do you think you had enough opportunities for skill development and promotion in this company?
• How would you describe our company culture?
• What could be done to make this company a better place to work?

Net promoter score

• Would you recommend our company to your friend as a great place to work? Why?
• Would you consider working with us again in the future?
• On a scale 1 to 10, how would you rate your employee experience in our company?

How to use these exit interview questions?

Here are a few tips that will help you use these exit interview questions in the most effective way:

1. Choose a final set of exit interviews questions you will ask all your exiting employees.
2. Print this final list of exit interview questions and take it with you to the interview.
3. Conduct one-on-one interviews with your exiting employees in a private setting.
4. Create a relaxed atmosphere and provide confidentiality reassurance to the leaving employee.
5. Ask follow up questions when needed and take notes of the leaving employee’s responses.

Additional exit interview resources

➡️ For more useful tips and best practices on conducting effective employee exit interviews, check out The Ultimate Guide for Conducting Effective Exit Interviews!

Looking for more HR interview questions?

If you’re looking for more great HR interview questions, check out:

• Job interview questions by type and position
• HR survey questions by type.