Interview

An interview is a conversation between two or more people where questions are asked by the
interviewer to elicit facts or statements from the interviewee. Interviews are a standard part
of qualitative research. They are also used in journalism and media reporting and in various
employment-related contexts.
The qualitative research interview seeks to describe and the meanings of central themes in the life
world of the subjects. The main task in interviewing is to understand the meaning of what the
interviewees say. Interviewing, when considered as a method for conducting qualitative research, is a
technique used to understand the experiences of others.

Characteristics of qualitative research interview

Interviews are completed by the interman based on what the interviewee says to be
confirmed.

Interviews are a far more personal form of research than questionnaires.

In the personal interview, the interviewer works directly with the interviewee.

Unlike with mail surveys, the interviewer has the opportunity to probe or ask follow up
questions.

Interviews are generally easier for the interviewee, especially if what is sought are
opinions and/or impressions.

Interviews are time consuming and resource intensive.

The interviewer is considered a part of the measurement instrument and has to be well
trained in how to respond to any contingency.

Interviews provide an opportunity of face to face interaction between 2 persons; hence,

they reduce conflicts.

Technique
When choosing to interview as a method for conducting qualitative research, it is important to be
tactful and sensitive in your approach. Interviewer and researcher, Irving Seidman, devotes an
entire chapter of his book, Interviewing as Qualitative Research, to the import of proper
interviewing technique and interviewer etiquette. Some of the fundamentals of his technique are
summarized below:
Listening: According to Seidman, this is both the hardest as well as the most important skill in
interviewing. Furthermore, interviewers must be prepared to listen on three different levels: they
must listen to what the participant is actually saying, they must listen to the inner voice or
subtext of what the participant is communicating, and they must also listen to the process and
flow of the interview so as to remain aware of how tired or bored the participant is as well as
logistics such as how much time has already passed and how many questions still remain. The
listening skills required in an interview require more focus and attention to detail than what is
typical in normal conversation. Therefore it is often helpful for interviewers to take notes while
the participant responds to questions or to tape-record the interviews themselves to as to be able
to more accurately transcribe them later.
Ask questions (to follow up and to clarify): While an interviewer generally enters each interview
with a predetermined, standardized set of questions, it is important that they also ask follow-up
questions throughout the process. Such questions might encourage a participant to elaborate
upon something poignant that theyve shared and are important in acquiring a more
comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. Additionally, it is important that an
interviewer ask clarifying questions when they are confused. If the narrative, details, or

chronology of a participants responses become unclear, it is often appropriate for the interviewer
to ask them to re-explain these aspects of their story so as to keep their transcriptions accurate.
Be respectful of boundaries: Seidman explains this tactic as Explore, dont probe, It is essential
that while the participant is being interviewed they are being encouraged to explore their
experiences in a manner that is sensitive and respectful. They should not be probed in such a
way that makes them feel uncomfortable or like a specimen in lab. If too much time is spent
dwelling on minute details or if too many follow-up questions are asked, it is possible that the
participant will become defensive or unwilling to share. Thus, it is the interviewers job to strike
a balance between ambiguity and specificity in their question asking.
Be wary of leading questions: Leading questions are questions which suggest or imply an
answer. While they are often asked innocently they run the risk of altering the validity of the
responses obtained as they discourage participants from using their own language to express
their sentiments. Thus it is preferable that interviewers ask open-ended questions instead. For
example, instead of asking Did the experience make you feel sad? - Which is leading in nature
- it would be better to ask How did the experience make you feel - as this suggests no
expectation.
Dont interrupt: Participants should feel comfortable and respected throughout the entire
interview - thus interviewers should avoid interrupting participants whenever possible. While
participants may digress in their responses and while the interviewer may lose interest in what
they are saying at one point or another it is critical that they be tactful in their efforts to keep the
participant on track and to return to the subject matter in question.
Make the participant feel comfortable: Interviewing proposes an unusual dynamic in that it often
requires the participant to divulge personal or emotional information in the presence of a
complete stranger. Thus, many interviewers find it helpful to ask the participant to address them
as if they were someone else, such as a close friend or family member. This is often an effective
method for tuning into the aforementioned inner voice of the participant and breaking down the
more presentational barriers of the guarded outer voice which often prevails.

Strengths and Weakness

There are many methods. When considering what type of qualitative research method to use,
Qualitative Interviewing has many advantages. Possibly the greatest advantage of Qualitative
Interviewing is the depth of detail from the interviewee. Interviewing participants can paint a
picture of what happened in a specific event, tell us their perspective of such event, as well as
give other social cues. Social cues, such as voice, intonation, body language etc. of the
interviewee can give the interviewer a lot of extra information that can be added to the verbal
answer of the interviewee on a question. This level of detailed description, whether it be verbal
or nonverbal, can show an otherwise hidden interrelatedness between emotions, people, objects
unlike many quantitative methods of research.
In addition, Qualitative Interviewing has a unique advantage in its specific form. Researchers can
tailor the questions they ask to the respondent in order to get rich, full stories and the information
they need for their project. They can make it clear to the respondent when they need more
examples or explanations.[4]
Not only can researchers also learn about specific events, they can also gain insight into peoples
interior experiences, specifically how people perceive and how they interpreted their perceptions.

How events affected their thoughts and feelings. In this, researchers can understand the process
of an event instead of what just happened and how they reacted to it.
Another advantage of Qualitative interviewing is what it can give to the readers of academic
journals and papers. Research can write a clearer report to their readers, giving them a fuller
understanding of the experiences of our respondents and a greater chance to identify with the
respondent, if only briefly.
Now Qualitative Interviewing is not a perfect method for all types of research. It does have its
disadvantages. First, there can be complications with the planning of the interview. Not only is
recruiting people for interviews hard, due to the typically personal nature of the interview,
planning where to meet them and when can be difficult. Participants can cancel or change the
meeting place at the last minute. During the actual interview, a possible weakness is missing
some information. This can arise from the immense multitasking that the interviewer must do.
Not only do they have to make the respondent feel very comfortable, they have to keep as much
eye contact as possible, write down as much as they can, and think of follow up questions. After
the interview, the process of coding begins and with this comes its own set of disadvantages.
First, coding can be extremely time consuming. This process typically requires multiple people,
which can also become expensive. Second, the nature of qualitative research itself, doesnt lend
itself very well to quantitative analysis. Some researchers report more missing data in interview
research than survey research; therefore it can be difficult to compare populations.

Types of Interviews
Informal, Conversational interview
No predetermined questions are asked, in order to remain as open and adaptable as
possible to the interviewees nature and priorities; during the interview the interviewer
goes with the flow.
General interview guide approach

Intended to ensure that the same general areas of information are collected from each
interviewee; this provides more focus than the conversational approach, but still allows a
degree of freedom and adaptability in getting the information from the interviewee.
Standardized, open-ended interview
The same open-ended questions are asked to all interviewees; this approach facilitates
faster interviews that can be more easily analyzed and compared.
Closed, fixed-response interview
All interviewees are asked the same questions and asked to choose answers from among
the same set of alternatives. This format is useful for those not practiced in interviewing.
This type of interview is also referred to as structured.

Exit interview
An exit interview is a survey conducted with an individual who is separating from
an organization or relationship. Most commonly, this occurs between an employee and an
organization, a student and an educational institution, or a member and an association. An
organization can use the information gained from an exit interview to assess what should be
improved, changed, or remain intact. More so, an organization can use the results from exit
interviews to reduce employee, student, or member turnover and increase productivity and
engagement, thus reducing the high costs associated with turnover. Some examples of the value
of

conducting

exit

reducing absenteeism,

interviews

include

shortening

improving innovation,

the recruiting and

sustaining

performance,

hiring

process,

and

reducing

possible litigation if issues mentioned in the exit interview are addressed. It is important for each
organization to customize its own exit interview in order to maintain the highest levels of survey
validity and reliability.
The exit interview fits into the separation stage of the employee life cycle (ELC). This stage, the
last one of the ELC, spans from the moment an employee becomes disengaged until his or her
departure from the organization. This is the key time that an exit interview should be
administered because the employees feelings regarding his or her departure are fresh in mind.
An off-boarding process allows both the employer and employee to properly close the existing
relationship so that company materials are collected, administrative forms are completed,
knowledge base and projects are transferred or documented, feedback and insights are gathered
through exit interviews, and any loose ends are resolved.

What is an Exit Interview?

In human resource terms, an exit interview is a survey that is conducted with an employee when
he or she leaves the company. The information from each survey is used to provide feedback on
why employees are leaving, what they liked about their employment and what areas of the
company need improvement. Exit interviews are most effective when the data is compiled and
tracked over time.

How are Exit Interviews conducted?

The exit interview may be conducted through a variety of methods. Some of the methods
include: in-person, over the telephone, on paper, and through the Internet such as with Nobscots
Web Exit.

Exit Interviews in Business

Exit interviews in business are focused on employees that are leaving a company or when
employees have completed a significant project. The purpose of this exit interview is to
glean feedback from

employees

in

order

to

improve

aspects

of

the

organization,

better retain employees, and reduce turnover. During this interview employees will be asked why
they are leaving, what specifically influenced their decision to leave, whether or not they are
going to another company and what that company they are going to offers that their current
company does not. Businesses can use this information to better align their HR strategy with
what employees look for in an organization and enact programs and practices that will influence
top talent to stay at the organization.
10

In the past, exit interview data was being collected by the organization but not much was being
done in terms of interpreting the data and making it actionable. Today there are metrics,
analytics, benchmarks, and best practices that help organizations make sense of and use the data
towards proactive organizational retention programs. Recently an array of exit interview
software has been developed and popularized.
These programs facilitate and streamline the employee separation process, allow surveys to be
completed via the web, make separation and retention trends easy to identify, and amass
actionable data which can increase organizational effectiveness and productivity. Additionally,
some of these programs make it possible to quantify data gleaned from the surveys to more
accurately understand why employees are leaving the organization.

Common exit interview questions

Common questions include reasons for leaving, job satisfaction, frustrations, and feedback
concerning company policies or procedures. Questions may relate to the work environment,
supervisors, compensation, the work itself, and the company culture.
Examples:

"What are your main reasons for leaving?"

"What did you like most/least about the organization?"

"What, if improved, would have caused you to stay at the organization?"

"Would you recommend the organization to others as a good place to work/study/join?"

Participation rates

11

Exit interview participation rates vary depending on the method used to conduct the exit
interviews. Paper-and-pencil exit interviews provide the lowest participation rates at
approximately 30 - 35%. The highest participation rates are achieved using online exit
interviews. The average participation rates for organizations using online exit interviews are
65%.

Exit interviews in education

Exit

interviews

in education are

conducted

with students who

have

graduated

from

an educational institution. These interviews are meant to gather information about students
experience while attending that institution, what they benefited from, what was missing, and
what could be improved to enhance the experience of the next generation of students who attend
that institution. This type of interview can also point to areas in which the institution should
invest more or less resources to enhance a students learning and development experience.

Exit interviews in associations

Exit interviews in associations are administered to members who decide to end membership with
an association. These interviews provide feedback to an association regarding what caused the
member to leave, what can be improved, and how resources can better be allocated.

12

Methods of conducting exit interviews

There are various methods of conducting exit interviews, each with their benefits and
disadvantages with regards to the depth of participation, various biases that may happen, or the
format of the information gathered.
Voice - In-Person or Telephone
A voice interview can be conducted by an internal agent (i.e. an HR department) or an external
agent (i.e. HR exit interview consulting firm). Questions are normally asked in a structured order.
Voice interviews allow for higher complexity and depth of participation than other methods,
because it allows the interviewer to pose follow-up questions, capture ideas through tone
indications, probe for answers and clarifications, and ask for examples. However, this allows for
bias on the part of the interviewer and the interviewee. This bias can represent itself in the way a
question is asked and the length of an answer to a question. Also, an employee may find it
difficult to verbalize constructive critique (particularly when the interview is conducted face-toface) due to social pressure not to upset the other participant (the interviewer).
A voice interview needs to be administered by a professional, and while this allows for higher
quality data to be gathered, it is the most expensive option. Data collected needs to be entered
manually into a tracking system.
Voice interviews have low participation rates over the medium of telephone due to caller
ID being collected.

13

Paper
Exit interviews taken in paper form allow interviews to be conducted with those who do not have
Internet access, and allows for the option of anonymity. However, it takes longer to receive
feedback, and respondents who are not literate would find it difficult to use this medium.
Information must also be entered into a tracking system manually for this medium.

Web - Exit Interview Management Systems

Interviews conducted through a Web interface have the advantage of having a high reliability,
flexibility, and privacy, as it is completed by the respondent. The exit interview would also be
accessible at the convenience of the respondent, anywhere where the respondent can find Internet
access, and they would receive quick feedback. However, a respondent would not be able to
complete the interview if they do not have Internet access and may find it difficult if they are not
literate or have sufficient technical knowledge.
This method has a low administration cost, and data is entered automatically into any relevant
system. Statistics and reporting information can be accessed in real time.
Interactive Voice Response
IVRs are reliable methods of taking exit interviews because they are accessible by phone, a very
widespread and reliable technology. However, IVRs have fallen out of favor due to the cost
effectiveness of web based options that yield data at similar or higher quality. In comparison to
other options, it is difficult to get rich data from an IVR, or to adjust and change it, since any
changes require new voice recordings to be made.

14

Pros and Cons of each method of Exit Interviewing

In-Person Exit Interviews
With in-person exit interviews an HR representative meets individually with each terminating
employee.
Pros

Can provide information regarding benefits and retrieve company property during the

interview
Gives a personal touch to each employee
Can probe for more information on each question

Cons

Employees may be afraid to share sensitive or negative information during an in-person

interview
For larger companies, it may be too time consuming to interview every employee
Its difficult to track information received verbally during an interview

15

Telephone Exit Interviews

Telephone Exit Interviews are conducted over the telephone by an HR Representative or an
outside third party consultant.
Pros

Can probe for more information on each question

Can enter data into a tracking system while conducting the interview
Easier to schedule than in-person interviews

Cons

Time consuming if done in-house by an HR Representative

Expensive if done with an outside consultant
Employees often reluctant to verbally share sensitive or negative information

Paper and Pencil Exit Interviews

Paper and Pencil Exit Interviews are usually conducted by a form that is given to the employee
on their last day or mailed to the employees home.
Pros

Takes less time to provide a form compared with conducting an in person or phone

interview
Employees can share information on paper that they may be reluctant to say in person

Cons

Return rates for exit interview forms average just 30-35%

Difficult and time consuming to compile and track the data from paper and pencil forms

16

Exit interviews
Exit interviews are interviews conducted with departing employees, just before they leave. From
the employer's perspective, the primary aim of the exit interview is to learn reasons for the
person's departure, on the basis that criticism is a helpful driver for organizational improvement.
Exit interviews (and prior) are also an opportunity for the organization to enable transfer of
knowledge and experience from the departing employee to a successor or replacement, or even
to brief a team on current projects, issues and contacts. Good exit interviews should also yield
useful information about the employer organization, to assess and improve all aspects of the
working environment, culture, processes and systems, management and development, etc.; in
fact anything that determines the quality of the organization, both in terms of its relationship with
its staff, customers, suppliers, third-parties and the general public. Many employers ignore the
opportunity that exit interviews offer, chiefly because exit interviews have not been practiced in
the past, and starting them is a difficult initiative to undertake, given the potentially subjective
and 'fuzzy' nature of the results; the time involved; and the unspoken corporate urge to avoid
exposure to criticism. Exit interviews are nevertheless a unique chance to survey and analyze the
opinions of departing employees, who generally are more forthcoming, constructive and
objective than staff still in their jobs. In leaving an organization, departing employees are
liberated, and as such provide a richer source of objective feedback than employed staff do when
responding to normal staff attitude surveys.
As ever, corporate insecurity and defensiveness can be an obstacle to implementing exit
interview processes, so if the organization finds it difficult to begin the practice as a matter of
general policy, you can still undertake your own exit interviews locally with your own staff as
and when they leave.

17

From the departing employee interviewee perspective, an exit interview is a chance to give some
constructive feedback, and to leave on a positive note, with good relations and mutual respect.
Recrimination, blame, revenge and spite are destructive feelings and behaviours, so resist any
temptation you might have to go out all guns blazing. Be calm, fair, objective and as helpful as
possible. In the future you may wish to return to the organization (situations and people
change..), and you may cross the paths of your ex-colleagues, managers in the future. The adage
about treating people well on your way up because you might meet them on the way down
applies just as well on your way out. The exit interview is an opportunity to shake hands and
leave friends, not enemies.

Exit interviews and knowledge transfer

The days, weeks (or months in some cases) between the decision for the employee to leave, and
the employee's actual departure date offer a crucial opportunity for the organization to gather
important information and knowledge from the employee. This is especially relevant in roles
where the employee has accumulated a significant amount of knowledge and personal
connections, as typically applies in sales and buying roles, and obviously business unit
management. The knowledge of the departing employee commonly has immense value, and the
recovery of it is often overlooked altogether by the organization, until the employee has
departed, or more likely been hurried out of the door holding the contents of their desk in a
cardboard box.
When any employee resigns, or a decision is made for a person to leave for any reason, always
ask: Should we spend some time thinking about how to enable some sort of knowledge
transfer? In other words, if we place a value on the knowledge that the departing employee holds,
isn't it worth thinking about how to enable this knowledge to be passed to the appropriate people
remaining in the organization?
Instead of course all too often, senior management's response to all the head-scratching after a
vital person has left, is to rationalize the loss of information (and vital personal contacts often)
with the old clich, "No-one is indispensable". The adage might ultimately be true, but that's not
really the point. The fact is that most people who leave do actually possess useful (often critical)
18

knowledge and experience. Moreover most departing employees are delighted to share this
knowledge, to help a successor, or to brief a management team, if only the organization would
simply ask them politely to do so (assuming their exit is handled decently of course, which the
exit interview helps to enable).

This is another good reason for thinking properly about the exit procedure, and for properly
organizing some form of exit interview process.
So much depends of course on the atmosphere surrounding the departure. Often, particularly in
sales, there is suspicion and imagined threat on both sides, which rather weakens the chances of a
helpful hand-over. This mistrust should be diffused - it really does nobody any good. In an ideal
world the leaver should be encouraged and enabled (and arguably rewarded if necessary) to hold
a briefing meeting, which all interested parties (and certainly the person's replacement if
possible) can attend and learn what they need to know. Regrettably however, it is not unusual for
traditional-type 'theory-X' sales directors and managers to be so intoxicated with testosterone and
the taste of blood that such suggestions rarely make it off the stony ground of the board-room. I
would urge you to take a more open constructive view. Give people the benefit of doubt, and
discourage the kill'em and eat'em advocates from retaliating before there's any suggestion of
being attacked. There are some suggested enabling questions below.
For organizations large and small, exit interviews therefore provide lots of advantages and
opportunities.

Exit interviews aims and outcomes

They provide an opportunity to 'make peace' with disgruntled employees, who might
otherwise leave with vengeful intentions.

19

Exit interviews are seen by existing employees as a sign of positive culture. They are
regarded as caring and compassionate - a sign that the organisation is big enough to
expose itself to criticism.

Exit interviews accelerate participating managers' understanding and experience of

managing people and organizations. Hearing and handling feedback is a powerful
development process.

Exit interviews help to support an organization's proper HR practices. They are seen as
positive and necessary for quality and effective people-management by most professional
institutes and accrediting bodies concerned with quality management of people,
organizations and service.

The results and analysis of exit interviews provide relevant and useful data directly into
training needs analysis and training planning processes.

Exit interviews provide valuable information as to how to improve recruitment and

induction of new employees.

Exit interviews provide direct indications as to how to improve staff retention.

Sometimes an exit interview provides the chance to retain a valuable employee who
would otherwise have left (organizations often accept resignations far too readily without
discussion or testing the firmness of feeling - the exit interview provides a final safety
net).

A significant proportion of employee leavers will be people that the organization is

actually very sorry to leave (despite the post-rationalisation and sour grapes reactions of
many senior executives to the departure of their best people). The exit interview therefore
provides an excellent source of comment and opportunity relating to management
succession planning. Good people leave often because they are denied opportunity to
grow and advance. Wherever this is happening organizations need to know about it and
respond accordingly.
20

Every organization has at any point in time several good people on the verge of leaving
because they are not given the opportunity to grow and develop, at the same time,
ironically, that most of the management and executives are overworked and stretched,
some to the point of leaving too. Doesn't it therefore make good sense to raise the
importance of marrying these two situations to provide advantage both ways - ie.,
facilitate greater delegation of responsibility to those who want it? Exit interviews are an
excellent catalyst for identifying specific mistakes and improvement opportunities in this
vital area of management development and succession.

Exit interviews, and a properly organised, positive exit process also greatly improve the
chances of successfully obtaining and transferring useful knowledge, contacts, insights,
tips and experience, from the departing employee to all those needing to know it,
especially successors and replacements. Most leavers are happy to help if you have the
courage and decency to ask and provide a suitable method for the knowledge transfer, be
it a briefing meeting, a one-to-one meeting between the replacement and the leaver, or
during the exit interview itself.

Exit interviews are best conducted face-to-face because this enables better communication,
understanding, interpretation etc., and it provides far better opportunity to probe and get to the
root of sensitive or reluctant feelings. However, postal or electronic questionnaires are better than
nothing, if face-to-face exit interviews are not possible for whatever reason (although I remain to
be convinced that there is never a proper excuse for not sitting down for 30 minutes with any
departing employee.)
In some cases perhaps a particularly shy employee may prefer to give their feedback in a
questionnaire form, in which case this is fine, but where possible, face-to-face is best.
In terms of managing the interview, listen rather than talk. Give the interviewee time and space
to answer. Coax and reassure where appropriate, rather than pressurize. Interpret, reflect and
understand (you can understand someone without necessarily agreeing). Keep calm, resist the
urge to defend or argue - your aim is to elicit views, feedback, answers, not to lecture or
admonish. Ask open 'what/how/why' questions, not 'closed' yes/no questions, unless you require
specific confirmation about a point. 'When' and 'where' are also more specific qualifying
21

questions, unless of course they are used in a general context rather than specific time or
geographic sense. 'Who' should be used with care to avoid witch-hunts or defamatory risks
(moreover many exit interviewees will be uncomfortable if asked to name people or allocate
personal blame - exit interviews are not about 'blame', the allocation of which is not constructive
and should be avoided for anything other than very serious complaints or accusations, which
must then be suitably referred as follow-up would be beyond the normal exit interview remit.
Prepare your exit interview questions and topics that you'd like to explore, especially when you
believe that the interviewee has good experience, appreciation and understanding.
Take notes and/or use a prepared questionnaire form.
Importantly, see also the job interviews page for interviews techniques, which relate to exit
interviews too. Remember simple planning aspects such as arranging a suitable time and place,
avoiding interruptions, taking notes, preparing questions, being aware of the body-language and
feelings of the interviewee and adjusting your own approach accordingly, etc.
Obviously the style of exit interview is different for someone who is being asked to leave,
retiring, being made redundant, dismissed, or leaving under a cloud, compared to an employee
leaving whom the organization would prefer to retain. However everyone who leaves should be
given the opportunity of an exit interview, and the organization can learn something from every
situation. In certain situations (where appropriate) the exit interview also provides a last chance
to change a person's mind, although this should not be the main aim of the exit interview
situation.
When the interview is complete say thanks and wish the interviewee well. If there is some
specific checking or follow-up to do then ensure you do it and report back accordingly.
After the interview look at the answers and think properly - detached and objective - about what
their meaning and implications.
Take action as necessary, depending on your processes for analyzing and reporting exit interview
feedback. If there's an urgent issue, or the person wants to stay and you want to keep them, then
act immediately or the opportunity will be lost.

22

Exit interviews - responsibilities, process and outcomes

Participation in exit interviews by the employee leaving is voluntary. Do not compel departing
employees to attend exit interviews. Offer a questionnaire form alternative, which again must be
voluntary.
You cannot compel a departing employee to give you knowledge that is in their head, although
the return of files, paperwork and material is normally something that an employer rightfully can
insist happens. In any event, a positive constructive, grown-up approach is the best assurance of
a happy outcome and an optimal transfer of knowledge and contact names, etc., should this be
helpful, which often it will be.
If you hear any of your people using the ridiculously confrontational maxim " No-one is
indispensable.", as a defense for not bothering to gather important knowledge from a departing
employee it probably suggests that all opportunities for a cooperative hand-over have yet to be
explored, so encourage people to explore them, or go explore them yourself.
Ideally the organization should have a documented policy stating how exit interviews happen,
when, and by whom. Some organizations hand the responsibility to a skilled interviewer in the
HR or Personnel department. Alternatively line-managers or even supervisors can conduct the
interviews. Interviewers need to be trained to interview, just as for normal job interviews. All
types of interviews are sensitive emotional situations which require ability and maturity to
manage properly, especially if interviewees are anxious or volatile.
In large organizations HR or Personnel department should be responsible for designing the
process, issuing guidelines and documentation, collecting results data, analysing and reporting
findings, trends, opportunities and recommendations, especially including anything relating to
health and safety, or employment law and liability.
If you design a questionnaire or exit interview form which will be used as an input document
towards central analysis it is a good idea to convert questions wherever practicable into a
'scoreable' and/or multiple-choice format, which makes analysis far easier than lots of written
opinions.

23

Actions resulting from exit interview feedback analysis, in any size or type of organization, fall
into two categories:

Remedial and preventative, for example improving health and safety issues, stress,
harassment, discrimination., etc.

Strategic improvement opportunities, for example improved induction, management or

supervisory training, empowerment or team building initiatives, process improvement,
wastage and efficiencies improvements, customer service initiatives, etc.

The head of HR or Personnel would normally be responsible for raising these issues with the
board or CEO, and the conversion of exit interview feedback into action is a critical factor in
justifying and maintaining a serious priority and operation of the process.
For many organizations, exit interviews provide a major untapped source of 'high-yield'
development ideas and opportunities.

Sample exit interview questions

These questions can be used in face-to-face exit interviews, or to compile exit interview
proforma questionnaires or electronic feedback forms.
If using these questions to compile forms to be used for large scale analysis take care to format
the questions into a format which can be analysed numerically, as far as is reasonable (certain
questions and answers will always be difficult to format in this way, for example the 'how do you
feel about...?' and open-ended questions seeking ideas and suggestions - such questions and can
only be analysed and reported 'by exception' when something of particular note crops up, or of a
particular recurring theme is spotted).
In face-to-face interviews particularly, use the word 'why' if you want to probe, especially if the
first answer is vague or superficial. Questions beginning with 'what' and 'how' are better for
getting people to think and convey to you properly and honestly about their views. Some of these
questions samples are more suitable for management employees, although always give people at
all levels the chance to comment on issues normally 'above' their remit - you'll be surprised at
24

how informed and insightful people can be. These questions examples are not in a sequential
process, although broadly there is logic to the order of the types of questions. There are lots more
questions here than you would normally ask in a typical exit interview. Pick the questions that
are most relevant to the leaving circumstances, the interviewee and your organization situation.

Tell me about how you've come to decide to leave?

What is your main reason for leaving?

What are the other reasons for your leaving?

Why is this important, or so significant for you?

Within the (particular reason to leave) what was it that concerned you particularly?

What could have been done early on to prevent the situation developing/provide a basis
for you to stay with us?

How would you have preferred the situation(s) to have been handled?

What opportunities can you see might have existed for the situation/problems to have
been averted/dealt with satisfactorily?

What can you say about the processes and procedures or systems that have contributed to
the problem(s)/your decision to leave?

What specific suggestions would you have for how the organization could manage this
situation/these issues better in future?

How do you feel about the organization?

What has been good/enjoyable/satisfying for you in your time with us?

What has been frustrating/difficult/upsetting to you in your time with us?

25

What could you have done better or more for us had we given you the opportunity?

What extra responsibility would you have welcomed that you were not given?

How could the organization have enabled you to make fuller use of your capabilities and
potential?

What training would you have liked or needed that you did not get, and what effect would
this have had?

How well do think your training and development needs were assessed and met?

What training and development that you had did you find most helpful and enjoyable?

What can you say about communications within the organization/your department?

What improvements do you think can be made to customer service and relations?

How would you describe the culture or 'feel' of the organization?

What could you say about communications and relations between departments, and how
these could be improved?

Were you developed/inducted adequately for your role(s)?

What improvement could be made to the way that you were inducted/prepared for your
role(s)?

(For recent recruits of less than a year or so:) What did you think about the way we
recruited you? How did the reality alter from your expectations when you first joined us?
How could we have improved your own recruitment? How could your induction training
have been improved?

26

How could you have been helped to better know/understand/work with other departments
necessary for the organization to perform more effectively?

What can you say about the way your performance was measured, and the feedback to
you of your performance results?

How well do you think the appraisal system worked for you?

What would you say about how you were motivated, and how that could have been
improved?

What suggestion would you make to improve working conditions, hours, shifts,
amenities, etc?

What would you say about equipment and machinery that needs replacing or upgrading,
or which isn't fully/properly used for any reason?

What can you say about the way you were managed? On a day to day basis?And on a
month to month basis?

How would you have changed the expectations/objectives/aims (or absence of) that were
placed on you? And why?

What, if any, ridiculous examples of policy, rules, instructions, can you highlight?

What examples of ridiculous waste (material or effort), pointless reports, meetings,

bureaucracy, etc., could you point to?

How could the organization reduce stress levels among employees where stress is an
issue?

How the organization could enable you to have made better use of your time?

27

What things did the organization or management do to make your job more
difficult/frustrating/non-productive?

How can the organization gather and make better use of the views and experience of its
people?

Aside from the reason(s) you are leaving, how strongly were you attracted to committing
to a long and developing career with us?

What can the organization do to retain its best people (and not lose any more like you)?

Have you anything to say about your treatment from a discrimination or harassment
perspective?

Would you consider working again for us if the situation were right?

Are you happy to say where you are going (if you have decided)?

What particularly is it about them that makes you want to join them?

What, importantly, are they offering that we are not?

(If appropriate:) Could you be persuaded to renegotiate/stay/discuss the possibility of

staying?

Can we be of any particular help to you in this move/deciding what to do next (we can't
promise anything obviously)?

And, to address opportunities for knowledge-transfer prior to departure, possibly in advance of

exit interview:

Knowledge transfer questions

28

Start thinking about using these questions when the employee and the organization knows that
the employee will be leaving. Don't leave these questions until the exit interview.

How might we benefit from your knowledge, experience, introductions to your contacts,
etc., prior to your departure?

Would

you

be

happy

to

take

part

in

briefing

meeting

with

managers/replacements/successor/colleagues so that we can benefit from your knowledge

and experience, prior to your leaving?

What can we do to enable you to pass on as much of your knowledge and experience as
possible to your replacement/successor prior to your departure?

How and when would you prefer to pass on your knowledge to your successor?

I realise that you'll not be happy with the situation surrounding your departure, however
we would really appreciate it if you could help us to understand some of the important
things you've been working on - how might we agree for this knowledge to be
transferred?

We'd be grateful for you to introduce (name of successor) to your key contacts before you
go - are you happy to help with this?

Five Tips for Exit Interviews

1. Vent ahead of time, not during the interview.
An HR manager doesnt want to hear, during your exit interview, that you think your manager
was a jerk. While it may be irresistible to use the meeting to unload, once youve made the
29

decision to leave an employer, airing your gripes wont do you any good. Your time to talk about
concerns was while you were employed.
One of my clients had so much pent-up frustration as she was leaving a job that she was worried
it would boil over in the exit interview, said Mistal. To avoid this, before the interview, Mistal
recommended the woman write a no-holds-barred resignation letter to her soon-to-be former
boss with painstaking detail about every aspect of the job that caused her to resign. But the letter
wouldnt go to the boss; it would be given to Mistal.
This approach helped the woman privately vent her strong emotions and gave coach and client a
chance to turn her concerns into productive, constructive criticism in the exit interview,
according to Mistal.
It also gave us a chance to see where she was the issue, where her approach to situations made
things worse and how she could break those negative patterns going forward, Mistal recalls.

2. Plan and prepare for the session.

Take the exit interview as conscientiously as you would an interview for a new job, Mistal
advised. In addition to working through your emotions in advance, speak to an objective third
party about your issues so you can bring them up in a way thats of service to the next person
who will be in your job, said Mistal.
By framing your opinions to demonstrate that youre thinking about whats best for the company,
youll have a far greater chance of having a real influence and of being remembered well.
Allan, who is preparing to leave another company where she has worked for more than three
decades, is planning a new approach this time around. I feel a responsibility to talk about the
very real problem areas, she told me. But having worked here for such a long time, I really
want to do it in a constructive big picture way that points to possibilities for doing things
differently in the future.

30

Her exit interview strategy is to warn against moving too far away from one of the companys
stated values, which is to treat employees with respect and help each other to succeed, she said.
3. Exit with grace by focusing on the positive.
If youre too candid and critical, youll come across as being bitter or out to damage someone.
The challenge is to provide non-emotional feedback, said Vivian Rank, a consultant for The
Society for Human Resource Management. You dont want to rail. That kind of feedback
doesnt get heard.
Companies do want to learn ways to improve the workplace culture and how they can keep
employees more engaged, she added. If youre leaving for a certain company or a better salary,
thats good information for a company to have, too, noted Rank.
If you care about the company and want to make a difference, make sure your comments are
fact-based and professional, she said. In general, most employers want to know what you liked
about your job and the company and what you would change if you could. But keep it simple.
Be sure to mention how much you learned there and why both you and the company benefited
from your time as an employee. You can also say that you were honored to have been part of the
organization and are inspired by their mission and products, if this is true.
Its reasonable, though, to say that you felt like your skills werent being used completely and to
offer examples, if that was the case. And its OK to discuss general actions of your manager or a
company policy that had an impact on your decision to leave.
4. Provide useful facts.
Are you leaving because your salary or benefits were not competitive with the companys
competitors (one of whom you may be headed to)? Were there not enough opportunities for
promotion? Employers love competitive data, even if it doesnt make them look great.

31

5. Have your own informal exit interviews.

If you really want to leave your campsite clean, some of your most effective exit conversations
can take place outside of the formal exit interview. As you prepare to clean out your desk and bid
adieu, you might consider sharing with staffers (and perhaps your manager) why you felt
working there was special. Then, you can casually toss out any practical ideas about how they
might improve the work environment based on your experience to make it an even better place to
work.

32

How to Improve Exit Interview Participation Rates

Exit interviews are one of the best ways to get true and honest feedback from employees. The
downside is that it takes time to build up a significant amount of data. Increasing your
participation rate can help you get greater amounts of actionable information quicker.

What is a Good Participation Rate

Research shows that the average response rate for paper and pencil exit interviews is
approximately 30-35%. That means that a company with 2000 employees and 15% turnover rate
would expect to receive about 100 completed exit interviews per year. At this participation level
the organization is getting exit feedback from just 5% of the total employee population.
33

With just a little extra effort, you should be able to double that response rate. Sixty-five percent
(65%) or better is a good goal for exit interview participation. This can be accomplished with
exit interviews completed by paper and pencil, a web-based online system or by telephone.

Measuring Participation
To measure response rate, divide the number of completed exit interviews by the number of
employees to whom you requested complete an exit interview. Ideally the second number should
equal the total number of terminations but for practical reasons this is generally not the case. As
an example, if you have 125 completed exit interviews out of 300 that you asked to complete an
exit interview, your participation rate would be 125 / 300 which equals .416 or 41.6%.
It is important to make sure you have a good method in place to track this kind of participation.
At a minimum, you want to track participation rate at the start of an improvement project and
then periodically thereafter. A more ideal scenario is to keep a running average that you can refer
to regularly. This real-time number immediately alerts you to a fall off (or increase) in
participation. An online exit interview management system should do this for you automatically.
Large companies might want to track participation rates separately for subsidiaries, large
divisions or geographic regions. Small to mid size companies can generally benefit from one
total participation rate for the organization.

Analyzing Process
If you decide that your participation rate could stand improvement, the next step is to analyze
your current exit interview process. The two most important areas for review are:
1. Why employees choose not to complete the exit interview
2. Logistical problems preventing human resources from getting the information to
employees in a timely and effective manner

34

Employees Not Completing Their Exit Interview

Some of the reasons that employees choose not to complete exit interviews are:

The exit interview is too long

The exit interview questions are confusing or personally invasive

The employee doesnt believe that it will be read or make a difference

The employee is afraid of repercussions

The employee is angry at the company

The employee procrastinates or forgets

The process is difficult or uncomfortable

If you are using an exit interview survey with rated questions, 35-60 questions is about the right
survey length. More than 60 questions begins to feel long and uncomfortable for the employee. If
you surpass 70 questions, you should be prepared for higher numbers of uncompleted exit
interviews.
Review your questions for simplicity. Put yourself in the employees shoes and ask yourself how
you would feel answering the questions. Avoid a lot of questions that ask for feelings and
emotions. Many employees are not in tune with their feelings (or if they are they may not want to
share them with you). It is a lot easier for an employee to rate the effectiveness of a process
rather than how they feel about the process.
Employees will not complete their exit interviews if they believe that the feedback they provide
will not be read or will be promptly ignored. It is important to let employees know that you value
their feedback. When you do make improvements based on suggestions from exit interviews,
dont be afraid to tell employees where the idea came from. Over time, employees will learn that

35

you do listen. Once this becomes a part of the corporate culture, you can be assured of lots of
open and honest ideas, suggestions and critiques.
Also be clear with employees that honest feedback will not result in repercussions. Statements
made on an exit interview should never be used to prevent future eligibility for re-hire. There are
many supposed experts that tell employees not to be honest on their exit interview or not to
complete one at all. They claim that companies use this information against the employees.
Human Resource professionals know that this is nonsense however they still must battle this
unfounded perception.
Employees that are angry with the company may feel they dont want to help by participating in
the exit interview. These employees can be encouraged to vent their anger in the exit interview.
Many of these angry employees are thrilled with the chance to have their voice heardif they know that it will be heard by senior management,
A clean and simplified process is also important. Whether it is web-based or paper and pencil,
the form should be laid out nicely with an intuitive and easy to understand survey form.

36

The Exit Interview process

The Exit Interview Is Part Survey And Part Sales Pitch. The Objectives Are To Find Out Why
Customers Are Leaving, And To Prevent Them From Doing So. It Is Particularly Appropriate For
Companies Whose Customers Have "Accounts," -- Banks, Brokerages, Internet Service
Providers,

Cable

Television,

And

Mutual

Funds,

To

Name

Few.

The Interview Is Administered By An Employee Who Receives A Request To Close An Account.

The Interview Can Be Conducted Either In-Person Or Via Telephone. The Process Is
relatively simple.

Step 1: Diagnose the problem:

A Short Series Of Questions Should Be Asked Of The Customer To Determine Why She Is
Leaving.

Step 2 -- Empathize
If Any Of The Reasons For Leaving Are Related To Issues Within The Control Of The Company,
Such As Product Or Service Problems, Or Pricing Concerns, The Employee Should Apologize
For The Problem, State The Importance Of The Customer Relationship, And Ask If There Is
Anything That Could Be Done To Keep The Customer From Leaving. "Scripts" Should Be
Written For The Entire Process So That The Employee Does Not Have To Ad Lib. Different
Scripts Can Be Written For Different Types Of Problems. The Employees Who Administer The
Exit Interview Should Rehearse The Scripts In Advance Of Conducting Exit Interviews.

Step 3 -- Make A Counteroffer

37

It Is Possible That The Customer Will Change Her Mind About Leaving After Receiving An
Apology In Step 2. If Not, It Is Appropriate To Make A Counteroffer. Counteroffers Should Be
Scripted, And Related To The Specific Problem Identified In Step 1. A Typical Counteroffer To A
Pricing-Related Concern Might Be Something As Simple As "We Really Hate To Lose Your
Business. Would You Stay With Us If I Offered You 50% Off Your Next Six Months Of
Service?"

Step 4 -- The Follow-Up Letter

Whether Or Not The Employee Is Successful In Keeping The Employee From Leaving, A
Follow-Up Letter Should Be Sent To The Customer Within One Day. If The Customer Has
Agreed To Stay, The Letter Should State How Much The Company Values The Customer's
Business. If The Customer Left For Reasons Within The Control Of The Company, The Letter
Should Extend Another Counteroffer.

Step 5 -- Analyze The Data

The Data Collected Should Be Entered Into A Database And Analyzed To Quantify The Main
Reasons Customers Want To Leave
.
Step 6 -- Make Adjustments To Business Practices
The Data Analysis Should Clearly Identify Areas In Need Of Improvement. Management
Should Address These Areas, Which May Consist Of The Treatment Customers Receive From
Employees, Product Problems, Pricing, Etc.
Embellishments
Not All Customers Are Profitable. If You Keep A Database On The Profitability Of Individual
Customers, You May Want To Write More Aggressive Scripts For Very Profitable Customers,
38

And

Let

Unprofitable

Customers

Leave

Without

Counteroffer.

You Can Measure The Effectiveness Of Each Counteroffer, And Make Adjustments To
Maximize Customer Retention.

Bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exit_interview

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interview

http://www.citehr.com/80339-exit-interview-process.html

http://www.businessballs.com/exitinterviews.htm

39

http://employeeexit.com/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2015/06/04/exit-interview-dos-and-donts/

http://www.nobscot.com/library/how_to_improve_participation.cfm

40