Resigned your old job and ready to move on? The last formality, Exit Interview, may still be pending. Exit interview is a good opportunity to bid a formal goodbye to your last employer while providing them the feedback to improve their processes and management. However, many of us get too critical during the exit interview which can damage the relationship.
Here, we get you some tips for all those going to face the Exit interview followed by some expected questions and sample answers for them.
So, the tips first:
i.) Be thankful and kind: Be thankful for the time you have spent in the organization. Kindness goes a long way and every job has some elements of goodness in it.You may have a new job today but remember, this job provided you with your living for many years or months. Don't forget the good things.
ii.) Be respectful and professional: Dress appropriately and make sure you do not use informal language. Keep your tone pleasant and make sure as you respect and behave professionally.
iii.) Give facts: If you are discussing any issues with the HR ensure that you provide detailed facts and information which is true.
iv.) Be Positive: Let the employer know what have you learned and how you have grown professionally in this job. The employer would listen to your once they know that you are on their side.
Let's see some questions that you can expect to be asked and their sample answers: 1. Why are you leaving the organization?
Answer:
This is the most common first question the HR may ask you and an important one too.You might be leaving the organization for a better opportunity, good salary, or any personal reason, it's OK to talk about it.
The exit interview is an opportunity to find out if you are leaving because of any problem, is there a probability of other employees being affected with the same problem? Your answer provides them an opportunity to find solutions and retain others.
If there has been a problem with the manager or co-worker and you believe that it impacts other employees as well, you may want to talk about it but remember just talk facts and don't be too critical.
Otherwise, you can say something like, "As an employee of this company, I have had an opportunity to learn and grow. I am thankful to the company for believing in me and allowing me to perform well. Now, I am looking forward to growth in terms of more challenges and responsibilities. The new position provides me that opportunity."
2. What factors made you accept your new job?
Answer:
The factors that influenced your decision could be numerous but it is not really important to talk about all of them. The primary concern of the HR here is to know if they are matching up with the other organization in the same industry.
You may have accepted the offer as you may have liked their work culture, or for a better salary, or for some new process you will get to learn. Sharing this information with the employer would give them an opportunity to stay in line with the competitor and help them attract new talent. Share the information that you deem fit.
You can say something like: "The job here helped me in developing a lot of skills. The challenges and responsibilities the new job is getting my way has been the biggest reason for the switch over."
3. What did you like about your job here?
Your answer to this question tells them about the good things they are doing that they should continue to do or do more often.
To answer this question, you can say something like: "I really like the training sessions that company organizes on various subjects. They help us grow professionally and improve ourselves. In addition to this, I also like the various team events and festivals that we celebrate there. They help us connect with everyone very well."
4. Is there anything that you would like to see an improvement in?
Mind you, while you may want to highlight certain things that need an improvement, your tone and language can make a lot of difference. Talk in a very positive tone. Don't just highlight the problems, if possible discuss some probably solutions as well.
For e.g. "While I don't think there are too many problems, I would like to bring your attention to the work review policy that we have for "OMEGA" team. Currently we are reviewing the work in 15 days but I have realized that at times this causes an error to creep very deep into the project. If we can change it to say a weekly review or lesser, we can see an improvement in the final outcome and way we meet deadlines."
