When you leave your job to move on to new opportunities, there is a good chance that you will be asked to attend an exit interview. During this interview, your former employer will discuss your time at the company and why you are leaving.
Many people are not certain exactly how to behave in an exit interview, but your behavior does matter because you do not want to burn any bridges. To help ensure your exit interview goes smoothly, keep these five things in mind:
- It’s best to prepare what you will say: You can largely anticipate some of the questions you will be asked, like why you are leaving. You should plan ahead so you know what to say in order to make sure you don’t speak off the cuff and accidentally let something slip that you regret.
- Keep your laundry list of complaints to yourself: The exit interview is not a time to vent about how bad the job was, how terribly your manager acted, or everything that was wrong with the company. No employer wants a long list of your grievances, even if they ask if there were problems or want to know why you are leaving. Railing off a litany of issues can just make it seem like you are the problem.
- Focus on the positive: Be ready to share some details on the positives of working at the company so you can maintain a friendly professional relationship going forward.
- Offer useful info: While you don’t want to go in with a list of complaints, you can provide some brief and useful facts that could help the company going forward. For example, if you are leaving because of a low salary, you could offer data on what competitors are paying.
- Leave on a friendly note: You never know when you will come across people from this job in your future life. You should say your goodbyes to managers, coworkers and staff separately from the exit interview, sharing with them what made working at the company special.
High Profile can help you to find a great new job if you are dissatisfied at your current position and ready to move to an exit interview and then move on. If you are looking for work in Dallas, Fort Worth or surrounding areas, find out more about opportunities that our staffing service can help you to explore. Give us a call at 972-991-7900 or contact us online to find out how our staffing professionals can assist with your job hunting efforts.
