Building Your Talent Pipeline - Real Exit Interviews

Exit interviews- most HR professionals are familiar with them. These interviews can be a great tool, if the information is used wisely … but we’re not talking about regular old exit interviews here. No, we’re talking about ‘real freakin’ exit interviews. So, what’s the difference?

In their basic form, exit interviews are survey tools employers use when an employee leaves the company. During the interview, the HR professional asks questions about why the employee is leaving, what they liked about their employment, and areas where they felt the company needed improvement.

The key difference between regular exit interviews and real exit interviews, is that ‘real’ exit interviews utilize four key best practices:

1. Non-threatening environment - Make sure that the employee knows the information presented will be confidential, so they feel comfortable sharing honest feedback. Feedback won’t do any good if it isn’t honest, and honesty can be tough if it’s about why you’re leaving your job.
2. Offer assistance - There are some employees who you really don’t want to lose. If you want to keep them, help them remember how awesome you were as an employer and offer your support!
3. Parting gift - In a 2016 study by Workplace Trends, 76% of HR professionals said they are more likely to hire a boomerang (returning) employee now, than in the past. A parting gift can be a great reminder of a positive relationship.
4. Continuous improvement - Use the data gathered from exit interviews to identify patterns and improve problems. Look at trends and assess feedback, and get to the root of the problem.