Template
Use Exit Interviews as a Valuable Source of Data: 50+ Questions That Work
Departing employees offer a unique insight into roles, organisational culture and management effectiveness, insight you rarely get any other way. That makes the exit interview a valuable first step in planning your next recruitment.
Here's what you'll get from this template:
- Guidance on integrity, trust and timing when conducting exit interviews.
- 50+ questions organised into six categories, ready to select from.
- A structured approach that makes exit interview data comparable across employees.
Considerations on Integrity, Trust and Situation
Exit interview data is subjective, but unique. Getting honest answers requires a trust-based relationship, and you should be mindful of timing and emotional context, especially when interviewing an employee who was let go rather than one who resigned voluntarily. The most important thing when working with this kind of data is doing it in a structured way: asking everyone the same questions, in the same way, and under the same conditions. Rather than asking everything, choose 10-15 questions and make them your own, around 15 for a written survey, or 10 for a personal interview. Quality beats quantity. The questions below are organised into six categories, pick the ones most relevant to your organisation.
General Questions About the Departure
Example: What is the main reason you're leaving? Was there a specific moment that made you start looking elsewhere?
Questions About the Organisation
Example: How would you describe our culture to a friend? Did the organisation live up to what you expected when you joined?
Questions About the Department and Team
Example: How would you describe the collaboration within your team? What worked well, and what didn't?
Questions About the Immediate Manager
Example: Did you feel you received the support and feedback you needed from your manager? What could have been done differently?
Questions About the Job
Example: Did the job match what was described during recruitment? Which tasks gave you the most energy, and which drained it?
Questions About the Job Description
Example: Was the job description an accurate reflection of your actual day-to-day responsibilities?
Closing Questions
Example: Would you consider working here again in the future? Is there anything else you'd like us to know?
Note: replace the example questions above with the full, exact question list from the English PDF if you want the page to match it word for word, the source material used to build this page included the six categories but not the literal wording of every question.
Download the full PDF: Use Exit Interviews as a Valuable Source of Data