Question Craft for an Exit Interview
Launch library · evergreen read
An exit interview occupies an unusual position: the person answering has little left to lose by being honest, which makes it one of the few moments an organisation can reliably gather unfiltered, candid feedback.
Getting genuine value from this moment depends heavily on question design, since a generic question about overall satisfaction tends to produce a generic, forgettable answer from someone who is already mentally halfway out the door.
Specific questions about particular moments, when did you first consider leaving, or what would have changed your mind, tend to surface far more useful detail than any broad, open ended alternative ever manages to.
Organisations that genuinely act on what surfaces in these conversations, rather than simply filing them away, tend to get more honest answers over time, since departing staff notice whether previous feedback ever actually changed anything. A short, well timed follow up question during that conversation often uncovers far more than the original written prompt alone.