{"id":83956,"date":"2014-11-06T08:00:18","date_gmt":"2014-11-06T14:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=83956"},"modified":"2014-11-05T16:20:14","modified_gmt":"2014-11-05T22:20:14","slug":"make-a-lasting-impression-in-your-exit-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=83956","title":{"rendered":"Make a Lasting Impression in Your Exit Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Ashley Mancill, Senior Assistant,\u00a0INALJ Alabama<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Make a Lasting Impression in Your Exit Interview<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"ashleymancill\"<\/a>Most companies and organizations conduct exit interviews as a way of obtaining feedback\u00a0that will (ideally) help improve the workplace and employee retention. From an employee\u2019s\u00a0perspective, this type of interview can be time-consuming (especially if scheduled close to the\u00a0employee\u2019s departure), cause uneasiness or anxiety, or serve as the perfect opportunity to\u00a0voice frustrations about the company, management, or any other aggravating aspect about the\u00a0departing employee\u2019s job.<\/p>\n

In a way, the exit interview is all of these, but it is also a great opportunity to leave a lasting\u00a0impression\u2014to leave with one\u2019s professional reputation intact and with head held high.<\/p>\n

The exit interview is essentially a formal conversation about your contributions to the company\u00a0or organization, what obstacles you faced that may have deterred success or are hindrances to\u00a0operations, and what ways the company can improve in terms of polices, processes, training,\u00a0etc. In general, those conducting the exit interview will ask why you are leaving your position,\u00a0if there was something in particular that prompted you to separate, and what incentives or\u00a0improvements would have made you decide to stay.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s always good practice to prepare for an interview, even one for leaving your job. Make a\u00a0balanced list of positive and negative aspects that you want to address. You may find yourself\u00a0thinking back to particular situations and incidents for the latter. Condense those statements,\u00a0identify the main problem or challenge behind them, and, most importantly, remove any\u00a0negative language. As with hiring interviews, it\u2019s best to avoid exaggerating and using language\u00a0that appeals to the emotions. Practice your answers or write them on note cards to take with\u00a0you.<\/p>\n

On the day of your interview, make sure you dress appropriately; just because you are leaving\u00a0your job doesn\u2019t mean you should wear attire that you wouldn\u2019t dare wear to work. Dressing\u00a0well shows that you respect the interview process and the company (even if you are one of its\u00a0disgruntled employees). This will also be one of the last instances that you will a have face-to-face interaction with someone from the company, so leave that individual with a memorable\u00a0impression of how presentable you are.<\/p>\n

The format of the interview will vary, but a good way to start is by sharing what you feel are\u00a0good aspects about the company and your job. Mention policies or procedures in place that\u00a0you feel are good business practices and beneficial to employees in terms of getting work done.\u00a0From here, you may shift into discussing some of the challenges or problems you faced as an\u00a0employee and areas where you feel the company can improve. This is where the other half of\u00a0your list will come in. Again, make sure to convey your comments in a diplomatic, noncritical\u00a0way. If prompted, provide examples but stay objective.<\/p>\n

Most career counselors strongly advise that exiting employees avoid venting or harshly\u00a0criticizing their employer, warning that doing so will cost those leaving their references and\u00a0any chance of coming back (should the worst happen and you get laid off from your new job).\u00a0Author and blog writer Alison Green takes a slightly different stance<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cA bunch of people are going to tell you not to bother…but the reality is that there are some\u00a0workplaces that do make it safe for people to give candid feedback. You just need to know if\u00a0your company is one of them or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s up to you to decide if brutal honesty is the best policy, but remember that what you are\u00a0saying and how you are saying it is as much a reflection on you as it is on your employer and\u00a0others who work for the organization.<\/p>\n

The exit interview is also a great opportunity for you to ask questions and get feedback. \u201cExiting\u00a0employees should use the opportunity to ask for constructive criticism,\u201d says ArLye Diamond<\/a>.\u00a0Ask the interviewer if there are any areas where you can improve and if he or she has any\u00a0comments on your performance. Preparing a few questions for your interviewer will show\u00a0how thoughtful you are in terms of your performance and career goals, which may benefit you\u00a0should you return or have some form of interaction with the company in the future.<\/p>\n

Lastly, thank the interviewer for his or her as you would during a job interview. This is a sign of\u00a0respect and consideration. Moreover, such courtesy highlights your professionalism and will\u00a0likely be remembered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Ashley Mancill, Senior Assistant,\u00a0INALJ Alabama Make a Lasting Impression in Your Exit Interview Most companies and organizations conduct exit interviews as a way of obtaining feedback\u00a0that will (ideally) help improve the workplace and employee retention. From an employee\u2019s\u00a0perspective, this type of interview can be time-consuming (especially if scheduled close to the\u00a0employee\u2019s departure), cause uneasiness…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":63294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[69,5363,5965,3592,6657,3624,4514,3882,111],"class_list":["post-83956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-article","tag-ashley-mancill","tag-being-interviewed","tag-blog","tag-exit-interview","tag-inalj-alabama","tag-interview-tips","tag-last-impression","tag-tips"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/ashleymancill.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-lQ8","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=83956"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83956\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/63294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=83956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=83956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=83956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}