11 Jul What is the importance of an exit interview?
Whether you have recently resigned, or you’re simply coming to the end of your job contract, leaving a workplace comes with a few formalities you should be aware of.
One of those is often the exit interview. And while you may not be interested in talking too much about your looming last day of work, there are several reasons why the exit interview is important.
Lets You Offer Feedback
In the unfortunate event that you’re leaving your job because things weren’t going well for you, the exit interview is the perfect place to air that out and make sure your voice is heard.
Perhaps you were unhappy with the way the company treated their employees, felt certain expectations were unreasonable or unfair, or didn’t feel like a valued employee. Or, it’s that you didn’t think there was potential for you to advance in the job and challenge yourself.
Whatever these feelings are, offering them to your manager or boss in the form of constructive criticism during the exit interview is an important step for both parties in moving forward.
Lets You Learn For Your Next Job
Just like there may be some things that you were unhappy with in the workplace and can offer to your employer, they may have some feedback to offer to you as well.
The exit interview is not a time for you to be chastised, but it is a time for the employer to offer you some insight into:
- the things you are good at
- the things that you could improve upon
- potential areas of strengths and weaknesses that the employer has observed
Treat the interaction as a chance to learn how you can be better and enter into your new job with these new insights.
Lets You Offer Ideas
In many cases, employees are not leaving jobs on bad terms.
Perhaps you got a better job offer somewhere else that offers a better pay rate. Perhaps you are moving or taking a different career path, or maybe you were offered a job in another business that allows you to advance your career.
Whatever the case, use the exit interview as a chance to offer ideas to the current company on how they can improve and be better, or what they may have been able to offer you to entice you to stay.
Employers are very eager to learn about what they need to do when it comes to employee retention, so offering ideas in this area is also a key way to make sure you leave the current job on good terms.
Although it might sound like an unpleasant task to perform before you leave your job, try to change your perspective and treat it as a chance to improve your skills in both receiving and giving constructive criticism.
