172 exit interview questions chosen by industry experts

Why Exit Interview Questions Matter More Than You Think

When someone walks out your office door for the last time, they're taking with them a goldmine of insights about your company – and exit interview questions are your only chance to capture that knowledge. Think about it: these departing employees have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to share. They've experienced your company culture, management style, and day-to-day operations from the inside, and now they're finally free to tell you exactly what they think. It's like having a brutally honest friend who's willing to tell you that your new haircut really doesn't look good – except this feedback could save your company thousands of dollars and prevent future talent from walking away.

The Hidden Cost of Losing Good People

Here's something that might surprise you: hiring top talent is costly, and companies are bleeding money every time a valued employee leaves. The recruitment process, training, lost productivity, and knowledge transfer can add up to significant expenses that most organizations underestimate. What's even more concerning is that employees don't leave their job – they leave their managers, as the common saying goes. This means many departures are preventable if you know what's really happening behind the scenes.

Exit interviews offer a rare chance to gain candid feedback from people who are likely to be the most honest about their experiences. Unlike current employees whose answers might be clouded by the desire to keep their job, outgoing employees have nothing to gain and nothing to lose by being completely transparent. As Kate Conroy, a senior consultant at Red Clover HR, points out: "There's always a moment, the last proverbial straw, that pushes an employee to be open to new opportunities. That moment is key in identifying the gap that you can close to increase your retention."

The Strategic Value of Well-Crafted Questions

Exit interviews should take 30 minutes to an hour and typically include around 5-10 questions that are carefully chosen to uncover actionable insights. The timing matters too – the best time to schedule an exit interview for someone who has given two-weeks notice is somewhere in the middle of that period, when emotions have settled but memories are still fresh. HR professionals are discovering that these conversations can reveal patterns about management issues, workplace culture problems, and missed opportunities for employee development.

One of the most common reasons employees leave is that they didn't feel they were growing, developing, and improving as much as they would like. This insight alone can help companies restructure their professional development programs and create better career pathways. Plus, there's the concept of boomerang employees – people who leave on good terms but later decide to come back. More employers are eager to keep the door open for top performers who already understand their corporate culture.

Your Complete Guide to Exit Interview Success

Now that you understand why exit interview questions are so crucial for your organization's success, it's time to dive into the specifics. We've compiled the most comprehensive collection of 172 best practice exit interview questions for 2024 that will help you uncover the real reasons behind employee departures, identify areas for improvement, and create strategies to retain your top talent in the future.

Because you're reading this article, you might be interested in the following article as well: Self Paced Video Interview: Tips for Employers.

🏆 The list of TOP 172 exit interview questions in 2025

What prompted you to seek other employment?

Asking “What prompted you to seek other employment?” helps uncover a candidate’s motivation for leaving their current or previous job. This is key for understanding if they’re running from something or toward something better.

Look for clarity, self-awareness, and professionalism in their answer. Great candidates may mention things like:

Seeking new challenges or growth opportunities
Looking for a better cultural fit or work-life balance
Desire to align with a company’s mission or values

Watch out for vague or overly negative answers like “I hated my boss” or “It was terrible.” While honesty is good, professionalism matters. A red flag is blaming others without ownership or reflection.

Best practice tip: Use this question to understand their values and what workplace environment helps them thrive. Then check if your role and culture align with their expectations.

Prior to making your decision to leave, did you look into options that would make it possible for you to stay here?

Asking this question helps employers understand whether the employee tried to resolve their concerns internally before choosing to leave. It can reveal missed opportunities for retention and uncover gaps in communication between staff and management.

Best practice: Look for thoughtful reflections and whether the person reached out to their manager, HR, or explored internal moves. If the answer is “no,” this could highlight a lack of engagement or a culture where employees don't feel heard.

Insights to look for:

Whether they felt supported by leadership
If they were aware of alternative roles or growth paths
Whether their concerns were addressed when raised

This kind of response can help your team spot patterns and prevent future valuable employees from walking out the door unnecessarily.

How would you describe management at our company? Do you feel they adequately recognize employee contributions?

This question is powerful when used in exit interviews. It helps uncover how employees perceived leadership behavior, communication style, and appreciation strategies over time. Honest insights from departing team members can highlight trends about whether employees feel seen, supported, and recognized for their work.

Some things to look out for:

Constructive and specific feedback about how managers recognize or overlook contributions.
Patterns in responses that suggest consistent praise or lack of acknowledgment across departments.
Whether team members felt involved in decisions or if leadership felt distant.

Best Practice: Don't just listen for complaints. Pay close attention to how employees describe management — the tone, examples, and emotional cues can help you evaluate leadership effectiveness and inform future manager training or cultural shifts.

Were there any company policies you found difficult to understand?

This question helps identify gaps in internal communication and policy clarity. When employees leave, they often feel more open to share honest feedback. If multiple departing employees mention the same policies as confusing, it’s a signal that the documentation or onboarding process may need improvement.

Best practice: Ask follow-up questions like:

What specifically was confusing about the policy?
Did you feel comfortable asking for clarification when needed?

Their responses can help HR teams refine training materials or rewrite policies in simpler language. It’s also a chance to uncover whether confusion impacted compliance or day-to-day workflows.

Keep it casual and open so the exiting employee feels comfortable being honest. This kind of feedback is incredibly valuable for strengthening company culture and operations.

Did you feel like your job description or responsibilities have changed since your initial hire? If so, in which ways? Were they welcome or unwelcome changes?

This is a great exit interview question that helps uncover how well job roles align over time. Asking this gives valuable insight into whether the employee's responsibilities stayed consistent with the original job scope or gradually shifted.

Sometimes job descriptions evolve as the company grows or priorities shift. That’s natural, but it's important to understand how employees felt about those changes.

Best practice tip: Listen for whether changes felt like professional growth or if they created confusion, added stress, or led to disengagement.

You want to know:

Did they feel supported with new responsibilities?
Were these changes communicated clearly and timely?
Did their role shift without adjusting their title, pay, or recognition?

These answers help improve role clarity, onboarding, and employee satisfaction for future hires.

Were you given the tools, resources and work environment to be successful here? If not, what could have been improved to make it better?

This exit interview question helps identify gaps in support, resources, or workplace conditions that might have affected employee performance or satisfaction. When candidates answer this, you're looking for honest feedback about:

Availability of tools and software
Training and onboarding quality
Communication with leadership
Work-life balance and physical work environment

If a departing employee mentions lacking tools or unclear expectations, it might signal an operational issue affecting retention. Try to spot recurring concerns over time to improve future hires' experience.

Best practice tip: Use this question as a feedback loop to help future team members succeed. It also shows that your company values constructive feedback and continuous improvement.

What was your favorite part of working here?

Asking this question during an exit interview is a powerful way to gather genuine, honest feedback about what your company does well. When candidates (or current employees leaving your organization) share what they enjoyed most, you're getting real insight into what aspects of your company culture, roles, or teams are working.

Best practice: Encourage the employee to be specific. Was it the team dynamic? A particular project? The leadership style? This helps you identify key strengths to highlight in future hiring or onboarding communication.

Pay attention to patterns. If multiple employees mention the same “favorite part,” that’s a strong indicator of a standout positive feature in your work environment that you should build on.

Use this question to:

Understand what aspects resonate most with team members.
Replicate the positives in other departments or teams.
Shape more attractive job postings or employer branding.

Remember, positive feedback is just as valuable as critical feedback—this question helps you document what’s already working well.

What do you think our company could improve on?

This is a powerful open-ended question that can reveal a candidate’s level of research and insight into your organization. It also shows how comfortable they are with giving constructive feedback — a key trait in collaborative teams.

Look for candidates who offer thoughtful yet respectful suggestions. A good answer usually includes:

A brief acknowledgment of the company’s strengths
A suggestion based on facts, observations, or experience
A mindset focused on solutions, not just criticism

Best practice: Strong candidates will show that they’ve done their homework by referencing something specific from the company’s website, customer reviews, or products. Responses that are vague or overly critical without a clear solution may indicate poor cultural fit or a lack of genuine interest in your company.

Use this question to gauge:

Problem-solving mindset
Cultural awareness
Communication tact

By asking this, you not only screen for fit — you might also get some helpful ideas.

Do you think making any specific workplace changes would improve employee morale?

Asking this question during an exit interview can give valuable insight into how the company culture or environment may be affecting employee satisfaction. Departing employees are more likely to be open and honest, which makes their feedback very useful for improving retention.

Look for responses that are specific rather than vague. A candidate who gives clear examples — like adjusting management styles, offering flexible work hours, or improving communication — is likely sharing ideas that can lead to constructive change.

Best practice tip: Keep track of repeated feedback across multiple exit interviews. If multiple employees mention the same issue, it's likely a core problem that needs to be addressed.

Use this question to identify trends that could help create a more positive work environment and boost future morale.

Are there any concerns or issues around working at this company you'd like to share?

This question can uncover honest feedback about the candidate’s expectations, values, and potential workplace fit. It’s often used during the offboarding process with departing employees, but it's also a smart way during hiring to gauge if a candidate has researched your company or has any early doubts.

Letting candidates voice their concerns shows transparency and encourages open communication. Look for responses that show they’ve done their homework and are thoughtful—not just pointing out issues but expressing a willingness to work through challenges.

Best Practice Tip: Frame this question as optional during interviews, and ask it in an open, non-defensive manner. It helps build trust and shows you're embracing feedback—even before someone joins the team.

Watch out for red flags like vague or overly critical answers without context. But also pay attention to concerns that may point to genuine cultural misalignment—those are worth exploring further.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

This is a great open-ended question to close the interview or screening process. It gives candidates the chance to bring up anything they feel is important but hasn't been covered yet. Sometimes the most honest or insightful comments come at the very end when candidates feel more at ease.

Best practice: Use this question to gauge communication skills, self-awareness, and priorities. Candidates who use this moment to reinforce their interest in the role or share specific value they can bring often stand out.

Look for:

Thoughtful reflections on the interview
Genuine enthusiasm for the role
Additional skills or info that weren’t discussed

Avoid brushing this off. A strong, unexpected answer here can help you make a confident hiring decision.

What were the most important factors in choosing another job? Salary? Benefits? Time-off? Company culture? Something else?

This question gives real insight into what truly matters to a candidate — or in this case, a departing employee. It's a must-ask during exit interviews or follow-up conversations. Understanding the motivation behind their move can help you improve your company's retention strategy.

It’s also a great way to identify if your offer package and work environment are in line with market expectations. Was it all about compensation or was there something cultural or personal driving their decision?

Best practice:

Ask for specific factors, then dig a little deeper with follow-up questions like "Can you give an example?" or "Was there a turning point that led you to make the switch?"
Compare answers across several employees to spot patterns.

Look out for:

A mismatch between company values and employee priorities
External lures like better flexibility or growth opportunities
Internal issues such as lack of recognition or burnout

Use this feedback loop as a tool for improvement — not just during exit interviews, but also in shaping future job offers and employee engagement strategies.

What does your new company provide that we don't?

This question is especially useful during exit interviews with departing employees. It helps uncover what might be missing in your current workplace—whether it's salary, benefits, flexibility, growth opportunities, or culture.

Why it's effective:

It encourages honest feedback.
It sheds light on competitors and industry standards.
It gives insight into pain points that may be pushing great employees away.

Best practice: Ask this question in a neutral, non-confrontational tone. You're gathering insights, not placing blame. Listen carefully and take notes—this is valuable data that can shape your retention strategy.

Use this information to improve job offers, retain top talent, and strengthen your employer brand.

What advice would you give to new hires at our company?

This question is great for checking cultural alignment and how much the candidate has understood about your company during the hiring process. While it's typically asked to employees during offboarding, flipping it around in an interview can reveal the candidate's mindset and expectations.

Best Practice: Look for responses that show the candidate values learning, clear communication, and collaboration. They might say something like “Be proactive in asking questions and be open to feedback” — a sign they prioritize growth and team culture.

Be cautious if the answer lacks insight or feels generic. It could mean the candidate hasn't taken the time to learn about your company's environment or values. A thoughtful answer shows interest and engagement.

What changes to your job would have made you stay at our company?

Asking this question during exit interviews can give you key insights into what improvements could help retain future employees. It uncovers pain points and missed opportunities that may have influenced the employee’s decision to leave.

This question helps you:

Understand what the employee valued most.
Identify gaps in management, workload, recognition, or career growth.
Reveal whether expectations were clear and realistic during hiring.

Best Practice: Look for patterns in responses over time. If multiple people mention lack of growth or poor communication, it’s a signal for internal change. Use this feedback to adjust roles, culture, or development paths to improve retention. Let them speak openly and avoid getting defensive—your goal is to learn and improve.

What were the three biggest challenges you experienced when working at our company?

This question is a great way to gather honest feedback from departing employees or even during stay interviews. It gives you insight into recurring roadblocks or internal issues that might not surface during regular check-ins.

Encourage the candidate or employee to be specific. Vague answers like "communication" aren’t helpful unless they explain what part of communication was challenging — was it delayed responses? unclear instructions? Lack of transparency?

Best practice:

Create a safe space where the person feels comfortable being honest.
Listen for repeated themes across multiple employees.
Use this feedback to improve team dynamics, management style, or workflows.

Knowing the top three challenges can help improve employee retention, job satisfaction, and the overall work culture.

How would you describe our company culture to one of your closest friends?

This question helps you understand how candidates perceive and communicate cultural fit. It also tests their attention to detail and ability to research your company.

Why it works:

Reveals what the candidate understands about your company culture.
Gauges how well they align with your values.
Shows whether they've taken time to learn about your mission and team environment.

What to look for:

Look for candidates who mention specific values, behaviors, or ways of working that match your culture.
Strong responses should feel sincere and grounded—not generic.
Watch out for candidates who seem unsure or overly idealized—this could signal a mismatch or poor research.

Best practice tip: Run this question early in the interview or screening process. It can help start an honest conversation and give you an early signal of how someone might mesh with your team.

Would you recommend our company to prospective employees?

This question is best used during an exit interview, not a candidate screening. It helps you understand how former employees view your company culture, leadership, and work experience. If many exiting employees say they wouldn't recommend your company, it's a red flag that internal issues could affect recruitment and retention.

Use it to:

Identify patterns in employee dissatisfaction
Improve work culture and management practices
Strengthen your employer brand based on real feedback

Best practice: Keep this question open-ended and non-judgmental. Encourage honest feedback by assuring confidentiality. Responses can guide future hiring strategies and workplace improvements.

Would you ever consider working for our company again in the future?

This is a powerful exit interview question that helps gauge the departing employee's true feelings about the company. If someone is leaving on good terms, there's a higher chance they'll say yes. If they had a negative experience, their answer and tone will reveal it.

Best practice: Listen carefully not just to the yes or no, but to the reasoning behind it. Ask follow-up questions like:

What would need to change for you to consider coming back?
What did you appreciate most about working here?

If former employees say they’d gladly return, that’s a strong sign your company culture and leadership are in good shape. On the flip side, if they politely decline, it might highlight internal issues that are worth addressing.

This question not only helps assess current company sentiment, it also opens the door for potential boomerang hires in the future.

How did you feel about the feedback you received from your manager?

Asking this question helps you understand how well the candidate receives and processes feedback, an important trait in any professional setting. It also reveals how their previous managers approached feedback — whether it was constructive, consistent, or lacking.

What to listen for:

Openness to feedback: Look for candidates who appreciate feedback and use it to grow.
Emotional intelligence: Strong candidates won’t blame or show defensiveness but will reflect maturely on the feedback.
Clarity and specifics: Pay attention to whether they mention specific feedback and what they did with it.

Best practice: Encourage candidates to describe a specific situation where they received feedback and how they responded. This gives you real insight into their behavior and growth mindset.

Avoid candidates who talk negatively or in generalities about their manager without reflecting on what they learned or how they improved. It's not about whether the feedback was easy to hear — it's about how they handled it.

Did you receive enough training to do your job effectively?

Asking this question during exit interviews helps uncover gaps in your onboarding or training process. If multiple employees say "no," it’s a clear sign your training program may need improvement.

Why it matters:

Lack of training can lead to poor performance, frustration, and early turnover.
It gives insights into how well-prepared employees feel when starting and during their role.

Best practice: Listen for more than just a "yes" or "no." Encourage them to share specifics:

What kind of training was helpful?
What areas did they feel unprepared for?
How soon were they expected to perform independently?

Tip: Use consistent feedback to adjust onboarding and create resources that actually support new hires. This way, you're not just attracting talent—you’re helping them succeed early on.

Was your workload usually too light, varied, just right, or too much? Please explain.

This question helps uncover how well-balanced the candidate’s previous role was in terms of workload. You're not just looking for a one-word answer — the explanation is what reveals the real insight.

When candidates talk about being constantly overwhelmed, it could mean poor time management skills or an unrealistic workload from the employer. On the other hand, if they say their workload was too light, it might indicate a lack of challenges or motivation. The most balanced answers often include words like "varied" or "just right", along with examples of how they handled tasks and stayed productive.

Look for answers that show:

How they prioritize tasks
Adaptability to different workflows
Honest reflection on work-life balance and productivity

Best practice: Favor candidates who show self-awareness and a proactive approach to managing either too much or too little workload. Avoid those who only complain without offering how they handled the situation.

Are there any employee benefits that weren't offered that you think should be?

This is a smart exit interview question to find out what current or future benefits your company might be missing. It gives the departing employee a chance to share honest feedback on perks or support programs that could have improved their experience.

Look for patterns in responses over time. If several employees mention the same missing benefit—like mental health support, flexible schedules, or wellness programs—it may be time to review your offerings.

Best practice: Use this question to inform future hiring and retention strategies. The goal isn’t to win one person back—it’s to build a more attractive, competitive workplace in the long run. Keep the tone positive and open-ended to encourage honest answers.

How frequently did you receive performance feedback?

This question helps uncover how often the company provided feedback and support. If a departing employee says they rarely received feedback, it might point to poor communication or lack of guidance. On the other hand, regular and constructive feedback usually reflects a strong culture of development.

Asking about feedback frequency also tells you whether employees had a chance to grow or improve in their roles. It’s a useful way to understand how engaged leadership was with employee performance.

Best practice: Look for responses that mention consistent, scheduled reviews—like quarterly or monthly check-ins. That’s usually a sign of a healthy feedback system.

What were your feelings about the performance review process?

Asking a departing employee how they felt about the performance review process can give you valuable feedback about the effectiveness and fairness of your review system. This question helps uncover whether employees felt their contributions were understood and recognized or if they saw the reviews as just a formality.

Look for specific feedback like:

Whether the review felt fair and unbiased
If it helped them grow or clarified expectations
If it was consistent and transparent

Best practice: Candidates who share thoughtful insights—whether positive or critical—often show emotional intelligence and a balanced perspective. Be cautious of overly negative responses with no suggestions, as this can point to a general lack of engagement or accountability.

How would you rate collaboration and communication across your team? Your department? Your company?

This question helps reveal the quality of teamwork and communication in different levels of the organization. When asked during an exit interview, it gives insight into internal culture and where breakdowns might be happening.

Look for responses that include:

Clear examples of strong or weak communication
Specific issues like siloed departments, lack of alignment, or effective leadership
Honest feedback on how cross-functional collaboration was handled

Best practice: Track common themes in these responses to spot patterns. If multiple employees mention poor communication at the department level, it points to a leadership or structural issue you should resolve.

What are the three most important things you learned from your internship?

This question helps hiring managers understand how well a candidate reflects on their experience and what they prioritize in their professional development. It reveals learning capacity, self-awareness, and career focus.

Look for:

Clear takeaways like new skills, teamwork lessons, or industry knowledge
Specific examples, not just vague statements
Growth mindset — were they actively looking to improve?

Best practice: Top candidates will not only describe what they learned but also why it matters for their future work.

Keep an ear out for soft skills like communication or time management, alongside technical or job-related insights. These answers can also hint at how much initiative they took during the internship.

Did you feel like your mentor/manager provided adequate instruction for you to perform your duties?

This is a strong question to ask departing interns during exit interviews. It helps you understand how effective your onboarding and training processes are. If an intern feels underprepared or unsupported, that feedback is valuable for improving future intern onboarding.

Best practice: Look for specific examples in their response. Did they mention clear guidance, regular check-ins, or helpful feedback? Or did they feel confused, lost, or overwhelmed?

Use this question to improve:

Manager training
Intern onboarding structure
Communication flow within teams

It’s essential to understand if the intern’s learning experience aligns with your company’s expectations.

What did you like least about your internship?

Asking “What did you like least about your internship?” gives valuable insights into how a candidate views work challenges, team structure, or company culture. It also shows how they handle feedback and uncomfortable situations.

Look for answers that are honest but constructive. The best responses highlight:

A specific aspect they struggled with (e.g., unclear communication, lack of projects)
What they learned from it
How they worked to overcome or adapt to the challenge

Red flags include overly negative comments, blaming others, or vague answers. Remember, how they talk about past experiences reflects how they’ll approach future work situations.

Best practice: Encourage the candidate to focus on growth and learning, not just complaints. This helps you identify interns who are self-aware and open to feedback.

What about your internship do you think could have been improved?

This question helps you understand how candidates reflect on their experiences and if they can provide constructive feedback. It offers a window into their problem-solving mindset, communication style, and level of professionalism when discussing areas of improvement.

An ideal answer shows:

Self-awareness
Constructive criticism without bitterness
Willingness to learn and grow

Best Practice: Look for responses that show maturity. A good intern can identify what didn’t work while staying respectful and thoughtful about it. If the candidate can also suggest a solution or alternate approach, that’s a strong sign of initiative and growth potential.

Avoid candidates who use this as a chance to rant or blame others. Keep an ear out for emotional language or vague, overly negative comments. That may indicate difficulty adapting or working within a team.

Real-World Insights on Exit Interview Questions

Companies across industries are discovering that effective exit interview questions can unlock valuable insights about workplace culture and retention challenges. HR professionals and consultants have been sharing their experiences with different approaches to these crucial conversations.

Kate Conroy, a senior consultant at Red Clover HR, emphasizes the importance of timing: "There's always a moment, the last proverbial straw, that pushes an employee to be open to new opportunities. That moment is key in identifying the gap that you can close to increase your retention." This insight has helped organizations pinpoint specific triggers that lead to employee departures.

Caroline Reidy, Managing Director of HR consultancy The HR Suite, has found success with indirect questioning approaches: "This can give employees more freedom to express their reason for leaving without directly saying the reason. For instance, if they say they would have chosen to work under a different manager, it suggests that the problem was with their manager."

Several experts have developed variations of traditional exit interview questions to get better responses. Joe Coletta from 180 Engineering suggests asking "What would make this company a better workplace?" while Tara Furiani, the 'Not the HR Lady' consultant, calls certain questions "gems that unearth invaluable insights, revealing the underbelly of a company's strengths and weaknesses."

Lucas Diegues, HR Business Partner at hiring platform Revelo, has seen how the right exit interview questions create "a safe space to communicate their thoughts and usually prompts people to open up fully." Meanwhile, Richard Nolan, Chief People Officer at Eposnow, focuses on process improvement questions that "provide insight into what aspects of the process worked well for employees and which areas need improvement."

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