Exit Interview Advice

[Jim Wynne]

In Reply to Parent Post by Wes Bucey

FWIW:
In the very recent past, I have seen many more companies using "prepackaged" exit surveys purchased from professional companies which do seem to eliminate bias and ambiguity. I notice one other thing, more and more of the surveys are only available online.

Where have you seen these surveys? Links, please?

[Wes Bucey]

In Reply to Parent Post by Jim Wynne

Where have you seen these surveys? Links, please?

the links are "secure" for the departing employees only - the ones I've seen are for people I've been counseling on the job hunt.

Almost any psychometric specializing company has samples of printed forms (only a partial list of questions available on their site - gotta buy to see the whole thing, I guess.)

Here's some questions I am retyping from a paper form offered by a medium size pharma company:
Essay type:

• Please tell us in your own words any changes or other factors which might have influenced you to stay with our company.
  [there's room for at most 3 sentences]

Likert scale (scale 1-4 from strongly agree to strongly disagree)

• My work duties were clearly defined
• My immediate supervisor often commented when he/she thought I was doing a good job
• I felt free to suggest changes to improve the job
• I would recommend others to work here
• I would consider coming back to work at this company at some point in the future

the person I was consulting was resigning to follow a spouse to another city - there was no provision on the exit questionnaire to state this. There was no mention of confidentiality. The form came with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to return to HR.
There were 12 questions in all. I didn't see any instruction sheet - it seemed pretty straightforward. There were no leading questions about making complaints or gripes.


Since this was a company with a relatively "sophisticated" level of employees, I suspect the questionnaire was vetted by both lawyers and psychologists before it was approved for distribution. I was impressed by the "plain English" used throughout - no "lawyerese."

[Geoff Withnell]

In Reply to Parent Post by insect warfare

Aren't exit interviews confidential anyway?

Brian

They're so cute when they are young and naive, aren't they?

[Jim Wynne]

In Reply to Parent Post by Wes Bucey

the links are "secure" for the departing employees only - the ones I've seen are for people I've been counseling on the job hunt.

I wasn't aware that you were so actively counseling job hunters. How do these connections come about? I know of one you mentioned but a request for details was apparently overlooked.

[insect warfare]

In Reply to Parent Post by Geoff Withnell

They're so cute when they are young and naive, aren't they?

Actually I am naive when it comes to exit interviews, and have never done one. I tend to equate them with surveys, and unless they're of a humorous or entertaining nature, I don't even bother with surveys because if I can ascertain that they are for data-gathering purposes, then I can manipulate them, if I am in the mood for it.

Not quite the same thing, but relatable - when I was young(er), I watched a friend of mine fill out a fake job application (as a prank). The fact that knowingly falsifying information on an employment app was illegal was not even relevant at the time. All I can remember is that he succeeded in getting a job offer by telephone under the assumed name of "William Fold", or Bill Fold (which was the joke), and it was then that I saw the potential ramifications of "what could you really do if you were determined enough to skew results".

Brian

[Stijloor]

Friends,

Here's a great example of an exit interview...



Enjoy!!

[Big Jim]

In Reply to Parent Post by Stijloor

Friends,

Here's a great example of an exit interview...



Enjoy!!

Absolutely classic. And I have left it playing on the computer at my work station when leaving a job. And a few months later I was rehired.

I've always imagined someone winning the lottery, sending a new pricy entertainment center to the boss, with that song loaded and ready to paly.