How to Handle Exit Interview Questions

By Cynthia Chebet

You are about to start your new job but you are worried about what to say in your exit interview.

Telling your employer that you are leaving their organization for a new job vacancy in Kenya  is hard enough, but to explain the reasons why is even more nerve-wracking.

Not to worry, there is a way you can navigate this interview and still maintain a good rapport with your soon to be ex-employer.

An exit interview is a way of an organization to do a survey that will help them understand where they may have gone wrong thus work on improving on them to reduce the employees’ turnover rate.

This type of interview is usually conducted by human resource personnel. The questions you are going to be asked in this interview will revolve around your reasons for leaving their company or organization.

Exit interviews can either go two ways;

• Your employer might bid you goodbye in good faith and interview you, or,
• He or she can make you a counteroffer.

If at all you are made a counteroffer, be very careful about what your decision will be. Many people who take the offer do not usually last at their workplaces.

Why?

• One, because their issues for their wanting to leave in the first place might not be addressed,
• Two, because the organization just wanted to buy time as they look for your replacement.

Do not be driven by money, rather, think long term of where you would want your career to be headed.

Now, if your employer decided to do you an exit interview, the answers you give need to be carefully thought out to avoid burning bridges for you might need their help in the future.

To ensure you do this appropriately, here are tips on how to handle questions asked in a exit interview.

How To Handle Exit Interview Questions

1.Reason for leaving

The answer to this interview question should be positive no matter what your real reasons might be. When giving a reason as to why you are leaving the organization, give a simple answer but one that is hard to argue with.

Avoid criticism because in this situation it may make you come off wrong even though your intentions might have been from a good place.

Say something like looking for career growth opportunities and that you are grateful for the opportunity to have worked with them.

2. Satisfaction with the workplace conditions and conditions

By asking this question in the interview, the company wants to understand how they can improve on how they handle things. Discuss how working with them was a great learning opportunity.

You can do it from an angle where you start by highlighting the challenges you went through while executing your roles in the company but finish it off by highlighting how it has helped you learn a lot.

Talk about how the challenges pushed you to become a better person and that you are grateful for that.

When you are asked if the compensations you got were to your satisfaction, make your answer positive as well.

This will be a smart way to criticize but still come off positive and grateful thus avoiding burning bridges.

In conclusion

Be prepared in advance and be sure to ask for help on how to handle the interview.Once you have done this, the remaining two weeks of your working days in that organization will be smooth and can look forward to your new career journey in peace. Be positive with your answers, this is the only way you are going to handle this interview gracefully.

All the best in your new job.