Exit interview: questions and template
Reviewed Oct 13, 2026 Written from official federal guidance How we verify
Not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. General information; laws vary by state. Terms of use
An exit interview is a short conversation with an employee who is leaving, usually in the last week, about why they are leaving and what would have made the job better. Free, no sign-up.
Fill in the exit interview form
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Open the file, fill anything still in [brackets], and keep a signed copy in the personnel file. The next document in this process is the employee offboarding checklist.
About this form
Twelve questions that get useful answers, a plan to run the conversation in 20 minutes, and a form to record what the employee said, ready to print or download.
If the employee reports harassment, treat it as a complaint, not as feedback: the EEOC's retaliation page lists reporting harassment to a manager among protected activity.
An exit interview is voluntary for the employee, and it works best when the person asking is not their direct manager.
The form on this page has the questions in the order that tends to work: the job first, then the manager and the team, then the reasons for leaving, then what would bring them back. Fill in the details, print it or download it, and write the answers during the conversation. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
The full exit interview form text
This is the whole template as it downloads, with the fields in [brackets].
Exit Interview
This conversation is voluntary. The answers are used to improve the workplace and are shared only with the people who need them to act on them.
The job
1. What did you like most about your job here?
________________________________________________
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2. What made the job harder than it needed to be?
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3. Did the job turn out to be what you expected when you were hired? If not, what was different?
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4. Did you have the tools, training and information you needed to do the job well?
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________________________________________________
Manager and team
5. How would you describe the support and feedback you got from your manager?
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6. What is one thing your manager could do differently?
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7. How did you get on with the team, and how was work shared out?
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Leaving
8. What was the main reason you decided to leave?
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9. Was there a point when you started looking? What happened then?
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10. What could we have done that would have made you stay?
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11. Is there anything about pay, schedule or conditions here that you think we should know?
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12. Would you consider working here again, or recommend us to a friend? Why or why not?
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Anything else you would like to tell us?
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For the interviewer
- ☐ Main reason for leaving, in one line: ______________________
- ☐ Anything that needs action now (for example a safety issue, or a complaint about harassment or discrimination): passed to ______________________ on __________
- ☐ Themes to share with management, without the employee's name if they asked for that
- ☐ Form filed separately from the performance file
______________________ Date: __________
[Interviewer], interviewer
How to use this template
- Schedule it in the last week, not on the last afternoon, and book 20 minutes.
- Ask someone other than the direct manager to run it, where you can: HR, the owner or another manager.
- Use the same questions for everyone so you can compare answers over time.
- Write down what the employee says in their words. Do not argue, explain or try to change their mind.
- If the employee raises a safety concern, harassment or discrimination, treat it as a report and pass it to the right person the same day.
- Keep the form apart from the performance file and share themes, not names, when the employee asks for that.
What to say
A 20-minute plan: 2 minutes to open, 5 on the job, 5 on the manager and team, 5 on the reasons for leaving, 3 to close. Ask, listen and write; do not defend or explain.
Example wording
Examples of the level of detail that makes a document clear. Replace them with your own facts.
- Answer recorded in the employee's words: Q8: 'The new schedule meant I was closing four nights a week and I could not get it changed.'
- Follow-up line: Main reason: schedule. Theme shared with the store manager on June 12: closing shifts are concentrated on two people.
A tool that can help
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Questions people ask
What questions should you ask in an exit interview?
Keep it to about a dozen: what they liked, what made the job harder, whether the job matched what they expected, tools and training, support from the manager, the team, the main reason for leaving, when they started looking, what would have made them stay, pay and conditions, and whether they would come back.
Is an exit interview mandatory?
It is a company practice, and it works best when it is presented as voluntary. Some employees prefer a written form, which you can hand over instead of a conversation.
Who should conduct the exit interview?
Ideally someone other than the employee's direct manager, such as HR, the owner or another manager, so the employee can talk about the manager openly.
What if the employee reports harassment in the exit interview?
Treat it as a complaint, not as feedback. The EEOC's harassment page explains when employers are liable for harassment, and its retaliation page lists reporting harassment to a manager among protected activity.
General information, not legal advice. Not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. This page is for general information only and isn’t legal, financial or tax advice. Laws vary by state and change; check the official source or talk to a qualified professional about your situation. Report an error