- The guide tells managers the conversation is optional for the departing employee.
- Questions are open, ordered and about the work, not about personal traits or circumstances.
- The guide lists the topics managers must not ask about, including health, family, religion and other personal matters.
- It says who receives the notes and what HR will share with the leadership team.
- Any complaint raised during the conversation is routed to HR through the reporting route, not settled in the interview.
- The page names the HR contact for questions and shows the date it was last reviewed.
- Managers know that the departing employee can end the conversation at any time.
- If the company also offers a written exit form, the guide says when to offer it instead of the conversation.
HR & OperationsContent Creator
Exit interview template: a guide for the manager who runs the conversation
An exit interview is a short conversation that asks a departing employee why they are leaving and what the organization could change. A template for it should give the manager a fixed set of open questions, a way to record answers factually and a route for anything that needs follow-up. It guides the conversation rather than asking the employee to complete a form.
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Weak and strong wording
Rewrite exit questions so they get an answer you can use
Weak: Why are you really leaving?
Strong: What led you to decide to leave, and was there a point when you considered staying?
The weak version invites a defensive answer. The stronger version asks for the sequence of events, which shows where the process could change.
Weak: Was your manager any good?
Strong: What would you like your manager to do more of, or less of, in your role?
A question about a person's worth rarely gives a usable answer. Asking about specific actions keeps the conversation on the work.
Weak: Are you unhappy here?
Strong: Which parts of the job matched what you expected, and which did not?
Unhappy is a conclusion. The stronger question asks for the facts behind it.
Weak: Would you recommend us to a friend?
Strong: What would you tell someone starting in this role next year?
The stronger question gets advice a manager can act on, not a score with no explanation.
Example excerpt
Manager guide: opening and closing the conversation
Sample section
Before the conversation: Confirm the last working day and who will take over the employee's open work. Tell the employee the conversation is optional and is about their experience, not a performance review. Do not promise confidentiality until HR has confirmed what will be shared and with whom. Opening: Thank them for their work and explain what happens to the notes. For example: 'I will write a short summary for HR, and HR will share the themes, not your exact words, with the leadership team.' Core questions: Ask about the reason for leaving, what they valued most in the role, what made the job harder than it needed to be and what would have changed their decision. Ask one question at a time, and let a pause run before you add anything. Closing: Ask whether there is anything they wanted to say that you did not ask. Thank them again, and confirm the next steps, such as returning equipment and the final pay date HR will confirm. After the conversation: Write your notes within one working day. Record facts and direct quotes that matter, label your own impressions, and send the notes to HR. Do not record health details, family circumstances or other personal information unless HR says a specific process needs it.
Section outline
What the guide covers before, during and after the conversation
Purpose and timing
Why exit interviews help, when to hold one and when a manager should ask HR to run it instead.
80 wordsPreparing
Information to gather, such as the role, length of service and the reason given in the resignation note.
90 wordsQuestions
Five to eight open questions in a fixed order, with optional follow-ups for each.
150 wordsRecording and sharing
How to write the notes, what to leave out and where the notes go.
110 wordsPatterns over time
How HR reviews themes each quarter without naming individuals.
90 wordsLimits of the conversation
What an exit interview cannot do, such as settle a complaint or decide a grievance.
60 words
Total: 580 words
Quality checklist
Check the guide before a manager uses it
Mistakes to avoid
Mistakes that turn an exit interview into a defense
Asking the employee to justify the decision
A question such as why did you not raise this earlier puts the employee on the defensive. Keep the focus on what would have changed the decision.
Promising confidentiality you cannot keep
Say what will be shared and with whom. Some concerns must go to HR whatever the employee asks, and the employee should hear that at the start.
Filing the notes with performance records
Exit notes are not a performance file. Keep them separate from personnel records, and limit who can read them.
Skipping the handover
A good conversation is wasted if nobody collects the laptop, access cards or open tasks. Put the handover next to the questions on your checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free exit interview template I can use?
No template file is supplied here. This page is a guide for the manager's conversation. A written template for the employee to complete is a different tool, and it works well when you want answers in writing. Use the questions in this guide as the basis for either, and have HR check the wording before you use it.
What questions should an exit interview template include?
Start with the reason for leaving, what worked, what made the job harder than it needed to be and what would have changed the decision. Add one question about the handover and one that asks whether anything was left unsaid. Keep the set short enough that the conversation stays a conversation.
Should an exit interview be a conversation or a written form?
Either can work. A conversation gives you tone and room for follow-up questions. A written form gives every departing employee the same prompts and a record they wrote themselves. Some organizations offer both and let the employee choose.
Can the exit interview be collected as an online form?
Yes, with the Attain OS exit interview form, which stores written responses in a grid that you can export as CSV. Submissions are processed on a schedule, and the form's creator is notified after that processing runs. Use the form for written answers and your own notes for the conversation.
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