Who should conduct an exit interview?

A neutral party, typically someone from HR or People Operations, rather than the employee's direct manager. Distance from the reporting line makes people far more comfortable sharing candid feedback about management or culture. The interviewer's role is to listen and understand, not to defend the company or change the person's mind.

What are the best questions to ask in an exit interview?

Cover why they are leaving, their experience of the role and workload, the quality of management and support, the team and culture, and what would have made them stay. Ask the same core questions of every leaver so you can compare answers over time. Keep questions open-ended and follow up on surface-level answers to reach the real reasons.

Should I record the exit interview?

Recording is useful because it gives you an accurate record so honest feedback is not lost or softened when you write it up later, but always get the employee's consent first. A tool like CraftNote can record the conversation and produce a speaker-labeled transcript plus a summary, keeping you present in the moment. Notes stay private to your account by default and audio auto-deletes after 60 days.

How do I make sure exit interview feedback actually gets used?

Distill each conversation into themes, log it in a consistent tracker, and compare it against other recent departures to spot patterns. Share anonymized, aggregated findings with leadership and assign owners for systemic issues. CraftNote captures and summarizes the conversation, but it does not sync to an HRIS, so you export or paste the summary into your own tracker to build the comparison.

How do I keep exit interviews confidential?

Tell the employee up front how their feedback will be used and who will see it, and report insights in aggregated, anonymized form rather than attributing quotes. Store any recordings and notes securely with access limited to those who need it. In CraftNote, notes are private to your account by default and encrypted in transit and at rest, and you can delete any recording and its audio at any time.

Exit Interview Checklist for Recruiters & HR

An exit interview is only worth the time if the feedback is honest and someone actually acts on it. This checklist walks HR and People teams through planning the conversation, running it in a way that invites candor, and turning what you hear into retention insight. Use it to make each departure a source of learning instead of a missed signal, and to compare themes across leavers over time.

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Confirm the employee's last day, role, tenure, and reason for leaving on file.Essential

Basic context lets you tailor questions and interpret feedback accurately rather than asking generic questions that feel impersonal.

Choose a neutral interviewer who is not the departing employee's direct manager.Essential

People speak more openly to someone outside their reporting line, which reduces the pressure to soften or withhold criticism.

Decide the format (in person, video, or written questionnaire) and schedule it in the final week.Recommended

Timing it too early can miss context and too late risks the person having mentally checked out; the final week usually balances candor and recall.

Prepare a consistent core question set covering reasons for leaving, role, management, and culture.Essential

Asking the same core questions each time is what lets you compare answers across departures and detect real patterns.

Explain how the feedback will be used and who will see it, and get consent before recording.Essential

Clear expectations about confidentiality and use build the trust needed for honest answers, and consent to record is required before you capture audio.

If you plan to record, set up your recorder or note tool and test it ahead of time.Recommended

A working setup means you can focus on listening instead of scribbling, and you avoid losing the conversation to a technical failure.

Open by restating that the goal is to improve the workplace, not to change their decision.Essential

Framing the purpose up front relaxes the employee and signals that candid feedback is genuinely welcome.

Ask open-ended questions and let silences sit so the employee can elaborate.Essential

Open questions surface reasons and stories you would never get from yes or no prompts, and pauses invite deeper answers.

Probe the real reason for leaving beyond the surface answer such as compensation.Recommended

Stated reasons often mask underlying issues like management or growth; gentle follow-ups get closer to the truth.

Capture the conversation accurately, ideally as a recorded, speaker-labeled transcript rather than paraphrased notes.Recommended

An accurate record keeps honest feedback from being lost or unconsciously softened, and speaker labels keep who-said-what clear if others join. CraftNote records the conversation and produces a speaker-labeled transcript and summary so you can stay present.

Stay neutral and avoid defending the company or debating the employee's perceptions.Essential

Getting defensive shuts down candor; your job here is to listen and understand, not to correct the record.

Close by asking what would have made them stay and whether they would return in future.Recommended

These questions surface the highest-leverage retention fixes and identify potential boomerang hires worth staying in touch with.

Review the summary and transcript and pull out the key themes and specific quotes.Essential

Distilling the raw conversation into themes makes it usable for reporting and prevents useful detail from being forgotten. CraftNote generates a structured summary you can review right after the call.

Log the feedback in your standard exit-interview tracker or spreadsheet.Essential

A consistent record is what lets you compare this departure against others; CraftNote has no HRIS sync, so export or paste the summary into your own system.

Compare this exit against recent departures to spot recurring patterns by team or manager.Essential

One exit is an anecdote; a pattern across several is a signal worth acting on, and comparison is where the real value lives.

Share anonymized, aggregated themes with leadership and the relevant managers.Recommended

Feedback only drives change if it reaches the people who can act, and aggregating protects the individual's confidentiality.

Assign owners and next steps for any systemic issues the interview surfaced.Recommended

Insight without an owner rarely turns into change; naming who acts and by when closes the loop.

Delete the recording once the feedback is captured if your policy calls for it.Optional

Minimizing stored audio respects the employee's privacy; in CraftNote you can delete a note and its audio anytime, and recordings auto-delete after 60 days by default.

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

Having the departing employee's direct manager run the interview, which suppresses honest feedback.
Asking different questions each time so answers can never be compared across departures.
Treating the interview as a formality and never analyzing or acting on what is said.
Relying on memory or rushed notes and losing the specific, honest feedback that was shared.
Getting defensive or arguing with the employee's perceptions instead of simply listening.

Exit Interview Checklist for Recruiters & HR

Before the Exit Interview

During the Exit Interview

After the Exit Interview (Analyze and Act)

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

Frequently Asked Questions

Try CraftNote for Free

Exit Interview Checklist for Recruiters & HR

Before the Exit Interview

During the Exit Interview

After the Exit Interview (Analyze and Act)

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

Frequently Asked Questions

Try CraftNote for Free

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