It happened to me also when I was leaving an organization because of which I could pursue my MBA after graduation but I didn’t knew anything about exit interview and I was just standing to complete the formalities at the end of the day When my company hr ask me to get into the cabin and sat started asking question which were according me was like feed back regarding my stay in the company, I didn’t hesitate gave all the answer as per my experience in the company. Just a concept of “Exit Interview” was only known to me but what, why I didn’t knew that. I guess if you don’t want have the same situation as I did at the last day of job, the following information will help you understand.

Exit Interview:

An exit interview is typically a meeting between at least one representative from a company's human resources (HR) department and a departing employee. The HR rep might ask the employee questions while taking notes, ask the employee to complete a questionnaire, or both.

Purpose:

Human resources departments conduct exit interviews (also called exit surveys) to gather data for improving working conditions and retaining employees.

Compulsory

No, exit interview is not binding to anyone you can decline an exit interview. A reputable employer will respect your decision but a not so reputable might will put image of you being not participative and would not hire again or eve negative notation during a background check.

Participate:

The decision to participate in an exit interview is ultimately up to you. Some career experts think you should, because, although it doesn't help you much, it helps a sincere employer improve working conditions for remaining employees. But other career experts question the usefulness of an exit interview. A better time to conduct such a meeting is while an employee is committed, not while he or she is on the way out the door and concerned about burning a bridge.

Some things to consider before participating in an exit interview are listed below.

· As a departing employee, will you benefit from an exit interview?

· Is the reason you're leaving any of the company's business or an invasion of your privacy?

· Why did your employer wait until you're leaving to ask your opinion?

· Might an exit interview burn a bridge, ruin a reference or cause an adverse background check for you?

· Is the exit interview anonymous or must you sign a questionnaire or the HR rep's notes?

· Will the HR department really use your comments for improvements or are they just trying to find out the "real" reason you're leaving?

By Priti Shah