Exit Interview Protocol
Dear WCF,
I’ve just accepted a new job and gave my old company two weeks notice. They’ve scheduled an exit interview for me at the end of my second week. Although my new job is a step up from my present position, I’m leaving the company primarily because I just couldn’t stand working for my manager any longer. I’m not the only one. She’s disliked by just about everyone in the department. I’ve nothing against my old company but feel they would be better off without this manager. Should I share these feelings during the exit interview?
Yours,
Honest Hannah
Dear Hannah,
In theory, interviewing employees who have resigned is supposed to help corporations improve their ability to retain good employees. But in real life this practice rarely helps anyone and can pose a future danger to the exiting employee who tells all.
If your manager has been with the company for more than a few months, upper management is already aware of her management style and either actively approves of it or doesn’t regard it as a problem. So even if you blow the whistle on her, nothing will change. Additionally, if you ever want to work for the company again, complaining about your manager may be held against you. And even though exit interviews are supposed to be confidential, there is no way you can be sure the HR manager won’t share your comments with others – including your ex-manager. Needless to say, this probably would not help your relationship with her, or with anyone she knows.
Whatever industry you’re in, as you progress in your career you’ll find yourself bumping into the same people, time and time again. Consequently, making even one enemy can have a negative effect on your career if they share their impression of you with others.
Here’s my advice. During the interview lavish praise on the company, upper management, your co-workers AND your manager! If you can’t resist playing a head game with her, try this. Tell the interviewer that your manager taught you a lot about people and challenged you to grow in new ways. She helped you develop self-control and was a real influence on your career development.
(After all, you’re leaving for a better position, so no doubt all of these things are true.) These comments will encourage the HR interviewer to view you as a highly desirable employee who the company should try to rehire at the earliest opportunity. And if the interviewer shares these comments with your manager, she’ll probably want to kick herself for not doing more to keep you.
Good luck with your new position, and remember – saying nothing if you don’t have something nice to say is good politics as well as good manners.
Yours,
Wendy
By: Wendy Lalli
1-01-2010
Wendy Lalli is a recognized authority on professional development. She wrote a professional management column called "Dear Lalli" and has had several columns featured in Inside Recruiter, an online publication serving human resource professionals in the pharmaceutical industry.
