Job Exit Interview: Bite my tongue or let it all out?

Just a bit less than a year ago I left a company I had been with for over 20 years. When I first knew I was leaving I was planning on going out with both guns blazing, but I thought better of it. My plan for the exit interview was "Thanks for everything, I got an opportunity I can't pass up". I mostly stuck to the plan and didn't volunteer anything negative, however I was asked a few direct questions which made it clear that HR already knew some of the issues. I was as politically correct as I could be, but answered the direct questions honestly. I'm still in contact with many people at my former company and nothing has changed for the better.

 

I quoted @sheepofblue because this is the only person I've seen making a suggestion that is valuable, protective and subtly gets a "dig" in to your former boss (if that boss be the reason you are leaving). This right here -- along with being appreciative for the old job, excited for the new job -- is the safest approach. You'll leave and not second guess your words. Nor receive an unexpected blindside from your to-be-former boss.

Say too much, or say what you feel 'obligates' you (lol) and the to-be-former company can dick with you pretty good. Hold up you paycheck and benefits obviously. Word travels fast in this small world. Sometimes it travels right to your new employer.

I "liked" most of the comments that suggest you not say much. Very easy for your words and intent to get misconstrued.

Last, having worked closely in support of HR departments, exit interviews (what could we do better, blah, blah) aren't really designed to allow you to help your team or the help the company improve. HR is the grapevine of the company. So, leave happy, stay neutral and keep it bland.

 

@britx303 probably has stronger words he (or she, sorry, I just don't know which ) would use...LOL. But this post is a fine example of leaving respectfully.

 

Yep, the hope is by the time I’ve got 1500 the hiring will be picking back up. Budgeting for 2 years to get there

 

Case in point to my first point about HR.

 

I will follow a very similar plan, I'm sure. I will not speak negatively of the company (they did pay me for the last several months, after all), but I will mention the areas that need improvement or else they'll be facing a revolving door of individuals in this position.

 

Burned a bridge once, in the heat of the moment. Spent the next 3 months looking for a replacement job. Lesson learned.

 

Eerily similar situation when I left my previous employer. Luckily I had a great relationship with the owner and two people on the leadership team higher up the ranks than myself. Gave them 6 weeks notice due to some ongoing projects, had two constructive exit interviews and the feedback I gave them actually influenced a great deal of positive change.

I am still good friends with three or four people I worked closely with, one of which I speak to nearly daily. They all went out of their way to thank me for the feedback because their wallets are a little thicker and the benefits are more robust.

As long as you can have the conversation in a smooth, positive and constructive manner, any decent HR/management team would likely embrace the feedback. Also, I know they would hire me back in a second if I wanted to return.

 

I did it once, working for one certain ski mountain, had a big meeting involved with lawyers on hand, I had already given my notice, basically pulled a 1/2 baked move of telling an entire room of corporate idiots, fuck you, fuck you, your cool. I'm out. Actually had random people come up the next couple of days and shake my hand and say I can't believe you did that. Felt bad after that they fired every employee in the restaurant. The look on the corporate big wigs face and the lawyers with their jaws dropped still makes me smile.

Another good one, was when a line cook got pissed off after the chef yelled at him at 8:30 on a friday night at a busy 250 seat restaurant, he calmly walked over to our ticket line, grabbed all the ticket orders, ripped them in 1/2 and threw them into the steamwell, was an hour of a chinese fire drill and never saw him again

 

I'm actually looking forward to mine. My plan is to just submit a vacation request and under dates write "The Rest of My Life" and submit it . Background. Our division was supposed to close 3-31-20. Product lines shipped to Mexico. So far they havent gotten one single product qualified at those locations. Epic fail.. For the last 5 quarters, myself and the rest of the tech staff were basically begged and incentivised to stay till that date. Most did but we are thin as thin can be. After that date the incentive wasn't re-upped, waffling and no answers from HR about severence, no info period. One of my guys last day is this friday, and with things ramping back up, I know they'll want to add 3rd shift back eventually, with only 2 techs to cover it all. They day they tell me 12 hr. shifts, 5 or 6 days/week is my new schedule is the day my 2 week notice goes in. I'm too old for that shit. I have a bit of a rep for being a straight shooter, so i'm sure they'll be expecting it...

 

Oh there’s more to my story. One of the main people that was sabotaging all of my work and multi million dollar projects I was running, would also start stupid little rumours about me to get people to intentionally make mistakes and blame me to try to make me look bad.He was caught red handed several times doing it, but the company is hurting for even minor skilled people, so they just kept turning a blind eye and a slap on his wrist.......this went on for 7-8 years til I left. Fast forward to my first month at my new job.........which is comprised of several agencies containing countless old coworkers and friends that also worked at the old company.Well one day an old friend from a connected agency comes to our shop to say hello after getting the news I was there now. He proceeds to ask me about someone that they were interviewing for a position with them. Turns out the guy who relentlessly started all the crap with me at the last place,was secretly trying to get in where we are..........which is VERY difficult to get in......the last thing they needed was someone to vouch for the guy and since I was the most recent to get in and was just working with the troublemaker, they wanted my input. Needless to say I gave the agency a 100% honest rundown on that guys poor character and lack of good ethics in general, so he didn’t get the job. KARMA BABY!!!!!!

 

Service mgrs. at Orkin wanted to do an 'exit interview' when they fired me. Never heard of an interview when you leave a job before. But since they told me I was being listed as "will not rehire", I just let them have it. Well they weren't going to ever rehire me and I really just wanted out of pest control anyways, I didn't care. Was basically a walking zombie the last couple months working 6am to 9pm mon to fri with an hour drive each way to home. Totally burned out. Ran into one of the service mgrs. a year later. Basically told him I was happy to get out of there. Wasn't him or the other service mgr I had issues with, it was the branch mgr and his backstabbing cheapass ways and also the office girls and their bullshit fucking with all the techs.

 

I had a former coworker go out all scorched earth. Didn't say anything until he was supposed to arrive on a flight into Asia and when they went to pick him up, his email arrived (business class and never canceled, just didn't get on the flight). He burned down almost everyone in the company from GM to the IT people to me to the office people to the other engineers. Everyone! Glorious in his mind I guess.

Until his contract with the company that he left for came up and they did not renew his contract and he went looking for a new gig. Even the outlaw companies in China said f@ck no to him. Small industry, being an arrogant douchebag and pissing on everyone on the way out sounds great but that shit can hurt you.

 

I've only done an exit interview once and I spoke my mind for the most part but in as nice and constructive way as possible. I wasn't really all that miserable at my old job, just kinda bored and felt "stuck" in that position with nothing on the horizon for a promotion or anything of that sort, so I had no reason to shit on anyone, but I did speak up about what I thought should be changed, why I wanted to leave and what could have been done by the company to make me want to stay. About a year and a half later or so I heard from an old co-worker and friend who still works there that HR had implemented a change which was one of my main complaints and what I had suggested that they do. So glad to see that at least I made a small difference....although nothing that would do me any good anymore lol

 

And no, not a link - just a screenshot.

 

Bite tongue they don't listen anyway. Tell them that and adios motherfuckers.

 

A guy I used to work for did comms in the White House, one of his coworkers did not show one day or the next. Due to the job they sent secret service to his apartment to check on him (people tried to call first). It was empty. SS tracked him down in CA a couple of weeks later and flew him back in cuffs for the exit interview. Then told him get out, I assume the flight was one way. Needless to say it was not a resume enhancer

 

I left a company to go work for one of their suppliers about 3 years ago. 2 weeks ago we canceled them as distributors of our product. I say you burn that M Effer down. Haha. And I would be lying if I didn’t have a little smile on my face the day we told them they were no longer going to be our distributor.

 

Lots of great (and not so great) advice in this thread. I recently had a move within my company and had an "exit interview" with newly installed branch leadership. They knew their was a problem in the lower ranks but I was well aware that the issues were known and a shake-up was inevitable with or without my testimony.

When I was asked (prodded) to share my opinion, I opted to turn the reasoning inward and express my desire to transfer had more to do with my personal desires and career goals than the issues I had with line leadership above me. Every word I spoke was truth, I just chose to make my motivations for leaving more about me than others.

I did this for two reasons. First, you never look good trying to make someone else look bad, even when their behavior deserves being called out publicly. Second, I believe a graceful exit speaks volumes about the character of a person, especially when everyone around them knows how bad the situation is and a bridge burning party would be understandable.

Did I want to drop some bombs during that meeting about the poor leadership practices that were experienced for almost 4 years? Oh yes! But it would have just been me venting and painting myself as bitter. That wasn't the legacy I wanted to leave behind.

 

That legacy is forever memorialized in the many many MANY posts that Mongo preserves for posterity here on the beeb.