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i'm having my exit interview this week. should i be honest and say why i'm really leaving (issues with supervisor) or should i just continue with what i've been saying "seeking better opportunities, etc)" I keep asking HR what they will do with the form I fill out but they won't answer. I don't want to burn any bridges. My supervisor thinks we have a great relationship and would probably give me a great reference in the future. Advice?
Up to you but what purpose does it serve to badmouth anyone on the way out, unless it involved serious threat to health or life?
I've never said anything negative on any of my exit interviews, even if I felt bad about the reasons that made me leave the company. What good does that do?
How many times have I said that HR is not your friend, never was, never will be?
Hey, if it makes people feel good about themselves to let it all out, by all means, do so.
But we've already had threads in the past where people were upset they didn't have a chance for an exit interview, majority of us said forget about it, and then these people got all upset about it.
I agree with the above posters. Spouting off, even nicely, may make you feel better, but it will do absolutely nothing to correct the situation -- and it will hurt your chances of getting good references as well. And dont believe anyone who tells you that what you say in an exit interview will be confidential.
I worked with many people who didnt believe that. Be it ego or ignorance, they thought their comments would result in changes after they left. Never once did it do that.
For the most part, executives stick together, even if they know one of their own is incompetent or a liability. And HR is never to be trusted at all.
Take the "it's not you, it's me" way of getting out of the relationship.
"This was an opportunity to grow my career in a way that I couldn't pass up" is a good line to use. As this is an exit interview you're well past the "what can we do to make you stay" conversation so just smile, shake hands and move on.
I worked P/T for Enterprise Rent a Car, and had to give notice after watching people getting ripped off with getting charged for cars that were already damaged, and watching them put people in unsafe cars, and unsafe people (under the influence) on the road......they wanted an exit interview.....I declined.....they insisted....so I gave them my honest thoughts on how management was handling the above issues, as we are talking ethics, morals, and public safety. I then, 2 years later, re-applied at a different location, and never got an interview....now mind you, of the 6 years I was working there, I had excellent reviews and raises, was praised by customers for going above and beyond, and yet, I feel I've been Black Listed for speaking up. So, if you want to burn a bridge, let them know the truth......oh, yeah....the manager is still there to this day, still pulling the same crap.
DO NOT burn bridges. I was tempted to burn bridges when I left a company many years ago, but opted to keep my mouth shut about some issues that had bothered me. They were not the reasons I left, but I could have talked about them in my exit interview as being a concern.
18 months later they called me out of the blue to offer me a better job - and I took it. I know that if had I burned bridges during my exit interview, they would NOT have called me. I ended up staying in the new position for five years and was quite happy (the only reason I left the second time was because I wanted a shorter commute once I had kids).
1. Being Honest
2. Preserving a good relationship.
You should probably do a combination of things. Questions like "will you work for this company again" "How would you rate the benefits" "How would you rate this and that"
When you interview for positions you want to say that you can work with just about any-one so saying you had a problem with a supervisor might work against you.
Just say you got a better opportunity. There is no real benefit to you to badmouth your former boss and it will sour the relationship which will make it tougher to come back in the future especially if the new job turns out to be a train wreck and could jeopardize your reference.
Companies almost never give honest feedback (or any) to candidates about why they weren't hired.
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