Recruiting template

Exit Interview Template and Questions

An exit interview is a short, voluntary conversation or form with someone who is leaving, to find out why they are going and what would have made them stay. Pick the version below for your situation, add your details and copy the questions.

Updated October 27, 2026

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Every version below updates as you type. A field left empty stays as a [placeholder] in the text you copy.

Employee name

Job title

Company name

Team

Manager name

Date they started

Last working day

Interview date

Interview time

Length of the interview

Where it happens

Interviewer name

Interviewer job title

Who sees the answers

Form link

Complete by

Your name

Your job title

Email versions open straight in your email app with the subject and text filled in. You add the recipient there.

Your company and sender details are remembered, so the next template starts with them filled in.

Note

Exit interview answers are personal data under laws such as the UK and EU GDPR: tell leavers who sees them and how long you keep them, and handle any complaint they raise under your own policies. This template is not legal advice.

Exit interview questions

When to use it: A full conversation, in person or on video, run by someone from HR or another team rather than the leaver's own manager.

Exit interview: [Employee name], [Job title] Team: [Team] Manager: [Manager name] Last working day: [Last working day] Interviewer: [Interviewer name], [Interviewer job title] Date: [Interview date] Before you start Thank them for their time. Explain that the interview is voluntary, that they can skip any question, and who will see their answers: [Who sees the answers]. Tell them that what they say will not affect their reference. Their decision to leave 1. What made you start looking for a new job, or decide to accept the one you're going to? 2. Was there a moment when you decided to leave? What happened? 3. What does your new role offer that this one didn't? 4. Could anything have changed your mind? Did you raise it with anyone before you decided? The job 5. How closely did the job match what you were told when you were hired? 6. Did you have the tools, training and information you needed to do your job well? 7. How did you find your workload? Your manager and team 8. What did [Manager name] do well, and what could they do differently? 9. Did you get regular, useful feedback on your work? 10. How well did the team work together? Growth and reward 11. Could you see a way to grow or progress here? What got in the way? 12. Did you feel your pay and benefits were fair for the work you did? 13. Did you feel your work was recognised? The company 14. What should [Company name] keep doing? 15. What one thing would you change? 16. Would you recommend [Company name] as a place to work? Why, or why not? 17. Would you consider working here again in future? To close Is there anything else you'd like to tell us? Thank them, and confirm their last day and what happens next: final pay, returning equipment and how references are given. Notes for the interviewer: write down their words, not your summary of them. Don't argue with or explain away what they say. If they raise harassment, discrimination or a safety concern, tell them how it will be followed up and pass it on under your company's policy.

Exit interview form

When to use it: A written form the leaver fills in on their own, on paper or online, when a conversation isn't practical or as a record alongside one.

[Company name]: exit interview form Name: [Employee name] Job title: [Job title] Team: [Team] Last working day: [Last working day] This form is voluntary and you can leave any question blank. Your answers will be seen by [Who sees the answers]. They will not affect your reference. Part 1: Your reasons for leaving Which of these played a part in your decision? Tick all that apply. ☐ Pay or benefits ☐ Career progression ☐ The work itself ☐ Workload or hours ☐ My manager ☐ The team or culture ☐ Flexibility or location ☐ Personal or family reasons ☐ Retirement, study or relocation ☐ Something else: ____________________ Which one mattered most? ____________________ Part 2: Your experience Rate each statement from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The job matched what I was told when I was hired. 1 2 3 4 5 I had the tools and training to do my job well. 1 2 3 4 5 My workload was manageable. 1 2 3 4 5 My manager gave me regular, useful feedback. 1 2 3 4 5 I could see a way to progress here. 1 2 3 4 5 My work was recognised. 1 2 3 4 5 I would recommend [Company name] as a place to work. 1 2 3 4 5 Part 3: In your own words What could we have done to keep you? ____________________ What should we keep doing? ____________________ What one thing would you change? ____________________ Would you consider working here again? Yes No Not sure Anything else you'd like to tell us? ____________________ Thank you for taking the time to fill this in, and good luck with what comes next.

Exit interview invitation email

When to use it: The email you send once someone has resigned, asking them to take part and explaining what it involves.

SubjectYour exit interview: [Interview date]

Hi [Employee name], Before you leave on [Last working day], I'd like to invite you to a short exit interview. It's a chance to tell us honestly what it has been like working here and why you've decided to move on, so we can make things better for the people who stay. Date: [Interview date] Time: [Interview time] Length: [Length of the interview] Where: [Where it happens] With: [Interviewer name], [Interviewer job title] Taking part is voluntary, and you can skip any question you'd rather not answer. Your answers will be seen by [Who sees the answers], and they won't affect your reference. If you'd prefer to write your answers down instead, you can fill in the form here by [Complete by]: [Form link] Let me know if the time doesn't suit and I'll find another. Thank you, and best wishes, [Your name] [Your job title], [Company name]

Short exit interview for frontline roles

When to use it: Hourly, shift or high-volume roles where you need a few questions a shift lead can ask in a short chat, or a form someone fills in on their phone.

Exit interview (short): [Employee name], [Job title] Site or team: [Team] Last shift: [Last working day] Explain that the questions are voluntary and that the answers will be seen by [Who sees the answers]. 1. What is the main reason you're leaving? 2. Were your shifts and hours what you expected when you joined? 3. Did you get enough training to feel confident in the job? 4. How was it working with your supervisor? What would have made it better? 5. What one thing would have made you stay? 6. Would you recommend working here to a friend? Yes No Not sure 7. Would you come back in future? Yes No Not sure Thank them, and confirm when they will receive their final pay and what equipment or uniform to return.

Early leaver exit interview

When to use it: Someone leaving within their first few months, where the questions focus on the hiring process and onboarding, so the recruiting team can learn from it.

Early leaver exit interview: [Employee name], [Job title] Team: [Team] Started: [Date they started] Last working day: [Last working day] Interviewer: [Interviewer name], [Interviewer job title] Explain that the interview is voluntary, that they can skip any question, and who will see their answers: [Who sees the answers]. Why they are leaving 1. What is the main reason you've decided to leave so soon? 2. When did you first feel the job might not be right for you? The hiring process 3. How closely did the job match the job advert? 4. Did the interviews give you a realistic picture of the work? What was missing? 5. Was there anything you wish you'd been told, or asked, before you accepted the offer? 6. Was the offer, including pay, hours and location, what you expected once you started? Your first weeks 7. How was your first day and first week? Did you have what you needed to get started? 8. Did you know what was expected of you in your first month? 9. Did you get enough support from [Manager name] and the team? Looking back 10. What one change would have made the biggest difference? 11. Would you consider applying to [Company name] again for a different role? Thank them, and confirm their last day and what happens next. Share the themes, without names, with the recruiter and hiring manager for the role.

How to use this template

1Send the invitation soon after the resignation is confirmed, and hold the interview in the last week or two, while the experience is fresh but the handover is settled.
2Have someone other than the leaver's line manager run it, such as a People Partner or a manager from another team, so the person can speak freely about their manager.
3Pick the version that fits: the full question set for a conversation, the form for written answers, the short version for frontline roles, or the early-leaver version for someone who joined recently.
4Tell the leaver up front that it is voluntary and who will see the answers, then keep that promise.
5Record answers in their words and review the themes every quarter, by team and by reason for leaving. Single interviews say little; the patterns are what you act on.

Mistakes to avoid

Having the leaver's own manager run the interview, which makes honest answers about that manager unlikely.
Trying to talk the person out of leaving, or arguing with what they say, which turns the interview into a negotiation.
Promising anonymity you cannot give: in a small team, answers are easy to trace back. Say who will see them instead.
Collecting answers and never reading them across leavers, so the same reasons repeat without anyone acting.
Missing early leavers: someone who quits in their first months can tell the recruiting team more about the job advert, interviews and onboarding than anyone else.

Questions

What questions should you ask in an exit interview?

Ask why they decided to leave, whether anything could have changed their mind, how the job matched what they were told when hired, how they found their manager, workload and growth, and what the company should keep and change. Open questions get more useful answers than yes or no ones.

What is the difference between an exit interview template and an exit interview form?

An exit interview template is usually a set of questions for a conversation. An exit interview form is a written version the leaver fills in themselves, often with ratings and tick boxes so answers can be compared across leavers. Many teams use both.

Who should conduct an exit interview?

Someone the leaver can be candid with, usually a person from HR or a manager from another team. Avoid their direct manager, since the manager is often part of the reason people leave.

When should an exit interview take place?

In the final week or two of employment, once the handover is in hand. Some teams also send a short follow-up form a few weeks after the person has left, when they may feel freer to speak.

Are exit interviews mandatory?

Treat them as voluntary. Say so in the invitation and at the start, and let the person skip any question. Answers given under pressure are less useful.

How should you use exit interview answers?

Group the answers by reason for leaving, team and length of service, and review them regularly. Share the themes, without names, with the leaders who can act on them, including the recruiting team when early leavers say the job was not what they expected.

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