Highlighted below are some of the ways to handle an exit interview professionally.

1. Treat the exiting employee with courtesy and respect: It is either a loss to the company in case of voluntary resignation or a loss to the employee if disengaged. One party is sure to lose, but as the interviewer, always try to put on your best smile, be cheerful and approach the exiting employee with lots of courtesy and respect. This will be the last impression that such an employee will have on the organization and as such let it be a great one.
2. Keep the interview simple: Avoid asking too many questions, more importantly, personal information as this might seem more like a probe than an interview. Try to keep it simple and concise so that the interviewee won’t feel uncomfortable.
3. Allow the employee freedom of expression: Having asked your questions, getting feedback from the exiting employee is very important. The response given should be noted down as this is one of the many ways to improve an organization. This avenue allows for the exiting employee to voice out his/her frustrations and difficulties encountered while on the job.
4. Offer excellent career advice: It’s also very good to give a bit of excellent career advice to the exiting employee to serve as a guide for his/her next career. Wish them well in their future endeavors and encourage them to do better.
5. Give feedback to the management: Get across the report from the interview to the management through the appropriate channels so that they can act accordingly on the organization’s lapses as provided by the exit interview report.

Tags: Employee, Employee exit, Employee Management, Exit interviews, Offboarding, Offboarding checklist