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Exit interviews aren’t just a polite send-off—they’re one of the most underused tools in the HR toolkit. When done right, the questions you ask can reveal critical trends, broken processes, and even culture issues you didn’t know existed.
Here are 42 of the most valuable exit interview questions you should be asking in 2025—grouped by what they help you uncover.
Understanding Why They’re Leaving
These questions uncover the root causes behind the resignation:
1. What made you start looking for a new job?
2. What ultimately led to your decision to leave?
3. Was there anything we could have done to change your mind?
4. Was this a decision you made alone or discussed with others internally?
5. Did you have concerns that were not addressed before resigning?
6. When did you first start thinking about leaving?
Team, Culture & Management Insights
These probe relationships, inclusion, and leadership:
7. How would you describe your relationship with your direct manager?
8. Did you feel like your work was recognized and appreciated?
9. How would you describe the team culture?
10. Did you ever experience or witness favoritism, bias, or unfair treatment?
11. How comfortable were you raising concerns or voicing opinions?
12. Did you feel psychologically safe at work?
13. Was there a sense of trust and transparency on your team?
14. Did your team collaborate effectively, or were there silos?
15. Did leadership uphold the company’s values?
16. How would you describe the leadership communication style?
Growth, Development & Role Clarity
Understand how supported and empowered they felt:
17. Did you feel you had opportunities to grow here?
18. Were your responsibilities and expectations clear?
19. Did your role evolve in a way that matched your skills and interests?
20. Were career development paths communicated and accessible?
21. Did you receive regular feedback or performance check-ins?
22. Were your achievements acknowledged and rewarded?
23. Did you receive adequate training for your responsibilities?
24. Did you feel challenged in a good way or overwhelmed?
Process & Communication Feedback
Operational insights that lead to improvements:
25. How effective was your onboarding experience?
26. Did you feel informed about company goals and changes?
27. What tools, processes, or workflows made your job harder than it needed to be?
28. Was cross-functional communication smooth or difficult?
29. Did internal meetings help or hinder your productivity?
30. Did you feel you had the tools and resources needed to succeed?
31. Were your suggestions or concerns about processes taken seriously?
32. Did communication differ across departments or locations?
Workplace Flexibility & Environment
Gauge how well you supported their working preferences:
33. Did you feel supported in your preferred work style ?
34. Were your boundaries and personal time respected?
35. Did you have access to the tools needed for remote or flexible work?
36. How was work-life balance in your role?
Closing Questions for Reflection
Give space for open feedback and final insights:
37. What did you enjoy most about working here?
38. What frustrated you the most?
39. What would you change about your role or department?
40. What advice would you give to your replacement?
41. Would you consider returning to this company in the future?
42. Is there anything else you’d like to share that we haven’t asked?
Pro Tip: Don’t Just Ask—Act
Asking great questions is only half the job. Be ready to:
- Spot patterns in answers
- Share insights (anonymized) with leadership
- Feed findings into manager coaching, onboarding, and retention strategies
And if you're handling exit interviews manually? Consider automating them with a tool like NEWPLOYEE—so nothing slips through the cracks, and the data actually goes somewhere useful.
Your future employees will thank you.
