How do I conduct an exit interview that produces useful insights?

An exit interview produces useful insights when the departing employee feels safe to be candid and the questions probe the real reasons behind the decision. Conduct it shortly before the last working day, ideally through a neutral party rather than the direct manager, and assure the employee that responses will be used constructively and aggregated rather than held against them.

Ask open questions about why they began looking, what would have made them stay, their experience of management and growth, and what the organisation should change. Combine a conversation with a short structured form so answers can be compared over time. The value comes from aggregating themes across many exits and acting on recurring patterns — a single interview is anecdote; a tracked trend is actionable evidence.