Alli Peck explains why companies conduct exit interviews and what departing employees should know. Companies want to preserve your positive reference and check whether you're leaving angry enough to leak documents or sabotage. You're not obligated to disclose why you're leaving, so use that strategically.
Attending an exit interview does have one major perk if you want to get a reference from the company in the future. It's one way to leave a good taste in their mouth, so to speak. When you are leaving a company, of course you don't have to go to an exit interview. And if you do go to an exit interview, you don't have to tell them why you're leaving, because chances are they're not going to do a lot about it anyways. So what's even the point of an exit interview then? The company wants to make sure that you're not leaving angry. Because angry employees who quit at companies save documents and publish them. Or they might try and sabotage the company. And they know company secrets. They want to make sure you're not leaving angry. They will probably ask you questions like, why are you leaving? Where are you going next? You don't have to tell them anything. You can if you want. But if I've learned anything in my career, it's that knowledge is power. Use it wisely.
Change Your Career Without Leaving Your Job: Podcast Episode with Darcy Eikenberg
