Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
Business Plan Writer & Financial Projections
What Questions Should You Ask in an Exit Interview?
The Person Walking Out Knows Exactly Why.
A good employee hands in notice. You thank them, wish them well, and start hiring. You never ask why they are leaving, so the next person leaves for the same reason. This guide lays out which exit interview questions to ask and what to do with the answers. It is the same approach business consultant Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA, uses with clients.
Last Updated: 11/08/2026 · Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
The Definition
What Is an Exit Interview?
Short Answer
An exit interview is a short, calm conversation with an employee who is leaving, to learn honestly why they are going and what the business could do better. It is held before their last day, without arguing or persuading, and the answers are written down and reviewed for patterns across departures.
Exit interview = a calm setting + a few open questions + listening + writing it down + acting on patterns
Doctor Owl, in Plain English
“She will tell you why, if you ask and then stay quiet. Nobody else is going to.”
How This Guide Works
Need the answer fast? Read the Short Answer above and the numbered steps. Want the full picture? Follow Beatrix, a bee who makes honey and candles from Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School Series, as her best worker leaves and nobody asks why. Her story shows up in a few short gold notes along the way. The math sits in one section, clearly marked.
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Meet Beatrix: A Bee Who Never Asked
Some lessons stick better as a story. Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School Series teaches business through a forest full of small business owners. Doctor Owl, a dry-witted consultant who lives in the Lone Oak, helps them fix the same problems real owners face.
Today he hears from Beatrix the Bee, whose best worker, Juniper, has left the honey house for a competitor down the coast. Three helpers have gone since midsummer. Beatrix assumes it is the money. She has never asked any of them.
Why It Matters
Why Do Exit Interviews Matter for a Small Business?
When someone leaves, most owners assume the reason: more money, a better offer, a move. They rarely ask. So the real reason, a schedule, a manager, a promise never kept, stays hidden and drives the next departure.
An exit interview is the cheapest research a business can do on its own retention problems.
In the Fabled Forest
Beatrix kept a slate of who had gone: three since midsummer. Doctor Owl pointed out that the count showed they were leaving, but not why. She had never asked a single one.
What to Ask
What Questions Should You Ask in an Exit Interview?
- What made you start looking? The first reason is often the real one.
- What did we do well? So you know what to protect.
- What would have made you stay? Specific and actionable.
- Was there a moment you decided? Often a single event.
- What should I know for the next person? An open door for anything else.
In the Fabled Forest
At the competitor’s company, the five creatures hired in July left one by one. A manager named Rae wrote each one down, with no reason beside any of them, because nobody asked. When Juniper later gave her notice there, Rae became the first person at that company to ask why.
Use It
What Do You Do With Exit Interview Answers?
Write each answer down and read them together every few months. Look for repeated reasons: a schedule, a supervisor, a lack of growth, a pay gap. One answer is a story. Three is a pattern.
Then fix the pattern for the people who are still there, and ask them directly with a stay interview. Track the change in turnover.
In the Fabled Forest
Beatrix did not bring a bigger number. She brought the apron Juniper had left behind and the sheet of what the job offered, with two new lines added. Juniper came back to the honey house.
The Numbers
What Did Not Asking Cost?
Here are the departures in two businesses, and how many were asked why.
| Business | Left | Asked why |
|---|---|---|
| Honey house, since midsummer | 3 | 0, until Juniper spoke up |
| Coast company, hired 5 in July | 5 | 0, until Juniper |
Step 1: The count. Eight departures across two small businesses in a few months.
Step 2: The information gathered. None, until one person was finally asked.
Step 3: Your version. For every departure last year, write down the reason you know. If most say unknown, start exit interviews this month.
Illustrative numbers from the book.
Step by Step
How Do You Run an Exit Interview?
Four steps, about twenty minutes.
Schedule it before the last day.
A calm time, privately, not during the rush.
Ask a few open questions.
Why they started looking, what would have kept them, what you did well.
Listen without arguing.
No counteroffers, no defending. Write it down.
Review answers every few months.
Look for patterns and fix them for the people who stay.
In the Fabled Forest
Doctor Owl’s point to Beatrix was simple: the numbers show people are leaving, and asking shows why.
Beatrix’s Full Story
Why Did Juniper Really Leave?
This page gives you the short version. The book gives you the whole autumn: a slate with three names, five empty stools down the coast, a manager who finally asked, and an apron three sizes too big.
Every chapter of Human Resources for Small Businesses works the same way. One owner, one problem, one real idea you can use on Monday, plus a one-page worksheet to do it.
A Business Consultant’s View
What Would a Consultant Look For Across Exit Interviews?
Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA · Business Consultant
Across exit interviews, Dr. Paul looks for the same reason appearing more than once. One person leaving over a schedule is personal. Three people leaving over the same schedule is a system problem the owner can fix. He also notes when departures cluster under one supervisor, in one role, or in the first ninety days, because each pattern points to a different fix. Most small businesses have enough departures in a year to see a pattern, but almost none write the reasons down. Starting that habit is often the single most useful retention step an owner can take.
FAQ
What Gets Asked Most About Exit Interviews?
What questions should I ask in an exit interview?
Should the owner do the exit interview?
What do I do with exit interview answers?
Keep Going
More on Why People Leave
This term comes from Book 8, Human Resources for Small Businesses. New to a term on this page? Every one is in the human resources glossary.
Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA, business consultant and author with 14+ years of experience and 1,000+ clients served. Hiring, paying, or managing a team and want a second set of eyes? See business consulting and prices.
This page is for general educational purposes only. It is not legal, financial, employment, or other professional advice. Figures are illustrations. The Fabled Forest and its characters are fictional. For decisions about your own business, consult a qualified professional.