Exit interviews in New Zealand: what to say and what to leave out

What exit interviews are used for

An exit interview is a conversation, or sometimes a form, in which an employer asks why you are leaving and what could be better. Organisations use the answers to spot patterns: why people leave, which teams lose staff, what competitors are offering, and what would have kept someone.

They are not required. Employment New Zealand describes them as optional for employers, useful but not a legal step, and we found no official rule on whether you must take part. If it is held in work time before you leave, it is sensible to attend, but you can choose how much to say, and whether to do it in person or in writing. A written form gives you time to choose your words; a conversation lets you gauge the reaction.

Remember who is listening. It may be HR, your manager or a manager's manager, and notes may be kept on your file. Under the Privacy Act you can later ask for the personal information an employer holds about you, which can include notes like these, subject to limited grounds for withholding, but the safest assumption is that anything you say could be read by the people you are talking about.

Honest without being unemployable

You can be candid without burning a bridge. The difference is in how you frame it:

• Talk about situations and systems, not personalities. "Priorities changed often and it was hard to plan" lands better than "my manager was disorganised".
• Be specific and brief. One clear example is worth more than a list of grievances.
• Say what would help, not only what went wrong.
• Keep your tone even, even if you are glad to be going.

New Zealand is a small market. The person taking notes may one day be a colleague, a client or a hiring manager again, and your employer does not have to give you a reference unless it has agreed to. A calm, fair exit interview protects the good record you built.

The three things worth saying

If you only say three things, make them these:

1. The main reason you are leaving, stated simply and truthfully: a bigger role, better pay, a shorter commute, a career change.
2. One thing that would have made you stay, if there is one. This is the most useful answer an employer can get, and it may help the colleagues you leave behind.
3. What worked well. Name the parts of the job, the team or the training that were good. It is fair, it balances the rest, and it leaves a positive final note.

What never helps you

Some things feel satisfying in the moment and cost you later. Leave out personal attacks, gossip about colleagues, exaggeration, and anything you would not want repeated. Do not use the interview to air a formal complaint either. If there is a serious problem, such as bullying, harassment or unpaid wages, raise it through the proper process, in writing, and get advice. An exit interview is not the place, and the timing can make it look like a parting shot.

Avoid negotiating in the exit interview too. If you are open to a counter-offer, that conversation belongs with your manager before you finalise your resignation. Our article on how to resign in New Zealand covers the order of those steps.

Recording your own version of why you left

Write down, for yourself, why you really left: the reasons, the dates, and the parts of the job you were proud of. Future interviewers will ask, and a clear, consistent answer years later depends on a note made now. Ask for a statement of service before you go, which your employer should provide, and confirm who will act as your referee. Before your last day, check your remaining leave and final pay too; our guide to leave in New Zealand covers what is owed. Our article on handing over a job well covers the rest of your final fortnight.

In jobtracker.co.nz, when a job ends, Your Career keeps it with its dates, the reason it ended and your wins in it, and your notes can hold the fuller story. You can see how Your Career keeps a current job in the demo, which needs no account.

Leave with your own record