# Build an exit interview guide and track themes over time

Creates exit interview questions that get candid answers plus a simple coding scheme to spot patterns across leavers.

- Topic: HR & Hiring
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Leadership, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/build-an-exit-interview-guide-and-track-themes-over-time

## Prompt

```text
Help me improve our exit interviews.

**Who conducts them:** [HR / skip-level manager / third party]
**Format:** [live conversation / survey / both]
**What we want to learn:** [e.g. why people leave, manager issues, pay competitiveness, where they're going]
**Past exit notes or survey responses (optional):** [PASTE, anonymized]

Give me:
1. **Interview guide** - 12-15 questions in a logical flow: opening, reason for leaving, the real trigger moment, manager and team, growth, pay and benefits, what would have kept them, what to keep doing, close. Include follow-up probes for vague answers ("better opportunity").
2. **Setup tips** - timing (last week vs. after departure), confidentiality wording, and how to get candor.
3. **Coding scheme** - 8-12 reason categories with clear definitions, primary vs. contributing reason, regrettable vs. non-regrettable flag.
4. **Tracker columns** for a spreadsheet (date, team, manager, tenure band, primary reason, contributing reasons, would return, key quote).
5. **If I pasted past data:** themes ranked by frequency, by team where patterns appear, with representative anonymized quotes, and 3 actions worth testing.

Rules: protect anonymity in small teams (do not report groups under 5), and do not invent percentages - if data is thin, say so.
```

## What to fill in

- HR / skip-level manager / third party
- live conversation / survey / both
- PASTE, anonymized

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.