A painless exit.

Your last interview can be a good one

After a 13-year career at Johnson & Johnson, Janet Gayden decided to call it quits. Gayden, 36, was a finance manager for the corporation's subsidiary, Ortho Dermatological in Skillman, New Jersey. "I decided to leave because it was taking me too long to achieve my professional goals," says Gayden, who believes the company dragged its feet when it came to promoting African Americans in its finance divisions. Armed with the assistance of a headhunter, Gayden landed a position as a financial planning manager with Engelhard Corp. But before leaving Johnson & Johnson, Gayden chose to undergo the dreaded exit interview.

An entirely voluntary process, the exit interview is designed to help your former employer-to-be to ascertain the reasons behind your decision to leave (see "Kissing Your Employer Goodbye," Powerplay, October 2000). If you do decide to go through with it, experts suggest you go in prepared.

Skip Spriggs, vice president of human resources at Expo Design, a division of Home Depot in Atlanta, suggests writing a memo of key points you wish to address. These may include the reason(s) why you are leaving and suggestions that would create a better workplace environment for your successors.

Gayden arranged for a pre-exit interview with the company's senior management staff. "Meeting with senior management really prepared me for the interview. They questioned my reasons for leaving and asked if I had a negative experience that prompted me to leave," adds Gayden. She says these issues were addressed during the exit interview, along with ways the company could better retain its employees. Spriggs offers a few tips on how you can have a successful exit interview, if you choose to participate in one.

* Remain professional. You never know when you may need a reference from your former employer. When you leave your job, you want your employer to wish that you had stayed.

* If you don't have anything nice to say ... at least say it in a civil way. Avoid demeaning conversation about your employer. Be careful not to burn your bridge and refrain from bad-mouthing co-workers.

* Remember, honesty is the best policy. The information an employer gleans from its exit interviews is supposed to be used to improve the company. The company needs honest and meaningful feedback so effective changes can be made.

* Keep your opinions to yourself. Deal only with facts. When people share their opinions, they tend to get emotional. This can lead to negative remarks (see tip #2), which, of course, you want to avoid.

Remember, your exit interview should be a positive experience. It does not have to be hostile.