What an exit interview is

An exit interview is a structured conversation near the end of a role or engagement. It gives the organisation feedback about the participant's experience, working environment and reasons for leaving, so future practices can improve.

For an industry project, treat the conversation as both closure and a final service to the team that inherits the work.

Prepare before the conversation

Reflect on specific evidence rather than general feelings:

• what enabled the team to work effectively;
• what created friction, delay or rework;
• the strongest parts of onboarding, collaboration and support;
• what a new team should know immediately;
• one or two practical changes that would improve the experience;
• positive moments and major wins worth preserving.

Give honest feedback professionally

BetterUp's guidance is to be candid, specific and respectful:

• separate observations from assumptions;
• use concrete examples, dates or effects when they add context;
• describe the impact on the work, not a person's character;
• include positives as well as problems;
• offer a realistic recommendation for the future;
• use an even tone and consider how the feedback will be received.

Avoid exaggeration, vague hints, personal attacks, petty complaints and emotional unloading. The goal is useful learning, not a final argument.

A practical response shape

1. Observation — what happened?
2. Impact — how did it affect delivery, users or the team?
3. Learning — what became clearer?
4. Recommendation — what should be preserved or changed?
5. Ownership — what would you personally do differently next time?

Likely discussion areas

• onboarding and access;
• role clarity and team communication;
• mentor and stakeholder engagement;
• workload and decision-making;
• technical environment and handover;
• what helped or hindered high-quality work;
• recommendations for future student teams.

Source

• BetterUp — What to Say During an Exit Interview
• Week 12 Moodle section
• The historical Moodle Panopto item labelled Exit Interview was access-restricted when reviewed; the linked article and current Week 12 instructions are the usable sources.