Running head: EXIT INTERVIEWS FOR INTERNS 1

Exit Interview Suggestion Report

Christopher Kardos

Kent State University, Akron RubberDucks Intern

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Introduction

I have loved my internship here at the RubberDucks, I have learned a lot of valuable

information and made great connections. I am writing this paper as a suggestion for the

RubberDucks internship program to start doing exit interviews. Exit interviews are a great way

for the organization to get valuable feedback and for interns to get a sample of fulltime job

atmospheres via exit interviews. This report will go over why the RubberDucks should start

doing internship exit interviews and I will include a few sample questions in case they do start

doing these interviews, they will have a basic outline to go off of. This could be a great

development opportunity not only for interns but the organization as a whole.

Why Exit Interviews?

There’s a plethora of reasons of why the RubberDucks should do intern exit interviews.

The first main reason why it is beneficial is because it helps the company gain info from a non-

fulltime party. but it also benefits the intern in preparing for job interviews in the future.

According a Gradleaders.com blog by Ryan Pratt about intern exit interviews, “Understanding

and considering the intern’s perspective of their experience within your organization will enable

you to either make company-wide changes or continue doing the things that make your culture

so great” (Pratt, 2021.) Having a fresh perspective can really be eye opening for any company or

organization.

There are benefits for the intern in exit interviews too because of the interview practice in

a workplace setting. Obviously, for most collegiate interns this is their first sample of a

workplace organization outside of the average part time job. Internships give students that real

taste of fulltime organizations from the interview process, working with fulltime employees over

a course of a few months, and building those connections and bonds that a fulltime career job
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would build. Deadlines, daily goals, workplace communication are all things in the workforce

that are learned in internships, so why not exit interviews too?

Sample Questions

The same Pratt article also listed off a few sample questions. Any of the sample questions

from that article will be cited and any others will be cited from that article

1. “What were you expecting from this internship and were these expectations met?”

(Pratt, 2021.) This question will lead the intern to have some reflection on what they

really expected and it can give good insight on if the listed opportunities on any

"online job/intern search should be tweaked.

2. “How would you describe our culture?” (Pratt, 2021.) This allows an outside party to

give insight on what needs changed in the culture of the company.

3. “How did this internship help you prepare for future careers? How did it not?” This

can give good insight on what to keep focusing on for interns and what to change to

give them more experience.

4. “What would it take for you to work here in the future?” This can be reserved for

interns that management would see fit to work at the RubberDucks. But this can

potentially get employment for the intern and more workers for the organization.

5. “What is your best accomplishment during your time as an intern here?” (Pratt,

2021.) This can give interns some insight on things they really excelled at to put on

their resumes.

6. “What do we as an organization need to improve on?” This can fit into the culture

question, but not every issue is just culture. Sometimes it can be a simple fix that
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people in the organization have not had the time to question so a fresh perspective can

be eye opening.

Conclusion

These are just a few small examples of questions to have in an exit interview. There are

many more questions to ask I just wanted to give a few example questions. Every exit interview

is different depending on what the organization wants to get perspective on. Exit interviews are

extremely useful for the intern and the company alike; and I hope this may sway the

RubberDucks to do these interviews moving forward.

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References

Pratt, R. (2021, August 8). 6 reasons employers should conduct intern exit interviews and 12
questions to ask. Gradeleaders.com. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from
https://www.gradleaders.com/blog/post/6-reasons-employers-should-conduct-intern-exit-
interviews-and-12-questions-to-ask