> You can still provide very honest and valuable feedback when you exit a company, without being a jerk.
You could also spruce up the decor a bit before you walk out the door for the last time. But, why?
You could also spruce up the decor a bit before you walk out the door for the last time. But, why?
Perhaps feedback like "A lot of people are unhappy about X. If X continues, others may end up quitting as well" will cause them to actually do something about X.
Of course, if you're super cynical you could believe that they're just going to ignore your feedback. But this is why most exit interviews are done by HR and not your manager.
From the original article, I think this guy's approach is almost 100% wrong. There are a few things that are accurate - it's not a place to just rant or blow off steam. But it IS a place to be honest and provide constructive feedback. If there's something going on that you're unhappy about, bring it up. This paranoia about "it will stay in your permanent file" is just cowardly.
Of course, I've worked at places where, before my exit interview, people who are high up in the company (boss's bosses, etc) have always encouraged me to point out the things that can be improved.
Beyond those factors I am skeptical that it's worth worrying about whether a past manager will have anything bad or good to say about a person.
Even if the chance were worth considering, I think one would do better to view it as a negative signal if a company makes the decision to not hire based on one bad or negative reference. It means the company was looking for any excuse to not hire the candidate, and it seems very likely in that case there wasn't really a good fit. This of course assumes that negative experiences are (relatively) rare. There are people who just can't help but torch the place everywhere they go, but no advice really applies in such extreme cases.