What to expect from an exit interview

Q: I have just given my notice after working for seven years at my current company. I was told that I should schedule an exit interview with corporate HR. I have never participated in an exit interview. What does this typically entail? If I share concerns about my manager, do they remain confidential (staying only with HR) or are they shared with others? I may need him as a reference one day in the future.

A: Congratulations on a giving your current company a good run of time! Seven years is an admirable length of service in most industries.

Most companies conduct exit interviews with employees leaving the company for a variety of reasons. One reason is that they want you to understand how your resignation will affect your pay and benefits. Some companies also want to solicit your feedback on the role, work environment and supervision received.

Sometimes your final paycheck may not look like your regular paycheck. If you are owed vacation time or paid time off (PTO), you should understand how and when that will be paid out. Or you may owe your employer vacation or PTO that you used but did not earn.

When will your benefits will end? Will your medical benefits continue through the end of the month or on your last active day of employment? What about your 401k, life insurance, disability, tuition aid, or other benefits?

Access to computer systems, your building, your office may be discussed. Company keys, laptops, corporate credit cards may also be collected.

You will likely be asked some questions about your work environment, your role, your workload and your supervisor. It is up to you what to share and what not to share. Before sharing any controversial information, I would strongly advise asking who receives the results of your exit interview. It is important for you to know this before you begin sharing. You raise a valid point. Each company has their own process for sharing this information. Some companies share general themes with each manager. Some employers share very specific information with the thought that the employee is gone and the risk for any backlash is minimal. Ask before you share.

Some of the questions that you may be asked:
•Would you recommend ABC company to a friend as a place to work?

• Do you feel like you had the tools and resources to do a good job here?

• How would you describe the culture of your department? our company?

• Do you feel like your goals were aligned with the company goals?

• Did your role match your expectations?

• Was the workload reasonable?

• Were you treated fairly and reasonably? Were others?

• Why did you begin looking for a new job?

• Is there anything that I should have asked that I didn’t ask?

• Is there anything that you would like to share that we didn’t talk about?

Finally, a good HR representative will leave you with a business card in case there are any additional concerns which surface after the exit interview. You may also want to ask how reference calls are handled by your company.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

What do James Taylor and job hunting have to do with one another?

Q: I have applied and applied to one company. I have tried to submit a resume through a position posted online through an industry-specific website. I have submitted a resume through a posting on Linkedin. I have emailed my resume to their general careers site. I have not heard a peep back from a recruiter or a hiring manager. I feel like it gets stuck in a black hole. All I receive back is an automated response with a message that says something like “Thanks. We will call you if we are interested.” How do I get through to this company? I have a friend who works there. Do I contact my friend?

A: It seems what you are doing is not effective. You have applied several ways electronically with limited success. As James Taylor says (or sings), “You’ve Got A Friend” so let’s use your friend. Call your friend. Maybe this posting represents an old role that is already filled. Maybe the company is fishing for additional candidates but they have already filled the position with an internal candidate. Maybe they are looking at candidates but have been overwhelmed by the number of candidates who have applied. Maybe you are not qualified. Any of these might be an option. Your friend may be able to share some insight and have some inside information on the role. Your friend may also be willing to say yes to a request like the following: “I am really interested in pursuing opportunities at ABC Co. They are investing millions in XYZ therapies, an area of great interest to me. Do you think you might be willing to walk my resume down to one of the recruiters who handles the hiring for those areas? Or the hiring managers? Or both? If my resume came hand-delivered from you, that might make all the difference in the world.” Even if the role is filled, this might be a smart tactic. If the company is of great interest to you and is in hiring mode, there may be other opportunities soon becoming available.

When an employee takes the time to hand-deliver a resume to a recruiter or hiring manager, that action sometimes makes a difference. It can differentiate your resume from the hundreds streaming in electronically. The hiring manager may still want a copy electronically, but yours is now different because it was hand-delivered by an employee.

Friends matter. Good luck. Strong professional connections make a difference.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

Thank you mom!

Q: Last week I was interviewed for a role which wasn’t really for me.  The interviewer was wonderful though and spent an hour with me.  She was patient, kind and generous with her time.  Is it worth sending a thank-you note?  I can’t ever see myself working in the job, but maybe some day I could see myself working at that company.  Maybe.

A: My mother was right in so many ways. When she made me and my siblings shovel snow for our elderly neighbors and refuse any money they offered to pay us. I remember being ticked off at the time but now I get it. When she made us take in a neighbor’s Boston Globe if they were away on vacation. She told us it was being a good neighbor. When she made us write thank-you notes for gifts that perhaps were not to our liking. She explained a thank-you note showed that we were grateful for the gesture, and it was not just about the gift.

Write the note. This person gave you a generous gift – her time! So many of us are running 1000 miles per hour and struggle with focusing on the person in front of us. She gave you that gift of her time and her attention. This woman focused on you for that hour. Many of our doctors don’t even do that in 2016! She will never get that time back. She could have used that for other tasks like email, online shopping or a pedicure. She didn’t. She focused on you!

Show that you respected and valued her time.  Thank her.  Your actions will be memorable to her.  I remember those that thanked me for my time.  I remember those that didn’t too.

Writing a thank-you note has become a lost art.  I am glad I was taught by my mother early.  It has stuck with me many years later.  My mother was right.  Again.  Thank you mom for the valuable lesson!

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

FMLA and remote employees

Q: I have worked for a Boston-based company for several years. I live in western Mass and have lived here for over 10 years. I never considered it a big deal. However, now I am applying for a Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, which I desperately need. My HR Manager is saying that I am not eligible because I work more than 75 miles away from our main office in Boston and my work site has fewer than 50 employees. I work from a home office. I don’t get it. I never thought I would be stripped of benefits just because I work at home.

A: Let’s review the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Most employers, with over 50 employees, are required to offer FMLA to eligible employees. What makes an employee eligible?

– An employee has to have worked for 12 months for that employer,

– An employee has to have worked 1250 hours in the previous 12 months before the leave begins, and

– An employee has to work at a site with at least 50 other employees, within 75 miles.

Your HR Manager may be getting stuck on the third requirement. More and more of us are working remotely. Well, thankfully, the FMLA has shared some guidance on this third requirement as it relates to employees working from a home office. An employee’s personal residence is not a worksite. For employees who work at home, their worksite is the office to which they report and from which assignments are made. [29 CFR 825.111(a)(2)] In short, this means you should consider the Boston office your worksite for FMLA purposes, assuming you report into that office and receive work from the office.  If the Boston office has fewer than 50 employees, you may still be out of luck.  If they have 50 or more employees, you have a strong argument.

Share this information with your HR Manager. It may be a detail of the law which is unfamiliar to your HR Manager. Thankfully there is guidance available.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

Resume blunders

Q: I recently was told by a hiring manager my resume needs to be improved. What does that mean? Why would someone say that? I was given no specific comments.

I am not sure what your resume looks like, but let me share some tips which address common resume problems.

1. Different fonts and inconsistent spacing make resumes look sloppy. A resume with a consistent and legible font is easier to read. Spacing should also be easy to follow.

2. No typos allowed. You are not allowed to have typos or spelling errors. Have a few others review your resume to catch these mistakes. Sometimes we don’t catch our own errors.

3. Your contact info should be readily available at the top of your resume. Your name, address, phone numbers and maybe a URL for your Linkedin address. Don’t make it tough for a recruiter to track you down!

4. In addition to some of your responsibilities, think about what you accomplished in past role. An example: Hired 12 Ruby engineers at an average cost per hire of $6K. Or, worked on CRM implementation saving the company $100,000. Most recruiters like to see metrics on what you have achieved or what you have accomplished.

5. Grammatical errors are unacceptable. Know the difference between there, their and they’re and to, two and too.

6. Too dense or too much information. A resume should be, at most, two to three pages. My resume is just under three pages and includes lots of white space and font size 10. Remember, a resume is selected highlights, not every task you have ever completed. Search online using the term “sample resume” and many sample resumes will be found. It is sometimes helpful to review resume samples to think about new formats, wording or how to condense.

Lastly, when you have a final version ready, put it down. Don’t share it. Review it a day or so later with “fresh eyes” and confirm that it is the best version it can be.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

Frequency of performance feedback and evaluations

Q: How often do most employees receive performance evaluations? Is there a guideline? Also, I think everyone expects a raise but not everyone deserves one. What are your thoughts on this?

A: Employers can design their own performance management systems. Some may be very formal, with a detailed form (either paper or online) and specific criteria for a salary increase. Other companies choose to be more informal and share feedback, sometimes even just verbally, and award salary increases based on a number of factors. Some of the factors that I have seen companies use include individual performance, meeting individual, team or company goals, learning a new skill or taking on additional responsibilities. Sometimes companies set a profitability target and if that target is not met, employees receive a small increase or maybe no increase at all.

Most of my clients give performance feedback formally on an annual basis and more informally throughout the year. Employees are often eager to hear feedback and want to learn, grow and develop. Some employees are more resistant to hearing feedback. Employees who may show resistance, or even defensiveness, sometimes don’t receive honest and helpful feedback, because it is so hard to share information when the receiving party isn’t open to hearing it. We advise our clients not to hold onto feedback, but to share it regularly and informally. Don’t wait until the performance evaluation meeting that occurs once per year!

I believe all employees should be considered if a company is rewarding employees with salary increases. However, some employees, based on their performance (or other factors) should not receive an increase. When excluding an employee from a fairly widespread salary increase (or merit increase) program, the reasons should be clear, understandable and legally defensible.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section. 

Stand up and shake

Q: I have one year of professional experience. I graduated from a good college in 2015. I was recently given really harsh feedback from a recruiter. The recruiter told me I didn’t advance in the selection process with a local company because I didn’t stand, introduce myself and shake the hiring manager’s hand when she entered the reception area. Isn’t that a bit harsh? To be excluded because of that? It took so many steps to even land this interview.

A: Well, you have learned a valuable lesson. Always, always, always…. stand up, maintain good eye contact, extend your hand, smile and clearly state, “I am John Smith. I am pleased to meet you.” Ok, I am being quite literal, but this is required in most professional workplaces. This greeting sets the tone. You are perceived as either a professional or not. Because you did not perform the expected greeting, the hiring manager probably made a quick decision about you. The decision was likely based on your overly casual approach to the initial greeting. She may have assumed you were not professional enough. Thankfully, you can easily correct the way in which you greet someone. Some men mistakenly assume that they should address a woman differently in a professional setting. Sometimes they avoid the handshake. This is also a mistake.

If a religious or medical reason prohibits a candidate’s ability to shake hands, a candidate should explain this request simply and quickly. The candidate should still stand up and greet the hiring representative warmly, with a greeting like: “Hi. I am John Smith. I am sorry I am just getting over poison ivy so it is best if I don’t shake hands today. Thank you for understanding. I am glad to be here at ABC Company and eager to learn more about the position of credit analyst.”‘

The saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” is true. The clothing you choose for an interview counts. Your promptness counts. How you first greet the interviewer counts. How you interact with the receptionist even counts.

Take the feedback the recruiter shared and learn from it. Better to know this now than sometime in the future.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.