SLLO In Action: Exit Interviews

They seem like such an easy concept yet when it comes to actually doing them, I’m a bit apprehensive.  Maybe I don’t want to hear what the student employee has to say.  Maybe they hated their job and now that they’re leaving, they will feel the need to unleash multiple semesters worth of pent up frustration.  I have a sensitive ego.  What can I say?  However, in conducting exit interviews for the past 3 semesters, I have actually learned quite a bit from my graduating student employees.  I learned our students want more to do than just to be an office lackey.  They get tired, I assume, of making copies for presentations or trying to figure out how to put restroom newsletters in the boy’s bathrooms without getting yelled at by the occupants.  Our students want responsibility.  They want to take on large projects where they can learn new skills.  And yes, they want to learn how to be leaders outside the classroom.  How has this new knowledge led me to be a better supervisor?  When I hire student employees, I ensure them this job is not just a job where they can surf Facebook or Twitter all day or where they can just sit and read history textbooks.  They will learn something at this job.  They will use their academic knowledge and finally, they will become leaders in the health field.  Am I still scared to do Exit Interviews?  Not even a little bit.  Bring it on.

- Rhonda Rahn