APPRENTICE star and West Ham United vice-chair Karren Brady answers your careers questions.
Here, Karren gives her expert advice to a reader who wants to reveal why she left her job without burning bridges.
Q: I work for the NHS and have an exit interview coming up, as I’m moving to work in a different hospital.
I know this is my opportunity to be transparent with HR as to why I have chosen to leave, but I don’t want to burn any bridges.
There are many reasons why I’m quitting – including poor management, unprofessionalism and dishonesty among both my peers and superiors – but I’m worried it will come across as spiteful and my comments could get back to the people I worked with.
I don’t want it to jeopardise having a good reference should I need it in the future, too. Do you have any advice?
Vicky
A: If you’re attending an exit interview, you shouldn’t have to sugar-coat how you feel. Honesty is important – but how you express it makes all the difference.
The goal is to be professional, measured and constructive, not emotional or accusatory.
Avoid using overly charged words like “unprofessional”, “toxic” or “dishonest”.
Instead, describe behaviours or patterns that can be addressed constructively.
For example, rather than pointing to issues with specific managers, you might say: “At times, I felt there was a lack of clear direction and consistency, which made it difficult for the team to feel supported and confident in priorities.”
That still tells the truth, but in a way that HR can act on.
Frame your points around the impact it had on your experience and ability to perform to the best of your capability.
Balance your feedback by also highlighting what you valued about the role or workplace, including the skills you developed, the people you enjoyed working with and the positive experiences you’ve had.
Finally, don’t hesitate to ask for confidentiality regarding what you share.
- Got a careers question for Karren? Email bossingit@fabulousmag.co.uk.
