Be fully prepared for your next executive interview.
Quite often I will speak to senior executive candidates who are unhappy with the way they interviewed with a company.
They were either not satisfied with their answers and/or were surprised by the questions that they were asked regarding specific skill set experience that they were not expecting to be relevant for the position.
Unlike manager level positions where answers are allowed to be less substantial as long as solid communication style, thought process and candidate potential is displayed, giving poor examples to interview questions at the senior level can be disastrous.
For senior executive roles the examples need to be more strategic in nature and display overall business leadership, vision, influence and an understanding of overall company integration.
The examples also need to be of more magnitude where there is a definite effect on the business of the company.
The best examples usually come at this level when they are tied to company sales.
Sales candidates tend to do well in executive interviews because company mandates and targets are ingrained in their daily activities.
Thinking in terms of sales is the easiest way to develop your examples for any questions.
Even if sales is not your background, senior executives who understand the sales relationship as it relates to all aspects of the company tend to be more successful in executive interviews.
A well rounded senior executive needs to be strong in the following areas.
These are all areas that are touched on in any executive interview despite being so broad so be prepared!
They areas are as follows:
1.Marketing – How have you led or interacted with marketing in order to deliver greater profits and drive more revenue?
2.Customer Service – How have you influenced a positive buying atmosphere for the company’s customers?
3.Information Technology – What is the vision or project that you helped initiate to help IT employees enable the sales process?
4.Project Management – This area is becoming more and more important as customers require more complex solutions rather than products or services from a menu. Even CPG companies are now being awarded the business despite not being a low cost offering so long as they can solve a unique customer problem.
Did you influence any processes to allow your company to be more attentive to the customers?
5.Production – This produces what the company is selling.
How have you made improved initiatives or developed contingency plans that made a difference in this area?
6.Training – The critical link in continued advancement.
Show specific examples of what you believe and how you put these beliefs into practice for the greater good of the company?
7.Administration – crucial for anything from to day to day efficiencies to handling legal matters.
What concepts have you implemented to streamline this area as oppose to creating more layers?
8.Accounting/Finance – This area is vital for building a return on investment strategy.
What are some examples of the strategic direction that you have given? How have you helped work with Finance in order to drive corporate mandates?
9.Executive Management – Vital for the overall alignment of the organization.
You better be able to explain with efficiency
examples on why you cleaned house and altered corporate structure when you took over your last position.
10.Human Resources – This is where the culture starts for the company which helps with retaining employees and maintaining competitiveness within the marketplace.
This is not a cost centre and you need to show that you understand this dynamic relationship.
If you have strong examples in all these areas you will be better prepared and will have a better probability of success in your next interview when it might lead off into an unexpected subject direction.
Farewell,
Mike