One of the hardest challenges that you may face as an executive may not be in the boardroom, but instead on the ‘other side’ of the table in the interview room, as you go for your next big role. You need to impress your interviewer that you have the skills and ability to drive the organization forward, deliver results, as well as fit into their corporate culture.
I’ve compiled a list of top Executive Interview Questions to help you put your best foot forward in your next interview:
- Tell me about yourself. (Or similarly) Walk me through your resume.
- Tell me about an initiative that you conceived and were responsible for executing. What challenges did you expect and what challenges did you actually encounter? How did you overcome them?
- Tell me how you have created a shared purpose among people who initially differed in opinions or objectives.
- Tell me about the results you have achieved at your last two positions. How did you achieve them? What was the effect to the business?
- Give me an example of how you understand our business. Where do you think the growth areas are? Where do you think we can do better with customer experience?
- When was the last time you took a risk? What did you learn from it?
- Give me an example of when you pushed back, made some noise, offered constructive dissent.
- Tell me about a time in which you brought productive change to a company. How did you implement this change?
- In your previous roles, explain how you’ve embedded the company’s goals and vision into your employees.
- What constructive criticism have you received in the past that surprised you the most?
Tips to Ensure Interview Success
When coaching my executive clients, I focus on ensuring every interview answer is tailored to the targeted role and the needs of the organization. It is critical that you avoid the costly mistake of speaking in generalities. Instead, provide specific examples which highlight skills and experience relevant to the role.
As you prepare for your next interview, dig into your resume to identify your key accomplishments and successes related to the role you are interviewing for. Then, craft your interview answers to demonstrate you have a track record of success addressing the issues and problems related to the hiring manager’s needs.
Need More Interview Tips?
- Why Great Candidates Fail at Job Interviews
- Landing Interviews but not Job Offers? Conduct an Interview Audit
- Powerful Questions to Ask during your Job Interview
- Got a Skype Interview coming up?
Not landing interviews or getting job offers? Needing job search tactics and tools to get you noticed within your organization and beyond? Contact Joanne she can help you get the results you want.
Wishing you much career success!
Joanne Loberg
Certified Executive Coach & Internationally Certified Career Management Professional
JL Careers Inc
