Executive job interviews can be stressful for many job seekers.
The best way to alleviate that stress is by being well prepared, and as ready as possible for whatever they throw at you.
This post is part of a series of posts that include the FAQs I most often get from my clients. Here are the other topics:
- Personal Branding
- Online Reputation Management
- Executive Resumes
- Executive Job Search, in general
You’ll find links to all of them below.
Executive Job Interview FAQs
When I’m coaching clients on job interviewing, they have all kinds of questions for me.
Over the years I’ve kept track of some of the more pressing ones, and here they are, with the way I typically answer them.
“I’m not getting many interviews. What am I doing wrong?”
Ideally before your job interviews start, you should get things in order to present yourself in the right way to attract more opportunities:
- Create an executive resume that showcases your personal brand and other good-fit qualities for the employers you’re targeting.
- Build an online presence that promotes your good-fit qualities, and will make you visible and findable to executive recruiters and other hiring professionals.
But don’t do either of these things before you work on:
- Targeting specific employers
- Researching what specific things you can help them with
- Defining your personal brand around the specific things that make you a good hiring choice.
These things help you create a resume and LinkedIn profile that will differentiate you and resonate with the employers you want to work for.
You’ll note that being specific is paramount.
If you’re not specific in every way possible, you’re likely to be part of the sea of sameness that most executive candidates fall into.
Read more in my article, 10 Best Ways to Get More Executive Job Interviews
“It’s been so long since I interviewed I don’t know any more what the typical questions I’ll be asked are.”
If you’re not able to answer the basic questions, like “Tell me about yourself”, it will be difficult to position yourself as a good fit.
Having answers at-the-ready for a variety of questions makes you better able to tackle the harder questions that come out of left field.
Remember that at the executive level, interview questions will probe more specifically how you’ll perform in the job. Interviewers want to know about:
- Your problem solving skills
- How you’ll navigate unpredictable challenges
- The traits you bring to the table that predict you will be successful in the role.
Executive interviews, in general, are about:
- Positioning yourself as a good hiring choice
- Helping employers envision you on the job, contributing to the company’s success
- Helping you with your due diligence for the job and the company
Read more in my article, 31 Common Executive Job Interview Questions and How to Best Answer Them
“I’ve only done a few virtual job interviews and I’m not very good at it. What do I need to know?”
Virtual job interviews are here to stay because they’re a more cost effective and efficient way to conduct interviews.
You’ll need to be up-to-snuff on using this and other technologies for your job that you may be unfamiliar with.
Performing well in these kinds of interviews positions you as savvy with the new world of work, and ready to hit the ground running.
Here are some of the ways to prepare:
- Test your technology
- Check your WiFi
- Listen to your voice
- Get used to smiling a lot
- Record yourself
- Show up a few minutes early
Read more in my article, Nail Your Virtual Job Interviews – Things You Need To Know and Do Well
“I get so nervous and fidgety in job interviews. It keeps me from performing well. How can I stay calm and focused?”
Power posing right before entering the job interview has been shown to improve performance.
That is, adopting stances associated with confidence, power and achievement — chest lifted, head held high, arms either up or propped on the hips.
And your body language in the interview can have a dramatic impact on how you are perceived.
Practice some of these things before your interviews to become comfortable with them:
- Display an open and confident body posture
- Watch how you place and use your arms and hands
- Convey confidence with the right hand and head gestures
And don’t forget the secret weapon for job-winning in-person and virtual interviews: SMILING
Read more in my article, Power Posing and Body Language in Job Interviews
“I’ve been in interviews where I ignored what I can now see were big red flags. What are some of the more glaring ones I should look out for?”
Remember that interviewing is a two-way street. You should be assessing them just as much as they assess you.
Along with the research work on the company you did in your interview prep beforehand, the interview itself will help you fill in gaps for your due diligence into whether this company is a good fit for you.
Doing your due diligence means asking the right questions and paying close attention to the words and actions of each person who interviews you for signals.
Here are a few red flags to watch out for, according to Rebecca Zucker, founding partner at Next Step Partners:
- Constant rescheduling and disorganization
- Disrespecting others
- Values conflict
- Lack of clarity or consistency in answers to your questions
- Bait and switch
- Inappropriate questions or comments
Read more in my article, 20 Job Interview Red Flags You Shouldn’t Ignore
“I know I need to ask some questions in my interviews, but I don’t know what the best ones are.”
Are you prepared to ASK intelligent questions, to position yourself as someone extremely interested in the organization?
After all, the interview process is all about you and the company assessing each other for good fit. As I said, this is part of your due diligence. Now is the time to find out if this job and company are really right for you.
It’s okay to bring a written list with you for reference, but review your questions several times in advance. If you can ask some of them without referring to your written list, you’ll come off as well-prepared.
Here are some typical questions to ask interviewers:
- What does your best-fit candidate look like?
- Why is the position open?
- What responsibilities in this job are really going to define success for this person?
- What skills and qualities will be most important in this position?
- If there’s a job description, may I see a copy of it?
- What will my first assignment be?
- What are the prospects for growth and advancement?
- [If this is a short-term consulting gig] How long do you expect the project to last?
- Any major changes coming internally that I should know about?
- Where do you see this division/company in the next five years?
- How can I demonstrate that I’m a good fit for this position?
- What do you (the interviewer) like and not like about working here?
Read more in my article, Executive Interview Questions: What Should YOU Ask?
“I’ve heard about informational interviews. What exactly are they, and how do they fit into job search?”
Informational interviews are ones that you pursue yourself, to learn more about your target companies, which again, is part of your due diligence.
They are informal conversations with people working at the companies and in the fields in which you want to work, or people who are within a few degrees of separation from them.
This is not a job interview and these people do not hold the reins on any particular jobs, so asking for a job is never part of the conversation.
Once you’ve set up (probably virtual) meetings with the people you want to have these conversations with, prepare questions such as these suggested by job search expert Hannah Morgan:
- Did anything surprise you about working in your role or in this industry?
- What does a normal day look like for you?
- What types of decisions are most important for someone in your role?
- What made you want to work in this industry?
- Have you found it difficult to maintain a healthy work/life balance in this industry?
- Are you involved with any notable projects you can tell me about?
- What part of your work is the most rewarding?
- What do you like least about your job?
- What is the most challenging thing about your job?
- Do you have any unconventional skills or experiences that help you today?
- What is the company culture like?
Read more in my Guide To Informational Interviews for Executive Job Search
More Executive Job Search FAQs
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Personal Branding FAQs for Executive Job Search
Online Reputation Management FAQs for Executive Job Search