The executive interview guide

1. Your motivation

Every interview eventually comes back to the same question: why this move, and why now?

Positive or negative impulse

A move can be driven by a new opportunity or by dissatisfaction with your current situation. If dissatisfaction plays a role, address it before the interview. Experienced interviewers pick it up immediately, and it affects how the rest of the conversation is received.

Realistic expectations

After seven years in a role, the wish for a new challenge is entirely understandable. A search for more recognition is a different matter. Recognition follows success, and success comes most naturally in a role that matches your core competencies.

Self-knowledge

Your core qualities are largely set. Experience refines them, but the foundation stays the same. The most effective route to success is to shape your environment around your profile: the people you work with and the responsibilities that suit you.

3. Questions to expect 

Most of these questions are predictable. Prepare them well, so your attention can go to the conversation itself.  

What do you already know about the company? 

This is where your research comes in first. 

Can you describe the common thread running through your career? 

This asks for a concise reflection on how your career has developed along a clear line. A chronological account of your CV misses the point. 

Describe your leadership style. 

“Situational” is a starting point. Expect follow-up questions and illustrate your answer with concrete examples. 

Why do you want to leave your current employer? 

Keep your answer forward-looking. Criticism of your current employer reflects on you. 

What sets you apart? 

Enthusiasm, drive, and the ability to bring people along are qualities every candidate at this level mentions. A quality you can substantiate immediately is more distinctive, for instance a habit of addressing difficult matters first. One well-defined quality, such as “tactfully authentic”, is what people remember. 

Describe a successful situation. 

Structure your answer along the STAR method: situation, task, action, and result. 

How does your experience match the vacancy? 

Select three themes that are topical for the company, such as commercial excellence or self-managing teams, and support each with an example from your own experience. 

At which other companies are you currently applying? 

Expect direct competitors among them and be prepared to explain the differences. More than three is hard to credit. 

What are your weaknesses? 

This question is often asked indirectly: “Which tasks should we not delegate to you?” Answers such as routine work or micromanagement are generic and reveal little. A more telling answer: “Anything that requires me to lie. My strength is my authenticity, delivered tactfully when needed.” Whether you call it a weakness or an area of development, name at least one that is relevant to the role. 

How do you deal with disappointment and criticism? 

Both are learning opportunities. Your ability to learn, more than your knowledge, determines your professional growth. 

How does AI affect your field, and how do you use it? 

Expect questions about the impact of AI on the company’s business model and on your own discipline, and be prepared to share examples from your own practice. 

Where does your motivation for this position come from? 

The deeper your motivation, the more convincing it is. Show how the organization and the role align with your values and interests, and where that conviction comes from.

5. Rehearsal

Record yourself answering the thirty questions below, review the recording, and repeat the exercise. It is an effective way to sharpen both your answers and your delivery.

1. If you could do one thing in your career differently, what would it be?
   
2. What reservations do you have about this role?
   
3. What do you want to have achieved two years from now?
4. Which leader has influenced you most, and how?
5. How would you describe the culture at your current employer?
6. What does success mean to you?
7. How do you deliver bad news?
8. How do you handle conflict?
9. How do you make decisions under pressure?
10. How do you deal with team members who undermine the collective?
11. What would your current manager say about you if we asked for a reference?
12. What do you look for when you hire?
13. Have you recently turned down an offer, and why?