Executive Job Interview Question Strategies

by Kimberlee Leonard
Confidence is often a sign of high potential in an employee applicant.


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The executive job market is a highly competitive arena, with most candidates possessing advanced college degrees and substantial on-the-job experience. Once your resume gets you in the door, you need to find a way to stand out during the interview process. Anticipating questions and developing a strategy on how to answer them will help ease the pressure of thinking on the spot and present you as a strong candidate for the position.

Practice for Standard Questions

Most executive job interviewers will ask similar questions, such as "Tell me about yourself," "What can you bring to the company?" or "What is your style of management?" Questions along these lines should be expected in any interview. Think about them before you walk in the door, and have answers that demonstrate your talents, skills and experience. Practice your answers in front of a mirror, or ask a friend to role-play in a practice interview. Work on being enthusiastic and not sounding as if the answers have been memorized.

Learn About the Company

As an executive, you are expected to walk into an interview with a solid and in-depth understanding of the organization to which you are applying. Use whatever means you have to learn what makes the company successful, what problems exist and what types of solutions you can bring to those problems and in what time frame. Your research may involve visiting stores, finding people to speak with who are in the company, doing Internet research or reading press releases, news stories and other public information you can find online. Plan on communicating what you've learned during the interview. If for some reason you are unable to conduct a lot of research before the meeting, prepare a list of intelligent and informed questions that you can ask during the interview.

Personal Goals

Very rarely is someone the ideal candidate. Most people are either underqualified or overqualified for the position. It is important to think about where you are on this spectrum before you go into the interview. If you are underqualified based on work experience, highlight those points about yourself that demonstrate what makes you a good candidate, along with your enthusiasm to work for the organization. If you are overqualified, highlight your loyalty and desire to work for high-quality companies with room for growth. Regardless of which position you are in, having well-thought-out answers should present you as the right person for the job, not as some random candidate.

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