Even the most seasoned professionals can feel intimidated when pressed to perform in an interview. That can translate into disinterest. Everyone should be a little nervous in the interview, otherwise it may be a red flag that you’re not even intrigued by the position or the company. To help those nerves and let your executive presence shine through, here are a few things to think about to help increase your executive interview success.
- Don’t Be Arrogant, Be a Leader: Just because you’ve reached the top of your game doesn’t give you the right to make others feel less important in your presence. Always be genuine and inviting. Give the recruiter and interviewer the respect they deserve and win them over by demonstrating how your leadership presence attracts followers and builds a cohesive team.
- Address Big Picture and Small Strategies: Changing management, re-organization, budget tightening and implementing strategic plans and visions are all going to be addressed in the interview. So be prepared to share your skills and experiences with these big picture items and how they will translate to your and the company’s success.
But don’t forget to share your attention to detail and your ability to employ small, thoughtful strategies that promote productivity every day. Take technology.
According to Harvard Business Review, one of the most frequently cited requirements for C-level executives was “technical skills—specifically, deep familiarity with the particular body of knowledge under their auspices, such as law, financials, or technology.”
- Admit Mistakes and Share Solutions: When asked about career misses or projects that went off track, be sure to finish with your strategic solution and corrective action you took, and admittedly the lessons learned. If you are not willing to be transparent, humble and take responsibility for the failure, then you’re letting your ego get in the way.
Instead offer a solid response to past “regrets” and how you actively contributed to the solution. For example: “We lost our biggest customer last year, but it gave us an opportunity to re-evaluate our sales initiatives and focus on our approach. As the leader, it’s ultimately my responsibility for this loss and the plan for recouping this hit. So, I leveraged insights that I gathered at a C.E.O. Roundtable, then led an overhaul of our sales and account management approach. I’m grateful to say this turnaround brought us an even larger customer base in the last quarter.”
How to Be Career Happy? Employ Executive Interview Success Strategies