Learn how to prepare, conduct, and evaluate interviews for senior or executive roles. Discover tips to assess skills, experience, fit, and potential.

Assess Strategic Thinking: Ask questions that gauge the candidate’s ability to develop and execute strategic plans. Explore their experience in leading organizational change, setting long-term goals, and managing large-scale projects. Evaluate Leadership/Management Skills: Use behavioral questions to understand their leadership style, decision-making process, and ability to manage diverse teams. Discuss their track record in fostering team development, resolving conflicts, and driving performance. Focus on Cultural Fit/Vision: Explore how the candidate’s values, vision, and leadership approach align with the company’s culture and strategic objectives. Assess their ability to contribute to and enhance the organization’s mission and values.

Last updated on Jul 23, 2024

How do you interview candidates for senior or executive roles?

Interviewing candidates for senior or executive roles can be challenging and rewarding. You need to assess not only their skills and experience, but also their fit with your organization's culture, vision, and goals. How do you prepare, conduct, and evaluate interviews for these high-level positions? Here are some tips to help you succeed.

Key takeaways from this article

Evaluate leadership skills:

During interviews, ask about past experiences that showcase how candidates have led teams, resolved conflicts, and driven performance. Their stories will reveal their leadership style and effectiveness.
Assess strategic thinking:

Inquire about the candidate's approach to developing strategies and managing significant projects. Their responses will offer insights into their ability to steer your company towards long-term goals.

This summary is powered by AI and these experts

1 Define the role and criteria

Before you start interviewing candidates, you need to have a clear and realistic picture of what the role entails and what you are looking for. What are the main responsibilities, challenges, and expectations of the position? What are the essential and desirable qualifications, skills, and competencies? How will you measure the performance and impact of the role? Define the role and criteria in a detailed and consistent way, and communicate them to all the stakeholders involved in the hiring process.

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Jason Matuska, PRC, CDR, CIR, ACIR, CSMR, CTR, CSSR

Senior Technical Recruiter @ Amogy | Advanced Certified Internet Recruiter
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Assess Strategic Thinking: Ask questions that gauge the candidate’s ability to develop and execute strategic plans. Explore their experience in leading organizational change, setting long-term goals, and managing large-scale projects. Evaluate Leadership/Management Skills: Use behavioral questions to understand their leadership style, decision-making process, and ability to manage diverse teams. Discuss their track record in fostering team development, resolving conflicts, and driving performance. Focus on Cultural Fit/Vision: Explore how the candidate’s values, vision, and leadership approach align with the company’s culture and strategic objectives. Assess their ability to contribute to and enhance the organization’s mission and values.

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Marc Hammer

LinkedIn Top Voice | Executive Search - Digital & Tech | Interim Management | Leadership Advisory | Board Members
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Executives have a lot of impact on your company. Therefore, consider incorporating a „future-focused“ perspective in defining the role. Assess not only how the candidate fits the current needs but also how they can drive future growth and adapt to evolving industry trends.

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2 Plan the interview process

The interview process for senior or executive roles should be structured, rigorous, and fair. You need to plan the stages, methods, and questions that you will use to evaluate the candidates. Depending on the role, you may want to include phone screens, online assessments, panel interviews, case studies, presentations, or role plays. You may also want to involve different people from your organization, such as senior leaders, peers, direct reports, or external partners. Plan the interview process in advance, and make sure that everyone is aligned and prepared.

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Marc Hammer

LinkedIn Top Voice | Executive Search - Digital & Tech | Interim Management | Leadership Advisory | Board Members
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As an assessment method, you cloud incorporate a „reverse interview“ stage, where candidates are encouraged to question the interviewers about the company’s strategy, culture, and challenges. This can reveal their critical thinking and engagement with the role.

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3 Ask behavioral and situational questions

Behavioral and situational questions are effective ways to assess how candidates have handled or would handle specific scenarios related to the role. Behavioral questions ask candidates to describe a past experience where they demonstrated a certain skill or competency, such as leadership, problem-solving, or communication. Situational questions ask candidates to imagine a hypothetical situation and explain how they would approach it, such as a crisis, a conflict, or a change. Ask behavioral and situational questions that are relevant, realistic, and challenging, and use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to evaluate the responses.

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Marc Hammer

LinkedIn Top Voice | Executive Search - Digital & Tech | Interim Management | Leadership Advisory | Board Members
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Balance these questions with discussions around their vision and innovation capabilities. Asking how they would implement new strategies or foster change can provide insights into their leadership style and creativity.

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4 Probe for fit and potential

Besides assessing the candidates' skills and experience, you also need to probe for their fit and potential with your organization. Fit refers to how well the candidates align with your organization's culture, values, and vision. Potential refers to how much the candidates can grow, learn, and contribute to your organization's future. Probe for fit and potential by asking open-ended questions that explore the candidates' motivations, aspirations, strengths, and weaknesses. Listen carefully to their answers, and look for evidence of passion, curiosity, adaptability, and resilience.

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Marc Hammer

LinkedIn Top Voice | Executive Search - Digital & Tech | Interim Management | Leadership Advisory | Board Members
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Explore their ability to be a „cultural add“ rather than just a „cultural fit“. This means assessing how their unique perspectives and experiences can enrich your company culture and drive innovation

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5 Follow up and provide feedback

After each interview, you need to follow up and provide feedback to the candidates and the stakeholders. Follow up with the candidates by thanking them for their time, informing them of the next steps, and answering any questions they may have. Provide feedback to the stakeholders by summarizing the main findings, strengths, and areas of improvement of each candidate. Use a rating system or a scorecard to compare and rank the candidates based on the role and criteria. Follow up and provide feedback in a timely, respectful, and transparent manner.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you interview candidates for senior or executive roles?

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1 Define the role and criteria

2 Plan the interview process

3 Ask behavioral and situational questions

4 Probe for fit and potential

5 Follow up and provide feedback

6 Here’s what else to consider

Corporate Recruiting

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