3 Interview Questions that Sort Executive Candidate’s Top Qualities

July 8, 2016  |  Posted by: Theresa Torseth  |  Comments: 1

Are you settled in your interview routine for recruiting executive candidates for jobs? By asking a few non-standard and less predictable interview questions, greater insight can be gained into the qualities offered by executive candidates and whether the personalities will be suitable for the current culture of the retaining firm.  Once you have specific information that provides a certain depth into this person before you, better hiring decisions can be made.

As a top executive recruiter in the northwest, I have found these three questions to be most useful:

1. What is it about the retained firm and the opportunity it offers that excites you about possibly joining their team?
   This is a great question to ask even before an executive candidate is brought in for a formal interview.  With the ease of point and click applications through search apps, there is a greater need than ever to weed out those who are clearly not a good fit for the retaining firm. An executive candidate that has done their homework and feels a connection with the firm will be able to quickly give a compelling reason why they want to be a part of the team. Additionally, this demonstrates desireable qualities of a top executive who was a bit more proactive because they did some pre-work. This is a “practice” that will probably be repeated in the execution of their job.
2. Have the candidate relax and open up by answering a few quick questions such as:
   
   “Where do you like to travel?”
   “What is your favorite city?” “Why?”
   “Tell me about what you like to do in your free time.”
   “What is your favorite book/movie/musician?”
   
   Quick direct questions show you how the executive candidate thinks on their feet. The questions are meant to be simple and not related to the position. The candidate’s responses will reveal how easily they interact. It also can show the genuineness of the candidate and their responses to other questions. This is an opportunity to make it a conversation and put them at ease while giving you additional information.
3. If I had a magical credit card that could buy you any skill or quality you do not already possess, what would you buy?
   Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, is core to a person’s success in a leadership role. A key indicator of EQ is self-awareness. And leaders who are self-aware tend to have more engaged followers. With all of us trying to do more with less, leadership is an important trait for employees to have at all levels.

Interviewing to discover critical information about an potential executive is an important topic. We will continue to look at the interview process to support your search for the top executive candidate for your firm.

Next time, we will look at a few more interview questions. We are curious about the questions you have found most helpful and encourage you to comment below.

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Theresa
Human Securities