Ace Your Next Interview: The Executive Recruiter

My last two posts have been focused on preparation to help you with the experienced, highly competent interviewer, as well as the not-so-competent.   Whereas those posts were about interviews you might expect from the employer it makes sense to talk about the type of interview process you should expect from a third party Executive Recruiter.  It may be useful to talk about my process, which I believe to be fairly representative of our field.


Prior to introducing any candidate to my client I complete this three-part interview process:

• Preliminary conversation
• In-depth interview
• Follow-up conversation

The starting point for my search assignments is the Position Specification provided by the client.  This document is a combination of a traditional Job Description plus a description of the ideal candidate’s profile.  Additionally, the client often includes a list of personal attributes which they believe will ensure the best fit with their culture.  I use this document as my road map.  The candidates I consider must have backgrounds that match the client’s requirements.


The preliminary conversation is scheduled for 20 minutes.  During this time I work to ensure that the candidate’s expectations for compensation and job requirements are aligned with the client.  I want to know that the candidate will relocate if required.  I also want to understand the candidate’s motivation to consider the job in question.  During this time I am evaluating the candidate’s professional demeanor.  If the candidate passes muster during this process I will reveal the name of the client and send her relevant information, including the position specs.  I give the candidate time to do her due-diligence to ensure that this job fits her career goals.   If the candidate does not align properly we agree to end the discussion at that point.   I ask for permission to add her email address to my mailing list, keeping her advised of new opportunities as they develop.


When the candidate is ready to proceed we schedule the in-depth interview.  Depending on the location of the candidate this interview may be in person, or over the phone.  I allow 60 minutes for the in-depth interview.   The first half of our time is devoted to listening to the candidate present his history in his own way.   I want to understand the decisions he has made managing his career.  Why did he change jobs?  Why did he join a particular company?  What kind of experience was he looking for?  I want to understand his successes and challenges.  I want to learn about building and managing effective teams and employees he has developed for promotion.   Most successful people have given a lot of thought to their careers.  They know their strengths and weaknesses.  They understand their ideal type of work and corporate culture.  This insight is important to me!


During the in-depth, I am evaluating the candidate’s communication skills; specifically the ability to present their career story in a compelling way.  I want to be certain that the candidate’s communication skills fit the client’s expectations.   After all, effective communication is likely the most important skill required of a Senior Executive.  When the candidate is finished presenting his history I use the remaining time to gain clarification and complete housekeeping duties like recording a salary history.   If this conversation goes well then I advise the candidate as to when I plan to present his credentials.  If it does not go well I will let him know.


The follow-up interview is usually short, targeted to gain specific information to help me complete my candidate’s introduction to the client.  That introduction includes a point by point justification as to how the candidate meets the client’s requirements, as well as her resume.  There are other aspects to my candidate validation process which I will describe in next week’s post.

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Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.


Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com

Ace Your Next Interview: The Well-Trained Interviewer

Last week’s post was directed at helping you with an inexperienced, untrained interviewer.  Unfortunately, you are likely to meet those folks far more often than the experienced, well-trained interviewer.   The suggestions I provided last week are also useful when talking with a competent interviewer.   And let’s face it, you probably will not know in advance the competency of your interviewer so prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

Speaking of well-trained, highly competent interviewers, I can thank my colleague, Stan for this week’s topic.  When reviewing my post with Stan last week, he asked me what “knock-out” questions I used in my interviews.   I was confident that I knew what he meant, but just to be sure, I asked him for an explanation.  A highly useful interview question, I did not want to make any poor assumptions.   Stan told me that he used a few interview questions that if poorly answered would eliminate the candidate from further consideration.  He provided the following examples.

1.     If we hire you, what is your plan for the next 30, 60, and 90 days?

2.     Why should we hire you instead of the other highly qualified candidates in the queue?

3.     Why do you want to work here?

4.     What motivates you more, the thrill of winning or the fear of losing?

As it turns out, Stan and I were on the same page however, my methodology gets to the “knock-out” issue (suitability for the job) in a different way, which may become  another blog post.  These questions are meant to learn how the candidate will approach her work and how she might set priorities.   They surface issues which the candidate should have given serious consideration and preparation to discuss.  The response gives the interviewer insight into the candidate’s thought process.  Additionally, they help the hiring manager gauge the candidates’ interest level for the job in question.   Poor unfocused answers are a big red flag.  If the candidate has not given any thought to these questions then she is likely not a good fit for the job.  “Knock-out” questions help the interviewer validate the candidate’s Executive skills, (ability)  motivation ( interest level) and fit (cultural).

Executive Skills:

•  Strategic thinking
•  Goal Orientation
• Leadership ability
• Technical Proficiency

Motivation

• Self-awareness
• Personal drivers
• Career Goals
• Understands the job and expectations for success
• Is very interested in the job in question

Fit

• Understands and shares our values
• Belief in our product/service/mission
• Experience working in a similar culture

So, the “knock-out” question is meant to qualify/disqualify the candidate on the most fundamental issues of concern to any hiring manager.  A satisfactory answer does not mean that one will get the job.  It is the ante.  The price of poker, so to speak.  They are meant as a starting point to understand the three big questions on the mind of the hiring manager;  1) can he do the job, 2) will he do the job, and 3) will he fit our culture.

An executive recruiter begins with the same fundamental questions.  He may arrive as his answers in a different way, but the result is the same.  If you are not working through a third party recruiter you should give serious consideration as to how you answer these questions, as well.  It would be useful to talk with other experienced hiring managers to understand their knock out questions.

To be successful in front of an experienced interviewer requires preparation.  Give ample thought to the job you seek!  Know the kind of questions interviewers use to qualify candidates at the most fundamental level.   Preparation is the key to success in any endeavor.   Ace your next interview by developing great answers to the obvious ‘knock-out” questions.

Thank you for visiting my blog.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President

New Century Dynamics Executive Search

www.newcenturydynamics.com