[?] Subscribe To This Site

Executive Job Interview . . . The Climax of the Job Search Process

Assuming you have been through the exercises to build your Accomplishments Library, documented your core competencies, arrived at your Qualification Statement and sent your Letters of Introduction, you know that no single one of these steps gets you a job. Nor does your resume, no matter how perfectly structured it may be. Everything you have done to date has one purpose . . . to get you the Executive Job Interview. That’s the crucial opportunity you have been working towards.

If you have worked diligently to arrive at this point you have a considerable investment in the interview. Counting your time, opportunity cost and materials, this could easily total several hundred dollars. But that is a small sum compared to the potential that lies ahead. The Executive Job Interview you’ve prepared for could be worth a million dollars or more. But, don't let that intimidate you.

With Thorough Preparation and Practice You Will Overcome Any Fears.

The ideal Executive Job Interview is a conversation . . . not an interrogation. There is a lot you can do to shape the nature of any interview and it’s to your advantage to do so. Building your Accomplishments Library provides you with a solid foundation for guiding the interview as well as creating the opportunity for an interview in the first place.

Whether you are on an information interview or the final executive meeting, the stakes are always high.

And this is precisely why thorough and proper preparation is so important. Because you have so much riding on the Executive Job Interview, if you haven’t done everything you should (or could) to properly prepare, you’re dealing yourself a potentially losing hand. Remember our motto here:

It’s not always the most qualified person who gets the job . . . it’s the candidate who is best prepared!

Often it’s the little things that make the difference in the decision to hire one person over another. We maintain that some of these “little things” are really much bigger than you may realize. It’s a well-known “secret” that something like 70% of executive and management-level job offers are made largely from the hiring manager’s “gut feel” rather than as the result of careful-vetting. (A recent article in Harvard Business Review validated this with results of a survey.) But, too many job candidates misread this information. They rely on their "charm" to carry them through the Executive Job Interview. Not a good decision.

You Must Make It Easy for a Hiring Executive to Make The Critical Decision.

That means there is a lot riding on the “chemistry” of an interview. Here are some things you could (should?) have done prior to meeting with a prospective employer:

Document your Accomplishments, complete with impacts, and assemble them into a library.
Solve your immediate income problems and realistically face other challenges.
Analyze your Core Competencies and focus them on your desired job target.
Hone your Qualification Statement/s to marry your skill with positions you are seeking.
Build a “modular” set of Resumes to fit the various positions in industries you are targeting . . . and choose your Accomplishments carefully as you include them.
Do your “marketing” homework by researching industries and specific companies.
Set up your home office, phone, fax and voice mail to project professionalism.
Set up your stationery, business cards, computer software and formats for “sales” impact.
Begin rebuilding and adding to your Professional Network.
Seek out people who will grant you “Informational Interviews” and provide leads.
Learn the negotiating skills you will need to arrive at acceptable compensation.
Build your Personal Marketing Plan and begin executing it systematically.

Once you have done all of this, you are really prepared for the all important Executive Job Interview. Knowing that you have done all you can to prepare will build your self-confidence and it will show in your demeanor. And that is hard to put a value on. Maybe it’s one of those “little things” that make a big difference. And, because this point is perhaps the single most important point to be made about interviewing, it bears repeating here. . .

Executive hiring decisions are made based on “gut feel!” Call it rapport, charisma, simpatico or divine inspiration, the issue is well known among HR professionals.

Think about that. Does it mean that your accomplishments and other credentials don’t really matter? Of course not. They do matter and they are often the keys to getting the interview. In theory, you won’t get to that critical decision point if you’re not qualified for the position. And, in fact, they play a strategic role in helping you guide the interview. Your Accomplishments set the stage for a meaningful conversation that establishes your value, as a leader and as a person who makes important decisions.

The Shrewd Candidate Will Make Absolutely Certain His or Her Credentials Are Established Before Accepting a Job Interview.

That is one reason why the HR Department or a professional search firm will go to such pains to vet an applicant before they let them get to the executive suite. The executive making the hiring decision is likely not trained as an interviewer and will either like you or not, feel comfortable entering into a working relationship with you or not. If you are smart, you won’t go on any important Executive Job Interviews before doing your homework . . . thoroughly and professionally!

By “previewing” your skills and accomplishments in letters, emails, etc. you are laying the groundwork – minimizing the chances of any “lingering doubts” -- for a more comfortable interview and making it easier for the interviewing executive to make a timely decision.

For more on preparing for Executive Job Interviews...

Informational Interviews

Telephone Interviews

Preparing for the Interview

Using Your Accomplishments to Guide Interviews

Researching Prospective Employers

Negotiating Compensation and its companion worksheet Negotiations Checklist

Return from Executive Job Interview to Job Search Training home page.