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An executive recruiter has invited you to interview for a senior management job that sounds like an excellent next step in your career. The only thing that stands between you and the job in question is the job interview. Your career has already impressed the recruiter, but when it comes to executive roles, stakes are higher and the job interview is your best and only chance to seal the deal. There are several things you need to do to prepare.
First, learn as much as you can about the company -- facts, culture, executives' management style -- and about the recruiter conducting the job interview. Knowing the challenges the company is facing can help you decide which of your personal strengths and career milestones to emphasize during the interview. It also indicates initiative and readiness to tackle these challenges head-on. Be prepared to let the recruiter know that your experience in executive roles aligns well with the company's needs and to illustrate this with specific examples and ideas that will add value to their business.
The executive recruiter will want to know about your management style, so think about all its advantages and be ready to discuss them. Also think about any possible shortcomings and corrective measures you needed to take in the past. Most importantly, present yourself not as a job candidate but as a solution to the business challenges the company has yet to overcome and as a senior manager who will achieve the company's strategic goals and lead the business to success.
The trickiest questions will be those concerning your failed projects in your career as an executive. The worst thing you can do is get defensive about them or tell the recruiter that you had somehow seen the problem coming, but did not act on it. Just be honest and change the focus of the conversation from the project failure to the actions you took to fix things and the positive results of your actions - minimizing loss, retaining the client, finding a new business opportunity, etc. This will inform the recruiter that you take the proactive approach to problem solving instead of dwelling on an issue or trying to assign blame to someone or something else.
When looking to fill an executive level job, the recruiter will inevitably look for leadership skills. If you are a compelling speaker by nature, you should not have any problems in this department. If you are not, try to talk about your experiences in ways that will engage the person interviewing you in the conversation instead of simply laying out the facts and numbers. For the executive recruiter to see you as the ideal candidate for the job, he/she must walk away knowing that you have the ability to engage and inspire the people who work for you.
In the end, you will likely be given a chance to ask any questions you may have. Always take the opportunity to express a healthy dose of interest in the company, but steer clear of things you could easily find out on the web. The questions can relate to anything, from the qualities they are looking for in a manager, the business challenges you would be handling first if hired, to the areas in which they feel you could contribute the most, what the next step after the job interview is, and so on. The important thing is to project enthusiasm for joining the firm and confidence in your abilities as a business leader. If you have those two covered, the job offer is probably already on the way.
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