What do you do if you want to highlight your strategic planning expertise in an interview?

I generally prepare in advance to speak about past/current projects that relate to the interview topic. I define my role and summarize my tried and true methodology for strategic planning: defining the problem(s) that need solving; the overall goal(s) and measurable outcomes, challenges, prioritization, and implementation. I discuss lessons learned about myself and the team, and how my contribution helped the team to succeed. I also use the opportunity to show my time management, decision making and communication skills. If there is time, I invite the panel into the discussion by asking them questions of how they approach strategic planning. Key: use plain English so that everyone on the panel, can understand my story.

I would differentiate between tactical and strategic strategies to make sure that the interviewer and I were on the same page. Then I would illustrate how I had initiated a particular strategy and modified the tactical strategies to make sure that the strategic goal was obtained. Then I would wait for questions.

Having conducted interviews, some candidates share success stories, but often are not clear or precise about articulating the problem, their approach (strategic thinking) and the solution. The one conducting the interview should not have to struggle to connect the dots in the story. So while sharing success stories is valuable, a clear and succinct articulation is critical.

This is key to success in any interview, but coming prepared to share examples of strategic projects and achievements will help to emphasize your skills in this area. Whenever possible, quantifying successes is the best approach to articulating the value you created.

Discussing the overall thought process of how you completed a strategic planning exercise, overview of the challenge, gaps and what analysis was done to ensure you understood the issue at hand. Then, how you approached the problem based on your review and what solutions were implemented and what did your solution do the company ROI, demonstrating impact through returns or successful change management highlights your success and value as a strategic leader who is both goal-oriented and results driven.

In a recent interview, I highlighted my strategic planning skills by discussing practical tools like SWOT analysis and logic models. I explained how I used these methods to identify organizational strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. For instance, I shared a story about how a SWOT analysis helped my development team pinpoint areas for improvement and develop targeted strategies. By focusing on real-world examples, I demonstrated my ability to make informed decisions and drive success.

While having successes to share bolsters your confidence in an interview, sharing what has been learned along the way through failures and challenges shows that you are a leader who is accountable and vulnerable. Share the challenges, and highlight how you have learned from them. How has your strategic planning knowledge grown? How can you leverage that growth for mutual benefit in the new organization or role?

Depending on your prospective role in the organization, it may be beneficial to outline plans you have developed in support of an organizations overall strategy. For example, a marketing team leader would have reviewed the organization’s strategic plan, identified areas where the marketing team would contribute to success, and then build out their own team objectives, tactics and metrics from there. Of course considering the environment, market trends, etc. Showcasing this ability, even at a lower level in the organization will demonstrate to the interviewer that you have the skills to be a strategic addition to their team.