Do the peacock prance!
It is not a new dance move… but I do advocate that - if you have it, flaunt it!
Senior leadership interviews can be a long and gruelling process, and success boils down to stamina and a good dose of self-awareness. A recently concluded Regional CEO hire we worked on took 7 months to complete (we have seen longer!!) with 8 rounds of interview and a leadership profiling test.
But fret not, here’s what to take note to swing the game to your side:
1. Take control of the reins – It is important to be clear about your personal branding, so do find opportunities to take control of the interview and sell success stories that would be intriguing to your interviewer to support that. It could be building a business from scratch in a competitive market or leading an end-to-end M&A process from target identification to deal completion. The STAR (Situation Task Action Result) format is a good one to bear in mind - using specific examples to showcase your achievements, describe the actions you took and finally the impact this had on your organisation. This will paint a vivid picture of your personal brand to the interviewers.
2. Ask for a copy of the test results – The never ending multiple choice questions you completed were not done in vain. The report is an important element in the decision process. We have seen several strong candidates being dropped as the findings weren’t in line with the expectations of our clients. However, the saving grace is that we have yet to see a client deciding just by the printed report. The ensuing interview will use the results of the report to probe on strengths and areas of concern. So, the key is having your search consultant help you interpret your report and prepare for the next interview. Even if you don’t get the job, at least you learned something more about yourself right?
3. Don’t shy away from showing off those battle scars - Failures teach us the greatest lessons. Highlighting your learnings and perspectives gained from a failed venture not only display maturity and the ability to grow, it also makes you real, relatable and interesting.
All the best bagging that senior leadership role!!