What got you hired 10 years ago won’t get you hired today
Leadership roles come with greater pressure and higher expectations. Interviewers assess senior candidates in more nuanced ways.
If you are up for a senior role, here are some ideas to help you bring the right message and steer the conversation:
💼 EXPECTATIONS
– Increased responsibility means you gain influence over important business decisions. You are expected to lead and motivate others.
– While it’s important to demonstrate your technical expertise and experience in solving complex challenges, organisations are now looking for leaders who are:
o Authentic
o Thoughtful
o Have a growth mindset
🎯 WHAT MOTIVATES YOU
– As a leader, your ability to motivate others is crucial.
– Showcase what you love about what you do, your passions, and what drives you to make a difference.
– Demonstrate your hunger to succeed and make a meaningful contribution to the organisation.
🚀 HOW YOU ENVISION YOUR JOURNEY WITH THEM
– As well as talking about your successes and accomplishments, be prepared to talk about specific examples where things didn’t go so well and what you’ve learned from them.
– This will give your interviewer an idea of how you adapt and learn from challenging situations, interact with other people, and your leadership style.
– Encourage the interviewer to discuss their priorities and challenges. Give ideas and relate how your particular strengths can help the team achieve those goals and find solutions.
👌 WHY YOU’RE THE RIGHT HIRE
– Culture fit is vital in more senior roles. In fact, 9 out of 10 senior executives who ‘fail’ within 18 months do so because of cultural incompatibility.
– Find out as much as you can about the company and role. Be self aware. Then demonstrate how your values align with their culture.
🔄 PROCESS
– Be prepared for additional complications when interviewing for a senior role.
– Multiple stakeholders, several rounds of interviews, psychometric assessments, and professional referencing are often involved.
Finally, interviewing is always a two-way process; it’s as important to ask the right questions as give the right answers.
