Interview Coaching
Our Client Reviews
Executive Level Interview Preparation
9 OUT OF 10 Search Firms say
Most executive candidates have poor interview skills.
Hiring the wrong executive can cost millions, but presenting the wrong candidate can cost your firm its relationship.
We documented 84 pre-screen and 166 behavioral questions asked between the presentation of the resume and the offer.
What Candidates “Say” in the Interview Determines Everything.
Most executives surveyed believe they have extremely well-developed interview skills, so why the disconnect? Senior executives are competent presenters, but our research showed they had little to no experience presenting themselves in employment scenarios.
Our research showed that most of an executive’s time spent in an interview is from the employer’s side of the desk.
Here’s what we discovered…
In non-network situations, the candidate is unknown to the employer. This means extensive interviewing to gather enough information for the employer to decide if a second interview or, eventually, and more importantly, an offer might be warranted.
Offers are made based solely upon the information obtained during a series of conversations – the interview process. However, the first interview is usually only 30 to 45 minutes; not near enough time to gather enough of the most critical information necessary to make an informed decision, so a second interview is scheduled, then a third, and so on. Our research showed this was a cumbersome and inefficient method of information gathering that results in information gaps. To the recruiter: How many times have you told a candidate they were not selected because they didn’t have this or that requirement only to find that they did? It just did not come up in the interview, but it’s too late, the employer has moved on, and you are forced to as well. It is this poorly structured process that produces a lack of information. It often results in substandard offers that are less than the executive candidate is willing to accept or prevent the offer entirely.
Our research revealed that most employers, due to this traditional scheme, gather only a fraction of the required knowledge for them to know at what level the candidate would perform or how they might interact with the board, peers, and subordinates before making an offer, so their offer was based on a fraction of what the candidate could do for their company.
This means that most offers are based on only a tiny portion of the candidate’s full capability rather than a complete knowledge of what the candidate would contribute if hired. This mismatch results in lower than acceptable offers, causing the candidate to move on and the company to start a new search.
Kevin Hornish, Senior Vice President, Talent Acquisition, QBE North America (Insurance Industry)
“Most accomplished executives don’t build their careers by honing their résumé writing, interview, and job-seeking skills; they do it by delivering results. If you want to be absolutely certain your outplaced executive is presented to the market in the best possible way, engage Jackson Stevens. They are absolute experts at crystallizing achievements with incredible detail from the 7 dimensions and getting candidates to the right people.”
Most common interview-killing mistakes at the C-Suite level.
We evaluated hundreds of “job search assistance” firms. The entire industry is focused on four key areas: Resume Preparation, LinkedIn optimization, Interview Preparation, and teaching candidates how to job hunt. Although these services help an executive land the job, they have no value unless they have connections with search firms that have executive jobs to fill.
Why Are You Considering a Change?
- I am ready for a new challenge
- I have differences with the Board or CEO
- My company is going in a different direction
- Our corporate culture changed
- We got a new CEO or Board member
Describe Yourself
Most Executives Answer either Personal or Professional:
- Personal Information: They are not interested until the offer stage
- Work History: They have read your resume; they already know
What Was Your Salary Last Year?
If You Give a Number, You Lose
- If it’s lower, you lose money
- If it’s higher, you could be eliminated
- If you refuse, you will likely be eliminated
We have built strategies for every phase of the interview process, and they work – see our LinkedIn and Trust Pilot recommendations from firms and candidates.