As headhunters in Northern California, Pacific ExecSearch understands that the impact an executive can have on a company’s bottom line cannot be overstated. As a result, when it comes time to hire one for your organization, it’s vital you uncover the information necessary to make the best hiring decision. With that in mind, what executive interview questions should leaders ask their candidates?

If you could change one thing about the company, what would it be?

Asking this question helps you determine how much time and effort the candidate has spent researching your company. The details of the response they give aren’t that important. It’s that they know enough about your company to provide a meaningful and insightful answer to this question.

Describe your rationale behind each career move.

Why have a candidate explain their career decisions? It helps you determine whether they are a strategic thinker who makes good decisions and can execute on them.

What inspires you? What are your hobbies?

While these may not be challenging questions for candidates to answer, it can help you get behind the mask to learn more about what motivates and inspires each one. The answers you get can help you determine how well-rounded a candidate is and give you a stronger sense of their personality. Hobbies can also shed some light on a candidate’s risk tolerance and willingness to embrace new experiences, as well as give you a sense of their general outlook on life.

How would you make our organization better?

You are hiring an executive to develop plans and execute them. If they aren’t able to come to the interview with any solutions or a sense of what type of plan they’d implement, then you may want to reconsider hiring them. They either haven’t conducted enough research on your company, or aren’t strategic enough in their thinking. While the plan details may not be crystal clear, it’s more important to assess the candidate’s overall thought process and attitude.

Have you ever terminated an employee? How did you handle it?

Being a successful executive means being able to make difficult decisions for the betterment of the organization as a whole. The executive you do hire should be comfortable in that role, which includes hiring and firing individuals.

What are some important trends in our industry and how do you think they impact our company?

An experienced executive will be in touch with industry changes, from new legislation to growing demand for certain products. This knowledge demonstrates not only a commitment to the field, but also a willingness to stay ahead of the curve – attributes that make for strong leaders.

Does your organization need more help finding C-level talent? The most effective way to uncover the executives you need is to work with an experienced team of headhunters. Consider the professionals at Pacific ExecSearch. As leading headhunters in Northern California, our team of recruiters has extensive experience in sourcing, evaluating and helping companies hire mission critical professionals for top positions.To learn more about how we can help your organization, please contact us today.