Executive Talent Solutions for Your Business

Our promise is to help you make a fully informed decision. Sometimes that decision is to pass on a particular company/opportunity.

In honoring that promise, we are going to ask you to call us immediately after your interview, call us from the lobby or your car. We will ask you three key debrief questions to get us moving in the right direction:

• Can you do the job as they described it to you?
• Is this a job you think you want to do at this point in your career?
• Do these seem to be the people you might like to work with?

There will be other debrief questions, but these are the “big three.” We know from 30 years of historical experience that if you answer yes to all three of these questions, you will most likely move forward in the interview process. Moving forward simply means that you are interested in getting more information. It does not mean you want a job offer from the company.

Interviewing is a two-way street. Yes, they are checking you out, but it is also your opportunity to check them out. This needs to be a mutual fit, and if it isn’t, we will encourage you to move on and explore other companies. We will work together with you to discover where all the bones are buried, to evaluate the opportunity on its merits, and help you make a fully informed decision.

We will be positioning you to be able to say “Yes” or “No” to the role and to the company. You will not have to say “Maybe.” Perhaps the company and the people are a fit, but the role isn’t, so they might be inclined to consider you for another existing role OR create a role for you based on the synergies of the interview dialogue.

It is perfectly normal and alright to have and use a notebook for the interview. Write down the questions you have for the employer. Using it will allow you to focus on the answers rather than having to memorize 10-15 questions.

As we mentioned, our objective is not necessarily to get you an offer, for the sake of securing an offer. Our objective is to help you determine if you want to move forward to get more information about the role, the people, and the company. No company is perfect. Every company is comprised of people, and we all have little warts and idiosyncrasies that affect us every day. We will be your sounding board to help you evaluate these on a granular level so that you’ll make the best decision for yourself and your family.

Your posture is important. Positivity and putting your best self forward are key. Yes, this is a selling situation but, it is not an over-selling situation. You have already been sold into the company by our team, and that is why you are having the interview. Having been a headhunted candidate specific to this company, the pressure is off you to try to separate yourself from the others to get on the short-list. By definition, you are already on the short-list of preferred candidates.

When presenting yourself, you’ll focus on your achievements, the reasons why you left a company, and the reasons why you chose a company. Every CEO who makes a hiring decision is effectively answering the question, “How will this candidate make or save our company money?” When you present your achievements, you’ll be directing your answers to this primary hiring question. Yes, your functional skill set is very important, but aligning your experience with being a revenue generator or billable overhead will be a critical factor in their decision.

• Can you please define for me the role as you see it?
• What are the critical objectives which must be achieved in 30, 60, 90, 180, 365 days?
• What in your opinion has to happen first with this role?
• Are there any significant problems with the role right now and how does this impact internal or external clients?
• What is the biggest headache associated with this role right now?
• What are your expectations of success in the role?
• What are the standards by which I will be measured/rewarded?
• Operationally, how do you achieve new business and how does that work flow through the company?
• What attracted you to this company and what keeps you here?
• If talking with the founder ask “why were they compelled to start this business?”
• What in your mind, are the compelling reasons I should consider joining this company?
• Why should I join the company right now at this time in its history?
• How do you distinguish the company in the competitive marketplace?
• What is your vision for the role/company over the next 2-5 years?
• Tell me the corporate culture? How would you define it?
• What types of people are most successful working for you?
• Is this a fun place to work? If so, why?
• What is your management style?
• What is your philosophy on mentoring and developing personnel?
• How do you prevent over-working while still meeting clients’ needs?
• When you yourself interviewed, was the company that was presented to you, the actual company you discovered when you started? Or, were all of its blemishes, skeletons, and problems covered up during your interview process?

• We want you to talk about your achievements in alignment with how the employer defined the role and laid out his/her expectations of successful performance.
• The hiring manager will make a decision on how a candidate will either make money or save money for the company.
• You will need to think about the 3-5 things you are most proud of in each job you have had and be prepared to link those with monetary impact.
• You’ll have familiarity with these accomplishments and a facility to discuss them easily.
• Remember that an interview is a dialogue not a monologue, so keep it conversational, feel free to ask secondary or tertiary questions.
• The interviewer should be familiar with you and your background. If they are not prepared to meet with you, make a mental note.
• Was this an accident or a reflection of their view of the subservient nature of this role?
• You should not be getting the vibe that this is the very first time they have even picked up your resume to review it.
• Be candid and honest about your background, achievements, and the decisions you have made.
• Be honest about the reasons why you have left a company and the reasons why you went to a company.
• Do not talk negatively about your previous boss or company. Be honest but be discreet!!
• Money should not come up – especially in the first meeting. If they bring it up, you’ll need to be strong and not give a number.
• This dynamic is important. “I am here to explore this opportunity and if it makes sense to move forward I’ll be prepared to respond to your very best offer.”
• Again, money is important to both of us, but I’m here to evaluate this offer on its merits and will respond to an offer at the appropriate time.
• As your headhunter, we will negotiate that for you in order to maximize the compensation package in alignment with current market conditions.
• As our candidate, you will always have the ability to say no to an offer.
• You will be informed every step of the way and not be brushed aside when it comes to the money discussion.
• As soon as you mention a number, we will most likely never be able to get that number any higher.
• Why do you want to leave or Why are you here?
• Your headhunter reached out to me; I’m intrigued, and while it remains to be seen if I will leave for this role, I want to explore it.
• Be direct but be positive.

• There is a time when the interview will start to come to its natural close. Having information about the client’s immediate thoughts can be very helpful to you and it also demonstrates a keen interest in the opportunity.
• Ask – “From your perspective, is there anything standing in the way of us moving forward together to the next step?” Give the employer the time to thoroughly answer the question. It is not unusual that he/she may have one or more unanswered questions.
• Answer the ones that you can on the spot. If you need time to collect your thoughts, simply say that you would like to think that over and reply in writing. We will provide you the interviewer’s email address so that you can send a thank you note.
• Always send a thank you note, even if you do not want to move forward.
• Remember to call us so we can debrief the interview.