As you prepare for an executive job interview, there are many things to consider such as your attire, your body language, and mastering your handshake. Making a great first impression is a critical part of the interview process; however, anticipating and preparing your responses to interview questions can prove to be a game changer that helps you stand out throughout the process.

When you know the message you want to convey about your skills and expertise, it boosts your confidence and that will shine through in your executive job interview. In your executive job interview, be prepared to reflect on the past, focus on the present, and speculate about the future as well as behavioural interview questions that illustrate how you would respond in specific situations.

With that in mind, you can anticipate some form of the following questions:

Reflecting on the Past

Hiring managers want candidates to reflect on the past and tell stories demonstrating their ability to resolve business barriers  and create better processes going forward. Your responses to these questions paint a picture of how you use your value, skills, and expertise to think outside the box to find successful solutions.

• Tell us about yourself.
• To what do you attribute your success?
• Describe your leadership style. How has your style worked for you in the past?
• Consider your limitations. Describe a time you’ve had to overcome a limitation.
• Tell us about a situation where you didn’t get along with a colleague or board member. How did you resolve it?
• Describe a time where you were part of a project that failed. How did you react? What was your takeaway?
• What legacy did you leave at your last employer?

Focusing on the Present

These questions give  hiring managers a picture of your current job search strategy and added value and ultimately provides insight into whether or not you’d be a valuable hire and fit for the organization.

• Why do you want to work in this industry?
• What makes you want this position?
• Why do you want to work for this organization?
• What makes you an asset to this organization?
• What is your unique promise of value?

Speculating About the Future

These types of questions provide insight into how your specific set of skills and work ethic will strengthen and serve the company.

• Which of your strengths would prove most valuable if this company were to hire you?
• Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?
• How would you use your skills to create a strong team?
• How would you use your past success/failures to help you in this position?

Your answers to these questions help you stand out. They create an image of your value as an executive on the team, and they help you show the hiring managers how you’d be an asset to that team and the company as a whole.

While it is illegal for companies to discriminate against older candidates based on age, it does come with a few stereotypes. Employers have fears that you are not as open to new ideas or new ways of doing things, are just biding your time until retirement, and/or are stuck in your own ways unable to change to fit the organization’s culture.

While all of those assumptions likely do not apply to you, it is beneficial to combat them in your presentation of yourself on your professional social media profiles and in your interviews.

Dress the Part

It is important to ensure your look coincides with today’s style. Therefore, make sure your clothing is current and appropriate to the job and employer culture  while still being age appropriate. Avoid the temptation of wearing the same suits you wore 30 years ago. Invest in modern business attire. Additionally, style your hair in a way that evokes the image of youth. Through your appearance, you can be perceived as years younger than you are while also emitting a youthful demeanour.

Present Your Experience as an Asset

While employers may be seeking candidates who are youthful in their approach and outlook, your experience is unparalleled. You have witnessed change. You have seen companies evolve. You know what works and what does not. Your age does not diminish that experience or the value that experience brings to a company. Therefore, present that as an asset and make it front and centre. Create a compelling story around your background and how your experience has benefitted companies in the past, and how it will bring value to any potential organization for which you work.

Be Technically Savvy

A lack of social media presence sends the message that you are not with the times because we live in a society in which technology and social media plays a significant role in our professional and personal lives. Therefore, even if you are resistant, force yourself to learn it and embrace it. Likely, you will find that professionally social media has the potential to make you a stand out candidate and motivate potential employers to seek out your experience and expertise.

Focus on Your Professional Future

Throughout the process of your job search, particularly on your social media profiles and in your interviews, demonstrate your commitment to a professional development plan. This plan shows that you actively seek out new ways of doing things, that you are open to change, and that you are committed to finding the best approaches to ensure the success of a project and the company.

Show You Are Young at Heart

With the right image and strong social media presence, you will clearly demonstrate that you are modern and savvy. However, your presentation and perspective can make the difference between landing a job or being overlooked. It is essential that all your communications reflect you are open and willing to see new perspectives, and not stuck in your own ways of doing things. Employers view candidates who perceive their ideas and techniques of doing things as the only way as a high-risk choice. Show that you are a team player, demonstrate your flexibility, and let your experience shine!

Tips to Create a Compelling Story to Illustrate Your Value to Hiring Managers:

In a job interview, you are primarily selling yourself. The company has a position that needs to be filled and, as a result, is a potential buyer. Therefore, you—your skills, experience, and expertise—are the product.

The interview is the opportunity for the interviewer to get a sense of who you are beyond your resume and cover letter. The purpose of the interview is for hiring managers to gain insight into your character and alignment with the company’s culture. They have the task of determining if you are someone they can trust to professionally and competently fulfill the position while being a great fit for their organization.

At the executive level, it is likely that all the candidates have a resume full of impressive achievements. Therefore, in your interview, you need to sell yourself. You need a story that illustrates your value.

Tip #1: Consider the Standard Interview Questions

When you are asked the question, “Tell me about yourself,” in an interview, it is tempting to give a one sentence response that sums up where you have been and how you got to this point. Think about the difference it would make if you could create a narrative around your career marking essential points along the way that eventually led you to the moment you are sitting in the interview chair.

Consider the standard interview questions, including behavioural questions, and create short, descriptive narratives around them that draw from your experiences, accomplishments, and viewpoints.

Tip #2: Make a List of Your Career Achievements

Think about those STAR stories you included on your resume. Prepare stories around them that illustrate how they came about, the impact they had, and what you learned from them. The effect is significant when you can communicate the long-term value those achievements had not only on the company you were working for at the time but also on the progression of your own career. Therefore, it is a bonus to exemplify how your achievements have influenced your current career trajectory and goals.

Tip #3: Turn Negatives into Positives

Conversely, you can put a positive spin on situations that did not go as planned by creating a narrative around it. Often, hiring managers want to know how you handle adversity. Think about something career-related that you have had to overcome. Maybe a product that did not turn out as planned or a strategy that did not work. Create a story around that negative experience that communicates your realization of why it failed, what you learned from it, and how you continue to use that knowledge today to inform your decisions and practices.

In a nutshell, your story is so much more compelling than merely stating your experience, achievements, and goals. Stories elicit emotions, create connections, and make you so much more memorable. Your story demonstrates your character and your value. Thus, hiring managers will recognize you as an asset they cannot afford to pass up.

When a recruiter or other hiring influencer schedules an interview for you, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask what type of interview it is. In order to prepare, you’ll need to know if you’ll be competing directly with other candidates, facing a group of interviewers, or answering a few questions over the phone. Each interview type demands a different kind of practice or planning to make your best impression.

1. Phone interview. This kind of interview is used to pre-screen you for skills, including your communication skills, and to determine if you’re a good fit for the team, position, or organization.
2. One-on-one interview. One hiring influencer asking questions of one candidate. This can be a single interview or one of a series of interviews where you are speaking to a group of decision-makers one at a time. This is the most personal, and often the most significant kind of interview. Final interviews are almost always one-on-one.
3. Panel interview. One candidate being interviewed by a group of hiring influencers who take turns asking questions. This is a great way for companies to judge how you’ll get along with a close-knit team, an efficient way to include all hiring influencers in one meeting, and a great chance to show off your communication skills.
4. Group interview. A group of candidates being interviewed by one or two interviewers. This is a way to see how candidates interact with a group, who has leadership potential, who doesn’t play well with others, and a host of other items on a screening checklist.

It’s worth noting that some Career Coaches will list a fifth, the behavioural interview. This is based on behavioural interview questions about what you have done in certain situations at work in the past. They’re used to gauge how well you learn from experience, how well you adapt to new or difficult situations, and how you’ll fit into the organization’s corporate culture. These questions have become a part of modern interviews, so you’ll experience them in any of the above interview types as standard questions.

The best way to prepare for these is to search online for lists of common behavioural interview questions and pull a few experiences from memory that can be used to answer many of these questions. Difficult interactions with customers or colleagues are often times when we feel we have failed. There’s often a lesson we have learned from those times, and of course we’ve behaved differently on subsequent occasions! Three or four examples, considered and practiced in advance, are enough to see you through even an extensive interview. Practice also engenders confidence, too!

Recruiters and networking are often your best job search tools for C-Suite and Board level positions, but LinkedIn can be an effective search tool as well if you are well-prepared. Here are some tips for getting the best results when using LinkedIn for your job search.

Be prepared.

When you are seeking a job using more traditional methods, you should have your social media and branding in top shape, but ensuring your profile and skills list are perfect (and perfectly matched to your resume) is a must when you use LinkedIn as a job search tool. After all, if you’re reaching out to hiring influencers on LinkedIn, they are guaranteed to research your career on that same platform!

Fill out your profile completely: List current and past job titles with descriptions, put a full list of skills you want to feature, include your education details, list your industry (or the industry you want to switch to and aim your profile in that direction), use a professional headshot for your profile picture, write and upload a career summary, and match your skills, education, and job history to your resume. Then add your network connections, as LinkedIn rates you higher in search results when you have at least 500 connections. If you ask colleagues and previous employers to endorse your skills or provide a recommendation, be sure to do the same for them. Finally, choose your top 10 target employers and follow those companies. This shows you’ve had a sustained interest in those employers.

Begin your search.

Use the jobs tab at the top of the menu, and specify the job title and city you want to search for, and click the search button. Give a cursory look at the results, and take a deeper look at the ones you feel qualified to do. Ignore the urge to apply for every job that has the “easy apply” feature! Application review and interviews cost a company time and money, if you waste both their time and yours inquiring about jobs you don’t want or aren’t qualified for, you’ll develop a reputation as a poor candidate for any job.

Extend and use your network.

Reach out to connections who work where you’d like to find a position and ask them to keep an eye out. Send a message to hiring influencers at your target employers. Don’t forget to keep networking in person as well, those contacts can also be added to your LinkedIn contacts! Have an executive MBA? Reach out to alumni in the same industry and start a conversation. And reach out to recruiting firms listed on a company website or LinkedIn profile; recruiters can be a vital job search resource!

Too many people have negativity about themselves in their job search. They have negativity about their spectacles, job changes, age, the colour of their hair, and more. Most of the negativity I hear is regarding signs of a client’s age…not age discrimination from recruiters or hiring influencers, but self-doubt and negativity from my clients!

I have a client who, when he first came to me, left the dates off his 3 degrees and omitted other information from his resume because he was so worried that his age was a barrier to the job he wanted. He is technically savvy, an accomplished man, and a great candidate; he just could not get past his own fears about his age to market himself effectively, and wasn’t generating the interest. Negativity really does come through over the phone, in a resume, and during an interview. No one is eager to hire a candidate who shows signs of insecurity, depression, or a negative mindset. My advice? If he could cast that negativity aside and rebrand himself positively, he would be far more successful! He agreed to try it.

This same client, despite being 55+, has put in the work and turned his insecurities about age into a focus on the value he adds to any organization with skills, maturity, and leadership experience. He emphasizes this positive spin on his age on both his resume and in interviews. He now has multiple offers!

Are you having trouble with your own negativity in your job search? Glasses aren’t aging or a hiring turn-off, as long as they aren’t Elton John glasses. Age isn’t a barrier to a great job: Look, a little “snow on the roof” or white hair isn’t a business barrier, no one thinks Richard Branson is losing his business savvy as he ages! Baldness isn’t a barrier either, some of the most powerful men in business are balding, such as Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.

In today’s solid economy, you don’t have to hide your true self to get a job. In any economy, a positive, enthusiastic candidate is far more attractive than an insecure, “Negative Nellie”. Age is just another number, and experience, maturity, and leadership expertise add value to any organization. Emphasize your value, not your age. Wear your glasses, polish your bald spot, and turn your age into a reason why hiring influencers should make you a great offer!

Movie star car thieves may steal fabulous cars in 60 seconds, but your chance to make a great first impression is gone in 10 seconds! So, it’s important to plan ahead to deliver all the elements of a great first impression in job interviews and at networking events; visual, auditory, tactile, and professional elements are key.

Visual elements

Dress up. You don’t need to wear a tux to most networking events or interviews, but you should dress for the position you’re seeking. A good suit is always appropriate, as even in casual workplace environments, a suit says you’re fully engaged and serious about your presentation. A clean-shaven face, neatly groomed hair, and simple jewelry choices are best.

Smile. A sincere smile is always a great accessory, making people feel welcome to the conversation.

Maintain eye contact. If you’re speaking to a group or interviewing with multiple hiring influencers, take a few beats to make eye contact with everyone while you’re speaking. Long enough to identify eye color is enough time to establish a connection.

Auditory elements

Speak up. Speak clearly and confidently, without yelling. Practice giving answers without uptalking, vocal fry, or other common mannerisms that make you seem uninterested or unsure of yourself. Don’t rush your answers.

Think. Take a moment to think of an answer before you begin. This prevents awkward pauses once you have begun your answer.

Listen. Communication is two-way, so listening attentively is as important as being well-spoken.

Tactile elements

Shake hands. Use the proper handshake for your region. There are different styles preferred globally, so practice the handshake preferred in the part of the world where you find yourself.

Maintain an appropriate distance. Along with the handshake, there are regional preferences in the amount of personal space. Americans and Canadians prefer more personal space than the Japanese, for instance.

Professional elements

Prepare. Have your elevator pitch or group introduction ready, and make sure you arrive with an extra copy of your resume and cover letter just in case it’s needed. Know your own resume, so you don’t stumble over facts that are about you!

Millennials have begun having an effect on the business world, and one of the most interesting is with a dedicated focus on finding a social purpose in their work. While many executives are concentrating on P&L statements, their younger employees are evaluating their jobs and their employers based on meaning as well as financial health and stability.

This idea that companies could serve a social purpose, or influence meaningful change while they make a profit is newer, and sometimes overlooked by those who also answer to shareholders. But the business world is learning that if you want to hire and retain Millennials, a focus on social purpose is a distinction that can add longevity, loyalty, and satisfaction for your employees, all of which does save your organization money.

Millennial or not, if it’s important to you as a job-seeker, how can you identify a company that meets this need? A little research or a few questions at the end of your interview can show you if the employer is a good fit with your values. Remember, not all organizations approach this idea the same way:

Some organizations are treating social purpose as a benefit. Do you love to volunteer with animal rescue organizations, or are you working to elect a candidate to political office? There are a growing number of companies offering time to volunteer in the charity of your choice, just as they offer sick days. You choose your own purpose, and your employer supports that choice by giving you paid time, or permission to take unpaid leave, to do that work. Smaller corporations may offer access to CSAs or match annual donations up to a certain amount.

Employers are choosing a signature charity or set of charities. They then include fundraising, volunteer days, or other “good works” to benefit that charity to be a part of their corporate culture and work life. Other employers allow a committee of employees and management to guide company donations of funds, time, or in-kind donations…or guide the efforts to fold social purpose into business (see below).

A surprising number of companies are folding social purpose into everyday business. These organizations are including thoughtful, social purpose into the way they run. Using Fair Trade or sustainably harvested raw product, committing to choose third-world suppliers who pay a certain wage or who have safety protocols in place, or manage logistics in an eco-friendly manner.

It feels terrible to lose your job, no matter how it happens. It used to be that unemployment was shameful; it was a black mark on your record. In today’s job market, you’re likely to experience that “pink slip” moment multiple times over your career. Often, it says nothing about you as a professional. Your company may choose to downsize your department, shift focus, or move their facilities to take advantage of a city offering a more favourable tax rate. So, it’s wise to start changing your mindset about what unemployment says about you. This helps you adapt more easily and more confidently to those sudden changes that will come to all of us.

Here are the top 4 myths about unemployment:

1. It’s all about performance. Many of my clients who find themselves in the job market again feel ashamed, as though they failed. In this age of corporate fluidity, there are dozens of factors that affect lay-offs. Date of hire, pay band, specialty, location, and even company politics can influence the way in which an organization downsizes. Shake off the shame, and recognize that pink slips can come to even the most effective and efficient among us.
2. Search time equals value. You’ll hear this one again and again, but long job searches don’t mean a candidate has less value. Different industries and different markets mean that the same communications executive might be snapped up in days in Toronto, weeks in Seattle, and placement might take a few months in Vancouver. Do your best to update and improve your skills and experience throughout your career, but don’t equate the length of the search with your value as a professional. It’s a wise candidate who takes the time to find the right fit!
3. Finding a job is finding a job. From resumes to networking, the job market changes quickly and moves with updates to technology and best practices all the time. If you haven’t been unemployed in a few years, it’s a good idea to consult a Professional Resume Writer and a Career Coach to get current on resume formats, job search tips, and even the latest interview expectations. A pro can help you make sure your resume is able to be scanned, help you get your social media in order, and prepare you for those behavioural questions that hiring influencers love.

It’s too late to network. It may feel like the beginning of your job search is way too late to build a network from scratch, but since networking is so vital, it’s never too late to start. Reach out to your former colleagues, bosses, instructors, and use your alumni directory and social media to help you connect with people you already know. Attend industry networking events, too, as the contacts you make there have current local connections.  Let them know you’re searching, and ask for referrals or a heads-up about open positions.