6 Interesting, Executive Questions to ask the next time you are in an interview
The interview process can be nerve-wracking. And if you want to land your Executive level role, there are certain questions you absolutely need to ask that will set you apart from every other candidate.
Let’s Begin:
1. Beyond stated KPIs, what are the most important, yet less visible, metrics you use to gauge the success of operations?
Stated KPIs are things like net profit margin, EBITDA, revenue, CAGR, etc. Within operations, there a key concept is effectiveness. It’s measured by cost, quality, and efficiency.
This question is probing for the bigger picture from the interviewer to gauge how far up the business their mind is and to help you get grounded on the right level for the rest of the discussion as well.
2. How does the executive team handle disagreements or differing perspectives on strategic decisions?
This question demonstrates your understanding of the importance of collaboration, communication, and influence to drive executive alignment. This should help provide insight into the culture of the executive team and organization overall on their approach to decision making in the organization.
3. What are the biggest roadblocks or current challenges in operations that hinder their full potential?
This question helps give you a snapshot of current issues and as you continue the discussion, you can share experiences you have that meet the need of similar challenges the organization is trying to address today.
4. Given the current economic climate and pressures of a recession, how is the company adapting its operational strategies to ensure resilience and continued growth?
In the second half of 2023 through Q1 2024, we saw big businesses pull in their belts and suspenders on operational spending, and much attention was placed in layoffs, to “right size” an organization’s labor costs to re-align with waning revenues and smaller than expected growth. It’s important to understand how senior leaders are thinking about these (likely ongoing) pressures on businesses overall and how they envision staying viable. It’s my opinion that lazy P&L owners resort to laying off staff members and in principle, those are organizations I want to avoid and this question helps screen those red flags out.
5. How are evolving customer expectations and changing consumer behaviors influencing your approach to operational efficiency and service delivery?
This question helps probe for positions on how customer-centric a business is. If a business has a vision, mission, and, values - I want to understand how well-defined and embedded those behaviors are inside the business and filter out the rest. As someone who cares about the business’ missions, it’s important to get a read proactively.
6. With an increasing focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility, what are the company's long-term plans for integrating these considerations into the business?
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors continue to grow in importance with respect to business success. It demonstrates an interest in contributing to a company that values sustainability and that you may want to make a positive difference in the same direction.
