Your networking connected you with a great opportunity, and your resume and cover letter landed the interview. You’ve got one shot for that vital first impression. Here are some tips and techniques to prepare for executive-level interviews.

I spend four hours to two days preparing for each interview. That is because, to the greatest degree possible, I want to understand and manage the myriad variables during the interview process. I may not be able to control the outcome, but with preparation I can anticipate issues and build my confidence for each interview.

Tip # 1 – Keep It Organized and Accessible

After reviewing dozens of positions and companies each day, it’s easy to forget or mix up critical details. So once I decide to target a company and/or apply for a position, I create a physical folder, an electronic folder (on a USB drive), and a Favorites folder (also on USB) for that company. [Here’s a nice utility to help keep all your important data, security settings, and IE Favorites with you on a USB drive.] 

Position-related information (see Tip #2) is kept together by position, since I may apply to several positions with larger companies. This includes all my detailed notes from the calls, e-mails and meetings with my lead source, recruiter, HR, network contacts, etc. I also add my cover letter, the customized resume I provided for this specific position, my interview notes, and all the thank you cards and e-mails I send. I try to scan paper documents into electronic form and download e-mails to files, and add them to my “company-name” electronic folder. But minimally, these are all kept together in the physical folder for that company.

Company and industry information (see Tip #3) are almost always found online, so these are kept in my “company-name” Favorites folder.

This organization allows me to remain private, portable and prepared at all times. As I research and gather information, I then automatically save it to its corresponding folder/directory. Using this process also allows me to keep track of what information I still need to find, research, study or ask for (see Tip #4).

Tip # 2 – Thoroughly Review Position Requirements and Details

At least two days before an executive-level interview, I make sure I have all the information I need and start planning my time. 

For each position, I want to verify Position Title (there’s a big difference between CIO and CISO), Reporting Structure (is it a CTO reporting to the CFO, or a CIO reporting to the CEO?), and Skills, Technologies and Methodologies (making sure to research and refresh my knowledge of those marked ‘Required’ and ‘Strongly Desired.’)

A great way to stand out in an interview is to know the problems the employer hopes to solve by hiring for this position, and then demonstrating how you can specifically solve those problems. The kicker is finding out what the problems are before the interview so you can prepare your killer response. On a related note, I also want to know why the position is available: Is it newly created (i.e., due to expansion) or a replacement (e.g., the previous person in the position was laid off, retired, promoted)? Sometimes the answers to these questions are explicitly or implicitly found in the Position Responsibilities, the company’s website or industry articles. If not there, or if the answer isn't clear, the best sources and best time to gather this information is from your initial verbal communications with your sources on this lead (e.g. your network contact) or the company's HR representative.

With detailed position

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