Competency-based interview questions are designed to assess a candidate’s skills, abilities, and behaviors in relation to specific job requirements. For executive positions, these questions are particularly crucial as they can provide insights into a candidate’s leadership, problem-solving, decision-making, and strategic thinking abilities.
The Importance of Competency-Based Interviews
- **Predictive Validity: Competency-based questions have been shown to have higher predictive validity than traditional interview questions, meaning they are more likely to predict future job performance.
- **Focus on Behavior: These questions focus on past behaviors, which can provide valuable insights into how a candidate is likely to behave in similar situations in the future.
- **Alignment with Job Requirements: The competency-based questions will allow us to target those specific competencies that are imperative to the executive position.
Common Competencies Assessed in Executive Interviews
- **Leadership: and being able to inspire and motivate and lead groups.
- **Problem-solving: ** The ability to identify and solve complex problems.
- **Decision-making: The ability to make sound judgments and decisions under pressure.
- **Strategic thinking: ** The ability to develop and implement long-term strategies.
- **Communication: The ability to communicate effectively with a variety of stakeholders.
- **Innovation: Creativity, the ability to create something new, to innovate.
- **Change management: ** The ability to manage organizational change effectively.
- **Teamwork: The capacity to work cooperatively with others in order to reach shared objectives.
Examples of Competency-Based Interview Questions for Executives
**Leadership: **
Can you describe a time when you had to lead a team through a difficult situation? How did you motivate and inspire your team?
Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. How did you approach the decision-making process?
How do you gauge your success as a leader.
**Problem-solving: **
Describe a complex problem you faced in a previous role. How did you approach solving it?
Can you share an example of a time when you had to make a difficult decision with limited information? How did you handle the uncertainty?
What process do you use to find the root of a problem?
**Decision-making: **
Can you describe a time when you had to make a critical decision with significant consequences? How did you balance the advantages and disadvantages and reach the decision that you did?
When have you had to make an unpopular decision that you knew was the right thing to do. How did you communicate your decision to others?
- What is your decision-making process? How can you make sure that your choices are based on information?
**Strategic thinking: **
How do you keep up with what’s going on in the field?
Describe a time when you developed a successful long-term strategy for your organization. What were the key elements of your strategy?
how do you track your performance of your strategic programs?
**Communication: **
*tell about a time when you had to tell a bad news to a group of people. How did you approach the communication?
Tell me about a time when you had to negotiate a complex deal. What strategies did you use to reach an agreement?
How do you ensure that your communication is clear, concise, and effective?
**Innovation: **
Can you share an example of a time when you introduced a new idea or process that improved efficiency or productivity?
- How do you encourage innovation within your team?
- What is your approach to risk-taking and experimentation?
**Change management: **
*Tell about a time you had to lead a major change in an organization. So how did you overcome resistance and have a smooth tranistion?
How do you inform of change without causing too much disruption?
What is the metric (or metrics) of success for a change initiative?
**Teamwork: **
Describe a situation in which you had to work with a team for an extended period of time to reach a common goal. What role did you play in the team?
- How do you handle conflicts within your team?
What are your strengths and weaknesses as a team player?
By asking competency-based questions, interviewers can gain valuable insights into a candidate’s skills, abilities, and potential fit for the executive role. With practice on these kinds of questions, applicants can better show their competence and improve their performance during an interview
