25 in-depth executive-level interview questions to ask leaders

Executive-level professionals handle many significant duties for companies, such as large-scale operations, strategic planning, and making upper-level decisions. If you’re recruiting for an executive-level professional, you should be sure to assess their proficiency, leadership abilities, and business acumen. 

The hiring process may seem complex, but with a Leadership & people management skills test, you can begin assessing candidates immediately after you find a potential executive-level professional in your network. You can then follow this screening with the interview stage, in which you ask candidates executive-level interview questions.

But how can you select the questions that encourage candidates to show their expertise?

Consult the comprehensive list below to gather interview questions, assess your candidates’ knowledge, and learn if their executive-level experience matches your company’s expectations.

25 executive-level interview questions to ask leaders

From skills and experience to knowledge and methods for completing executive work, there are many topics our questions cover. Ask applicants some of these 25 executive-level interview questions to assess their suitability for your role.

1. Could you tell us the most vital responsibilities of chief executives?

Chief executives have vital responsibilities that affect a company and its teams. From making corporate decisions and managing company operations to establishing the organization’s strategic direction, duties ensure executives work on fulfilling the company’s vision. 

They also have to complete the following tasks:

• Handle multidisciplinary teams 

• Enhance the coordination between teams 

• Minimize uncertainty and risk in a company

It’s worth determining if your candidates have experience completing tasks like these, especially if your role demands similar duties and expertise.

Asking follow-up questions such as “Which strategy do you use to handle multidisciplinary teams?” can help you better assess your candidates’ experience.

2. Explain to us what your first action would be if we hired you.

This executive-level interview question will help you determine if your applicants’ actions match your company’s vision. Some candidates will analyze the project requirements to adhere to client expectations, while others will consider consulting the team for advice on project completion.

Remember that those who skip assessing the company’s existing strategies may not have the systematic approach you want.

Ask applicants extra questions such as “Which information would you require from our company to begin making productive changes?” to learn more about their strategies.

3. Talk to us about your problem-solving skills. How have they helped you?

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics states executives should have problem-solving skills for several reasons. They need to identify and resolve issues in a business and recognize company shortcomings. 

In their answers, candidates can show their skills by explaining that advanced problem-solving abilities have helped them complete duties such as:

• Handling employee conflict

• Gaining company buy-in for investment opportunities

• Presenting a change or new approach to the company

If you’re looking for another data-driven method to evaluate these abilities, consider using our Problem-solving skills test before you ask candidates this question in the interview.

4. Which three things could our chief executive do better to help our company improve?

Even though applicants won’t know everything about your company, they should still have a couple of suggestions about beneficial actions your chief executive can take. You’ll receive varied responses, but some key answers to this question might include the following actions:

• Inform employees that their feedback is crucial

• Help employees improve their skills with training methods

• Use employee talents to enhance productivity

• Encourage transparent communication between teams, leaders, and stakeholders

You’re also looking for evidence that the candidate has researched your company. You can determine if they’ve adequately checked what your company does by considering if their suggestions for improvement match your organization’s vision.

5. Do you have any plans to improve our organization?

It’s crucial to consider what each candidate would do to improve your organization and check if they have several unique ideas. If they have advanced problem-solving skills to handle specific problems or ideas to encourage clients to invest in the company, they may be the ones to watch.

It’s also ideal if candidates can show their experience contributing to a company turnaround — helping companies move from poor performance to financial recovery. If they’ve helped a company transition like this, consider if they can do something similar for your organization.  

6. Name one challenge you would face in a chief executive role.

By asking this executive-level interview question, you can test your applicants’ problem-solving skills and understand the specific actions they’d take to handle challenges in the role. Applicants should state one problem and describe how they might solve it.

For instance, if they had to negotiate repayment plans with vendors, they might produce a payment plan that benefits the company and the vendor. They might also ensure their barter program aligns with the company’s revenue flow.

The key to evaluating candidates’ responses isn’t to focus on the challenge they mention. Instead, ensure they have a strategy to solve it and assess their method’s effectiveness.

7. Could you explain how you retained a client who wanted to do business with a competitor?

Client retention is a critical part of a successful business. It can encourage repeat business and increase revenue — returning clients spend 67% more in months 31 to 36 of their shopping relationship. This statistic shows why you should look for applicants who can dissuade clients from turning to competitors.

One method applicants might use to retain clients who want to do business with a competitor is to meet with the client. In the meeting, they could use persuasive or negotiation techniques to emphasize the advantages of their company.

It’s ideal if your applicants also understand their customer or client retention rate (CRR) to determine the percentage of customers the company retains during a specific period. Consider asking them if they understand the CRR formula for monitoring retention.

8. Could you tell us about your leadership skills and style? How have they been essential in your role?

When hiring executive-level applicants, you’ll know if they are a good match for your role if they have good leadership skills. They’ll have no problem showing their skills when responding to a Leadership & people management test or answering this executive-level interview question.

Some applicants might talk about their democratic leadership style, which experts suggest is the most effective because it encourages team participation. 

A few candidates may mention their visionary leadership, describe how it’s ideal for executive-level management, and explain that it helps them establish long-term company goals.

Ensure your applicants’ skills and leadership style align with your company’s project management and team leadership goals. With this approach, your business will maintain its output, and teams will continue to be productive with the right leader support.

9. Which two words would your co-worker use to describe you?

Since all executives are unique, their colleagues will have different opinions on how they work. Therefore, you’ll receive unique responses to this interview question. From visionary and transformational to supportive and bureaucratic, many words may be ideal to describe your most suitable applicants.

For an easy candidate response review, check if the words they mention align with your company’s values. For example, suppose your team values an innovative workforce. In that case, their executive-level leader should have an innovative thinking style — and their co-workers should use this word or similar synonyms to describe them.

10. Tell us how you react to significant problems.

Since it’s problematic if your next executive responds to issues with a chaotic or haphazard reaction, you should look for candidates who can remain calm when unexpected challenges crop up. The former reaction can worsen circumstances, but the latter can help companies quickly resolve issues.

Applicants may have examples of how they react to significant problems. For instance, 52% of chief executives think that skills shortages will decrease profitability in their industry, but a calm response and upskilling strategy can help applicants handle this problem.

11. Have you ever used command decision-making methods in your role? Describe what this process means.

Command or autocratic decision-making is ideal for some situations, but not all. Candidates might use command decision-making when their team requires significant influence or direction from their leader or cannot make a unanimous decision despite having sufficient data.

Be wary of applicants who always use command decision-making or make every decision alone. This strategy might yield less innovative results due to a lack of discussion or input, leading to less buy-in among team members.

12. Have you ever used consulting decision-making methods in your career? Describe what this process means.

Consulting decision-making bridges the gap between consensus and command decision-making. This strategy combines autocratic and democratic leadership, helping executives request input from their team. However, the executive selects the final decision themselves.

If an applicant has used consulting decision-making, they’ll know it involves meetings and dialogues with team members, and that it leads to diverse ideas and higher-quality choices.

13. Tell us about a time you used consensus decision-making in your role.

The optimum time to use consensus decision-making is when an executive needs high-level participation and collaborative efforts from their team. With this process, leaders can count on the team to make the end decision tailored to their expectations. 

With high delegation, leaders can use consensus decision-making to step back from leadership. Check if candidates can hold meetings and encourage team members to share ideas to get their general consensus when making decisions. This evaluation process is important if your company relies on consensus decision-making to make critical choices.

14. Name two questions you would ask yourself before you make a complex decision.

Making complex decisions is an essential responsibility for executive-level leaders. It’s a process that top applicants will have experience with, so they’ll know that asking questions can help them make complex business choices.

For instance, if they gather data to make a budgeting decision, they might ask “How can I verify the facts to adhere to the required budget?” If they consider how their decision will affect clients, they may ask “How will the result of this budgeting decision affect the business-client relationship?”

Candidates who can’t name any questions that help them make complex decisions might lack the critical-thinking skills to complete processes like this. Evaluating these skills with a Critical thinking test is a good idea to ensure the candidate is an ideal match for your role. 

15. Do you have an efficient strategy for training different employees on your team?

Executive leaders should have experience and strategies to train different employees in the company. Some of the methods they might use to upskill their team include:

• Customizing the training method for each employee

• Motivating each employee with suitable incentives

• Preparing team members for career advancement and promotion

Top applicants will provide the correct tools and information to help applicants improve. They’ll also have examples of successful training outcomes from their experience, proving that their strategies are effective and enhance employee productivity.

16. Which skill makes you a better chief executive than other candidates? Explain why.

With this executive-level interview question, you can check if your applicants have unique skills that put them ahead of your other candidates. 

From efficient time management to task-delegation expertise, many skills can set your candidate apart. Time management ensures an executive leader encourages teams to complete projects before a deadline, and task delegation helps teams produce quality work.

If you’re looking for ways to assess your candidates’ responses, check if the skills they mention match your executive leader’s job description or use Cognitive ability and Situational judgment skills tests to assess their expertise.

17. Are there any management styles that you would avoid? Explain your answer.

There are several specific management styles an executive leader should try to avoid. For example, experts state that control and micromanagement can stifle employees, so be wary of candidates who want to oversee every action an employee takes.

A candidate with poor communication is another example of an executive leader you should avoid hiring because they might not encourage collaboration in their team. Therefore, look for responses that prove your candidates will avoid micromanagement and can encourage teams to share their ideas.

18. Have you ever implemented any revenue-increasing strategies? What was the outcome?

An executive with financial responsibilities must know how to increase their company’s revenue. They’ll understand that a few strategies can help them achieve this goal, such as:

• Growing the customer base

• Focusing on former customers

• Targeting repeat consumers

Your perfect candidate will refer to positive financial outcomes related to their revenue-increasing strategies. For example, they might explain that their company grew or attracted several investors to increase their competitive standing in the industry.

19. Talk to us about your project management experience with stakeholders. How do you get their support?

In many projects, executives need to involve stakeholders when making pivotal decisions. Therefore, your candidates must show how they won their stakeholders’ support and communicated effectively to complete projects efficiently.

Some applicants might mention a few stakeholder engagement methods to show how they manage these relationships. Some methods include:

• Encouraging participation in decision-making

• Assessing stakeholder interests

• Consulting stakeholders frequently

Consider asking follow-up questions about the success of your applicants’ projects and stakeholder relationships to test the effectiveness of their methods.

20. Have you ever worked on an unsuccessful campaign?

Although this executive-level interview question requires candidates to provide an example of an unsuccessful campaign, your main focus should be on what they learned from it or how they fixed it.

For example, if the executive’s product marketing campaign doesn’t yield a sufficient return on investment, they might work more closely with the marketing team to make changes. If a rebranding campaign doesn’t attract the right consumers, the executive may need to alter their approach or share ideas with their teams.

21. Which actions would you take if an employee achieves inadequate results?

Noticing slumps in employee performance is a fundamental executive responsibility that candidates should be familiar with. In your applicants’ answers, you’re looking for a few steps that helped the employee get back on track and be more productive. Some examples of such methods include:

• Talking to the employee to learn their key concerns

• Sharing their concerns as a company executive

• Providing tips on how the employee can improve

• Checking that the employee implements the improvement methods

Since an executive’s communication skills are key for encouraging employees to improve their performance, don’t forget to assess this ability with a Communication skills test before the interview phase.

22. Tell us a bit about your financial management skills.

If you’re hiring a financial executive or an executive who will handle budgeting responsibilities, you’ll need to assess their financial management and budgeting abilities. From monitoring financial records and preparing reports to checking business expenses, executives’ financial duties are wide-ranging. 

However, candidates can control company budgets and estimate financial costs with the right budget management skills. Therefore, don’t forget to look for candidates who understand company budgeting and can prove their proficiency when responding to a Budgeting skills test.

23. Tell us about a situation when you needed to settle a conflict between employees.

Although workplace conflicts happen frequently, an executive should know how to handle them and diffuse tension. Part of this responsibility involves leading the team confidently. With specific strategies, they can easily settle conflicts.

Listen for responses that mention good conflict resolution abilities, such as hearing from all employees involved in the conflict and then making a judgment call. If candidates discuss implementing disciplinary action for repeated unjustified conflicts, they may have the necessary leadership skills to manage their teams.

24. Have you ever had to gain support for a new business opportunity that needed extra investment?

Top answers to this executive-level interview question will show that candidates can convince investors and gain support for business opportunities. It’s also important to consider their strategies, such as weighing the pros and cons of the investment opportunity, clear communication about the business case, and persuading the investors.

For example, suppose they want to explore new market opportunities that the competitors haven’t capitalized on. In that case, executives should have no problem persuading investors and stakeholders about benefits such as increased revenue.

25. Do you have a method to evaluate your company’s success? Tell us about it.

Applicants should know that measuring success is essential, helping companies learn if they need to tweak any approaches to maximize productivity.

A couple of ways executives can evaluate company success include:

• Looking at crucial metrics, such as employee satisfaction and return on investment

• Ensuring the company’s teams are fulfilling the company’s vision

How should you use skills testing and executive-level interview questions to hire candidates?

For a trouble-free, data-driven hiring process, it’s best to request that your applicants complete a skills assessment before using executive-level interview questions. 

The performance percentages you receive from each applicant’s results provide the easiest way to select candidates for an interview — you just need to check who has the highest score.

Other top advantages of getting candidates to complete assessments before the interview include:

• Reduced time-to-hire

• Fewer chances of unconscious bias

• Easier candidate comparison

Ensure you give applicants an assessment the moment they apply to evaluate their skills. Once you’ve received the results, you can use them to find extra talking points for the interview stage.

Evaluate executives with skills assessments and executive-level interview questions

It’s easy to evaluate executives when you implement proven hiring strategies. We recommend skipping resume screening, using skills assessments, and asking candidates executive-level interview questions to discover more about their abilities.

Are you considering hiring applicants with skills tests? TestGorilla is here to support you. We’ve helped more than 9,000 businesses find the perfect candidate and can do the same for you. 

Check out our price plans to get started and see how TestGorilla works yourself. Our simple hiring method will help you find the best executive to take your company in the right direction.