Questions to ask ceo in interview: Interviewing With A CEO? Ask These 4 Questions
11+ Proven Ceo Interview Questions [+Answers]
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- Introduction
- Operational and Situational questions
- Behavioral questions
How to prepare for a CEO interview
A CEO is the highest-ranking executive in an organization. Recruiting CEOs can be challenging as they play a huge role in the company’s success. They make important company decisions, build business strategies, and shape the organizational culture. The ideal candidate for this position usually has many years of experience as a CEO or in another C-suite level role. It’s best to look for candidates who are familiar with your industry, as they’ll better understand your company’s challenges and objectives.
When you identify your top candidates for the CEO position, schedule an onsite introductory interview to talk about their skills and your business needs. Prepare CEO interview questions that assess candidates’ management and problem-solving skills. Use tangible criteria to understand if they’re a good fit for your company, for example, find out how well they know your company and your competitors and ask what changes they plan to implement if hired. Consider including board members and other executives in the hiring process to select candidates who are a good fit for your executive team.
Interview questions for CEOs can also reveal which candidates have the characteristics that make a good leader, such as resilience, patience, and an influential flair. A CEO makes important financial decisions and regularly communicates with shareholders and potential investors. So, look for candidates with a data-driven approach, attention to detail, and sharp negotiation skills.
Below, you’ll find the best questions to ask a CEO in a job interview.
Operational and Situational questions
- What do you think our company’s mission and vision are?
- What changes would you implement during your first year in the company? How would you build a 5-year plan?
- What would you do in your first 30 days as CEO of our organization?
- Who do you believe are our biggest competitors? How do we differ from them?
- What do you think are the biggest challenges our industry will face in the next 5 years?
- What are the most helpful technological platforms and tools you have used? Would you implement them in our organization?
- What is the most innovative product or service you’ve worked on at a previous company?
- Describe your rationale before you make a big financial decision. What criteria do you use to decide which products or services to invest in?
- In 5 minutes, prepare a small pitch to present our company to a potential investor.
- Imagine that a product or service we launched recently failed our expectations.
What are your next steps?
What are your next steps? Behavioral questions
- What personality traits make a good leader?
- What is the best and the worst part of being a CEO?
- Name two strengths and two weaknesses you have and how they can impact your responsibilities as a CEO.
- What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your career? How did you overcome it and what did you learn from it?
- How do you prefer to communicate with your team to assign responsibilities to them?
- What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to people management?
- How would others define your communication style? Do you prefer to be close to your employees or maintain a healthy distance, and why?
- Describe a time when two team leaders or executives had a conflict. How did you handle the situation?
- Describe a time you had to make a tough decision (e.g. budget cuts, organizational restructuring, market withdrawal, etc.). What did you do and what was the result?
Did you find this CEO interview questions template useful? Feel free to download the PDF for future use.
10 Interview Questions That CEOs Love to Ask
When you’re running a company, every second counts. A successful CEO doesn’t have the luxury to spend a lot of time chitchatting over lunch. If they’re experienced, they’ve likely learned how to drill down quickly in order to find the most important skills or character traits they’re looking for in a new hire.
Here are some of the best interview questions current CEOs say they would ask, if they only had time for one single question:
Question 1: How would you describe yourself in one word?
Dara Richardson-Heron, former CEO of YWCA, always asks job seekers this question because she feels “the best candidates are the ones who know exactly who they are.” However, Richardson-Heron doesn’t judge people on the word they choose. She’s more interested in discovering how people define themselves. The best candidates, she explains, take some time to reflect and consider the question before answering.
Question 2: What is the last thing you’ve learned on the job?
Andrew Felev, CEO of Wrike, likes this question, because it measures a candidate’s curiosity and passion to learn.
He listens for how recently they learned something new and how challenging it was. He believes the best candidates are always learning new things that they aren’t required to learn, and by doing so they prove to be workers who will go above and beyond others.
Question 3: What didn’t you get a chance to include on your resume?
In his book, “The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership,” Virgin Group founder Richard Branson says he doesn’t put a lot of faith in the typical job interview. A good resume is always important, he writes, “but if you were going to hire by what they say about themselves on paper, you wouldn’t need to waste time on an interview.” He likes to dig deeper than the resume and find out what someone is really passionate about that might not be appropriate corporate resume fodder.
Question 4: How long are you willing to fail at this job before you succeed?
This is Jon Sterling, co-founder of Interview Circuit’s favorite question because it throws people off – they often can’t just come up with something obvious that will instantly satisfy the interviewer.
Sterling says a good candidate will express that they’re willing to stick with the job for as long as it takes to succeed. Weaker prospects will dodge the question, by changing the topic or sidestepping the question in some other way.
Question 5: What’s in the newspaper today?
It may sound insignificant, but Deborah Bial, president of the Posse Foundation, says it’s the small talk that often reveals what the person is really going to be like to work with. She wants to know what someone thinks, how someone thinks, and how they express what it is they’re thinking. In order to do that effectively, you have to get into a discussion about something. “I want to assess how interesting someone is as a person,” she says, “in addition to how effective they might be at work.”
Question 6: What makes you really special? If you were writing 500 words about yourself, what would you say?
Penny Herscher, former CEO of First Rain loves this question, because she says it helps her measure three traits in a candidate: I.
Q., integrity and energy. She has come to believe that IQ, integrity and energy are three traits you can’t teach someone. She likes to get a candidate talking and then sit back and listen.
Question 7: What percentage of your life do you control?
Mitch Rothschild, founder of Vitals, chooses this topic because it helps him understand how someone feels about the world around them. Whether someone can force change to happen, or just lets change happen to them says a lot about a person, he explains. Because Rothschild runs a small company, he says he always wants to hire people who can make change happen.
Question 8. Tell me something that’s true, that almost nobody agrees with you on.
Peter Thiel, PayPal CoFounder and President of Clarium Capital, asks this question because he’s looking for people who aren’t afraid to speak their minds. This question is a great test for originality of thinking, he says, and it also measures a candidate’s courage in speaking up in a difficult context.
While many people believe that being original is easy, Thiel feels it’s actually really hard to be original, and when you find it it’s really valuable.
Question 9: Describe a day where you’ve just had the greatest working day of your life. You’re driving home and you’re on cloud nine. What was it about that working day that made you so happy?
Lew Cirne of New Relic uses this question to uncover someone’s passion and enjoyment for their work. He strongly believes that people who are doing what they love to do will execute at a higher level than others.
Question 10: So (insert name), what’s your story?
Richard Funess, Finn Partners’ managing partner asks this question because he enjoys the fact that there is no correct answer. Instead, he says, it always demands a creative response. Whatever a candidate answers will tell you a lot about their character, imagination and inventiveness. Invariably the answer is the beginning of a story, and in today’s world the ability to tell a story and create a feeling is critical.
On the negative side, if someone acts defensively or pauses too long before answering this question, Funess feels they may take things too literally.
In the end, what’s important to remember is that it’s not just about finding the right interview questions, but also learning how to listen and appropriately interpret a candidate’s response in order to find the right fit for your company.
*Image by Hardo Müller
110 Good Questions to Ask the CEO
If you want to acquire strategic business ideas to advance your career, you need to ask the CEO the right questions.
Asking the right questions is the key to building a successful career. When you involve the CEO in a conversion, what questions do you ask?
The type of questions you ask the CEO determines the answers you get. How successful business owners executives are mentors and role models for many.
They have reached a point where they understand how the business world works.
So, as a newbie with so many questions, the CEO is likely to share some insights across multiple areas of life.
How to create a successful business, understand business strategies and build a career. Their experience will be useful to you as a beginner.
What are the best questions to ask the CEO?
You can only know the best questions to ask a CEO if you look at the nature of the company, the CEO’s background, and specific goals.
In general, there are many questions to ask a successful business owner. But the most important ones should focus on leadership style, the company and marketing strategy, and the future direction of the company.
It is also important to ask questions that are specific and relevant to your interests.
When you have the opportunity to meet with the CEO, be sure to ask these questions. If you have enough time to chat with the CEO, try asking any of these questions.
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110 Good Questions to Ask the CEO
If you admire the CEO and are given the opportunity to network, here are the questions you can ask.
#1. Who or what inspired you to become CEO?
#2. Describe your long-term vision for the company and how you plan to achieve it.
#3. What are you doing to motivate and inspire your employees?
No. 4. What are your biggest challenges as CEO and how do you deal with them?
No. 5. What is your risk-taking philosophy and how do you manage risk?
No. 6. What values do you prioritize and promote in your company culture?
No. 7. How do you manage innovation in your company and what is the role of technology in this process?
No. 8. What is your business strategy for attracting the best customers?
No. 9. What role will technology play in the future of the company?
No. 10. How do you keep your company competitive in the market?
No. 11. What was your biggest failure and what did you learn from it?
No. 12. How would you rate your company’s achievements?
No. 13. What is your greatest achievement as a CEO?
No.
14. How do you deal with criticism and feedback from stakeholders and customers?
No. 15. What do you think will be the biggest challenge your industry will face in the next 5-10 years?
No. 16. What advice would you give to someone who dreams of becoming a CEO?
No. 17. What is your approach to ensuring that your company remains ethical and complies with relevant laws and regulations?
No. 18. How do you communicate your company’s value and vision to employees, stakeholders, and customers?
No. 19. Describe your work-life balance philosophy
No. 20. How do you balance long-term and short-term goals for your company?
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Good Questions to Ask a CEO
We’ve listed the top twenty questions to ask CEOs. As you continue, more questions will appear.
No. 21. What do you think are the company’s core values and how do you ensure that these values are reflected in all aspects of your business?
№ 22.
How do you feel about corporate social responsibility?
№ 23. What is the company’s main priority for the coming year and what are your plans to achieve this goal?
No. 24. How do you stay abreast of changes in the industry and growing customer needs?
No. 25. What is your most proud moment as a CEO and why?
No. 26. How do you support a culture of diversity in your company?
No. 27. What impact does data have on the decision-making process in a company?
No. 28. What is your approach to making decisions and what factors do you take into account when making decisions?
No. 29. What is your strategy for coping with change within the company, and how do you keep your employees on the same wavelength?
No. 30. What are the most important qualities a successful CEO should have?
No. 31. What is your company’s biggest accomplishment over the past year, and how did you get there?
No. 32. What are the biggest growth opportunities for your company and how do you plan to use them?
No.
33. What do you think is the company’s greatest asset and how are you going to protect and use it?
No. 34. What is your company’s approach to sustainability and how does it align with the company’s value and mission?
No. 35. What role do you see your company playing in improving society, and how will you ensure your company has a positive impact?
No. 36. How will you foster a culture of continuous improvement within the company, and what role will innovation play in this process?
No. 37. How do you cope with the need to achieve short-term results when you need to invest in long-term development?
No. 38. How do you maintain a balance in the financial condition of the company and what steps are you taking to reduce risks?
No. 39. What do you think is unique about successful leaders and how do you cultivate these qualities in yourself?
No. 40. How do you measure the performance of your company and what steps do you take to make sure that the company is on the right track to achieve its goal?
Top questions to ask the CEO
Here are some more relevant questions to ask the CEO.
No. 41. What do you think is the best opportunity for the company and how do you plan to take advantage of it?
No. 42. What are the biggest risks a company faces and how do you deal with them?
№ 43. What do you think about corporate governance and how do you ensure the transparency of your company?
No. 44. What do you think about talent development and how do you encourage employee growth?
No. 45. How do you foster a culture of open communication and transparency in the company?
No. 46. Describe the biggest challenges in the industry today and how you plan to deal with them
No. 47. What is your approach to keeping the company relevant in today’s market?
№ 48. What do you think about cooperation and teamwork within the company and how important is communication in this process?
No. 49. What are your expectations for the company’s role in the global community, and how will you ensure that the company has a positive impact?
No.
50. How would you align the company’s technology strategy and innovation with your business strategy ?
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Good Questions to Ask CEOs at City Hall
Here are some important questions to ask your CEO.
No. 51. How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your company?
No. 52. Describe your company’s greatest strength
No. 53. Is your company funded, and if so, how much funding do we expect? If not, are you open to accepting funds?
No. 54. Do you support or promote employees within the company?
№ 55. What would you like to change in your company?
№ 56. How do you solve problems within the company?
No. 57. What qualities do you think a top management team should have?
No. 58. What steps is your company taking to solve its problem?
№ 59. What qualities do you expect from a candidate when looking for a job in your company?
No.
60. What immediate action will you take if your company’s supply chain is disrupted?
No. 61. What important step would you take for the well-being of your employees?
No. 62. Have you had conflicts with any of your employees?
№ 63. How did you develop your company when you had no users?
No. 64. What do you think is the most important aspect of a good corporate culture?
No. 65. If you ever had a disagreement with the board of directors, how would you convince them to listen to you?
№ 66. What is the best strategy for attracting the first hundred users?
No. 67. How do you deal with burnout in your company?
No. 68. Do you like the idea of working from home as a CEO?
No. 69. Do you listen or accept the point of view of your employees?
No. 70. When was the last time you had a one-on-one conversation with any of your employees?
Good questions to ask a CEO about digital transformation
Here are some questions to ask CEOs about digital transformation.
No. 71. What has been the biggest benefit of digital transformation for your company and how would you rate its impact?
No. 72. How do you manage the need to innovate given the risks associated with the introduction of new technologies, and what business strategies do you use to mitigate the risks?
No. 73. What motivated you to digitally transform your company and what business goals do you want to achieve?
No. 74. What are your plans for providing the organization with the necessary resources to implement and sustain digital transformation?
No. 75. Describe the biggest challenges you faced in your digital transformation process and how you overcame them.
No. 76. How does your organization keep up with technological changes and trends, and what strategies are useful to stay ahead of the curve?
No. 77. What steps does your organization take to prioritize digital initiatives, and what are the most important factors you consider when making decisions?
No.
78. How do you see your organization in the coming years in this new digital transformation?
No. 79. What are the biggest challenges you face in terms of employee engagement in digital transformation?
No. 80. How would you change leadership during digital transformation, and how would you ensure your employees are ready for change?
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Questions to ask the CEO
Here are more relevant questions to ask CEOs.
No. 81. What do you expect from your team?
No. 82. How would you describe how senior management interacts with the rest of the staff?
No. 83. What is your main goal as CEO?
No. 84. What do you do when you are not in the office?
No. 85. How is your typical day when you are not busy with work?
No. 86. What is your company’s approach to environmental sustainability?
No. 87. How do you manage the search for talent and what qualities do you expect from a new employee?
No.
88. What role will your organization play in promoting social justice?
No. 89. How would you approach customer service and what role will customer feedback play in this process?
No. 90. How would you ensure that your company’s values are reflected in all aspects of your business?
No. 91. What do you think will be the biggest opportunity for business growth in the next five years?
No. 92. How do you best approach decision making during a crisis?
No. 93. As CEO, how do you manage competing demands and prioritize?
No. 94. How do you improve your company’s products and services?
No. 95. How do you ensure that your company stays ahead of industry trends?
No. 96. Describe your company’s approach to taking risks
No. 97. How do you feel about growing and expanding your organization?
No. 98. How does your company feel about employee feedback?
No. 99. What do you think distinguishes the company from its competitors?
No.
100. What do you think is the company’s biggest problem?
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Good Questions to Ask the CEO
Here are the last ten questions to ask the CEO.
No. 101. What is the best approach to conflict resolution in your organization?
No. 102. What is your strategic plan for managing and reducing conflicts of interest within the organization?
No. 103. How do you ensure that the organization delivers value to its customers and stakeholders?
No. 104. What do you consider a great team as a CEO?
No. 105. How did you get to your current position as CEO?
No. 106. What was the most difficult career decision for you?
No. 107. What advice can you give to young minds who dream of someday becoming like you?
No. 108. What prompted you to do this career path in life ?
No. 109. What are the most important skills a CEO has?
No.
110. What other organization in this industry do you admire?
Conclusion
If you want to build a career as your mentors, you need to ask the right questions when you have the opportunity to talk one-on-one with them. You may have over a thousand questions to ask your mentor, but it’s important to ask the right questions.
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