Your Interview Questions Are Your Strategic Advantage

How do you respond when an interviewer asks you, “What questions do you have for us?”

You've prepared for every possible question they might ask. You've rehearsed your leadership philosophy, your turnaround stories, your 90-day plan.

In my experience, executives focus their interview preparation on how they will answer questions and often either leave the questions they may ask “for later” or never get to them because there’s no time. This oversight leads to an unmemorable ending, and, potentially, a missed opportunity, because at your level, interviewers are not only asking you questions and answering yours, they are also evaluating your questions.

The stakes for roles like the ones you want keep getting higher and organizations use every opportunity to go beyond your career documents and your answers to assess your strategic thinking, priorities, and your fit for the role. Stumbling at the end of the interview does not convey that you’re already thinking like someone who’s in the role.

Like everything else that you do as part of your job search, preparing the questions you will ask requires strategy and focus. Start by selecting up to three areas, and make sure the answers aren’t on the company website.

Here are some examples.

Strategy and Direction

Show that you understand the complexity of the role and did your homework by saying something like:Based on my research, it looks like XXX is a key priority. What's your take on the biggest hurdle to getting there?This invites them to share what's not in the press release such as internal obstacles, resource constraints, or misalignment.

Culture and Leadership Dynamics

Every company says they value collaboration and transparency. Go beyond what’s posted on the walls with questions like:When there's tension between short-term results and long-term investment, how does this team navigate that?How would you describe the working dynamic between the CEO and the board?What's the board's openness to change versus stability right now?This prompts them to share what’s not in the town hall talking points.

Fit and Expectations

Two questions that show your confidence and allow you to address any objections about your candidacy, especially in panel interviews are:What hesitations, if any, do you have about my fit for this role?What question haven’t I answered yet?

This opens the door for someone to state concerns and someone else to ask a question to strengthen your position.

Your Positioning Move

Carefully crafted questions do double duty. When you ask about the biggest hurdle to a key priority, you can respond with how you've navigated similar obstacles. When they describe how the team balances short-term and long-term trade-offs, you can share how you've led through that tension. When they share hesitations about your fit, you can address them directly, and turn a reservation into a strength.

The interview ends as a conversation and you leave them with more than answers.

You leave them thinking about you in the role.

Your questions are your closing argument. Make them count.

About D&S Executive Career Management:

We specialize in accelerating career transitions for senior executives and board candidates to land faster without leaving money on the table. Using our proprietary Executive Edge Method™, we've supported thousands of executives in landing top jobs in competitive markets and securing prestigious board appointments.

If you're facing an executive job search, building your board portfolio, or managing high-stakes leadership transitions, let's discuss how our proven methodology can cut your timeline and eliminate costly missteps. Schedule a confidential consultation here.