- What do you think our company’s mission and vision are?
- What changes would you implement during your first year in the company? …
- What would you do in your first 30 days as CEO of our organization?
- Who do you believe are our biggest competitors?
TOP 7 CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Interview Questions And Answers!
Interview Questions for CEOs:
Shows the ability to strategize.
What has been your greatest career disappointment? What did you learn from it?
Demonstrates a willingness to learn.
How do you prepare for major industry or company changes? Support your answer with examples.
Shows adaptability.
Questions to Support You in Preparing for Your Next CEO Interview
We’ve compiled “125 CEO Interview Questions” (Chief Executive Officer Interview Questions), grouped by subject, to help you prepare for your next CEO-level interview.
These CEO Interview Questions are specific to the CEO role, but you may also be asked general interview questions and Behavioral Interview questions, so we recommend preparing for those questions as well.
And, many of these questions could be asked on a CFO, COO, CIO, CTO, CSO, CMO, CHRM, CAO, CDO interview as well, so if you are interviewing for any of these positions, you can practice answering some of these questions to prepare for your interview.
Practice Answering Your CEO Interview Question Aloud
We suggest you practice using these CEO Interview Questions with a colleague, mentor, an Executive Coach, an Interview Coach, or a Job Search Coach. And that you practice on your own verbally. Just reading questions silently or thinking through the answers to questions may not fully prepare you for giving your answers aloud.
If possible, you may want to put together a panel to simulate the panel interviewing structure (which is a higher pressure format than a one-on-one interview). And, you may want to practice answering your CEO Interview Questions via teleconference and phone as these are also common modes of interviews. It is also important that you prepare a list of questions to ask during your interview to demonstrate your knowledge, show your interest, and learn what you need to know in order to determine if the position meets your job criteria and will be a win-win business arrangement for everyone. And, here’s a book to help you prepare.
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 doesnt 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.
How do you see the company changing in two years, and how do you see yourself creating that change?
We want to hire a leader who thinks about where the company is going. We don’t want a CEO who is comfortable doing things the way they’ve always been done. That’s why we ask what differences they anticipate and how they see themselves shaping change in the future.
FAQ
How do CEOs board interviews?
What are good questions to ask a new CEO?
- Some things to keep in mind.
- It’s not a Q&A session. …
- Make sure your interest is genuine. …
- Don’t ask more than one question at a time. …
- The questions.
- What do you feel is the biggest strength of our company right now?
- What goal do you have for the company?
How should a CEO prepare for an interview?
- Be yourself. …
- Show off your research. …
- Have an opinion. …
- Have a career plan. …
- Choose your words. …
- Ask about corporate governance. …
- Have answers to all the standard questions. …
- Show you can work in a team.
