Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • Hello there, my name is Richard McMunn from the interview training company PassMyInterview.com,

  • and in this tutorial, I'm going to teach you how to pass a CEO (Chief Executive Officer)

  • interview. And in particular, I'm going to give you my Top 7 CEO interview questions

  • and high-scoring answers. Now, you and I know that in order to pass this level of interview,

  • you will need to give in-depth, strategic-level responses to the interview questions. And

  • I'm going to teach you exactly how to do that during the forthcoming tutorial. Now, before

  • I do that, a very warm welcome to this interview training tutorial. My name is Richard McMunn.

  • That's me there in the center. I've been helping people to pass their interviews for about

  • 20 years now, and I do that specifically by giving you top scoring answers and tips on

  • how to prepare effectively. Please do SUBSCRIBE to the channel by clicking the red button

  • below the video, and then you won't miss out on any of the weekly training videos that

  • I'm uploading. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn.com in the description below the

  • video, and I would also appreciate your support if you gave the video a thumbs up, (LIKE).

  • That always motivates me to create more content for you. So, let's get into those Chief Executive

  • Officer interview questions and answers. Now, the responses are in-depth. I also believe

  • they are smart and intelligent, and they will put you across as a top-performing candidate,

  • which is what we want to do. Now, you can either take notes as I progress and write

  • down the tips and also the sample responses that I'm going to give you. Or, if you want

  • to wait, I will tell you where you can download the full slide deck for this presentation

  • and also my full set of CEO interview questions and answers. Question number one. Tell me

  • about yourself? So, we want to give a strong response that demonstrates that you are an

  • intelligent, smart and strategic thinking leader and motivator. “I believe there are

  • five main traits and qualities that define me, both as a CEO and also a person. I am

  • extremely well organized, immensely passionate about my work, a very strong communicator,

  • a natural leader and motivator, and also someone who enjoys the challenge of change and the

  • responsibility I have to continually improve and develop so I can maintain peak performance

  • within my role. Outside of work, I am family person who has the support of my partner and

  • my children. They understand how important it is for me to not only enjoy my work, but

  • that I am available at all times to respond to the obvious challenges that will come with

  • the role of a CEO. Apart from the qualities and traits I just mentioned, I have always

  • been a loyal and honest person who acts with the highest standards of integrity at all

  • times, both on a professional and personal level. Of course, I would say this, but if

  • you hire me as your Chief Executive Officer, I will deliver on my promises and drive your

  • company forward into the future with passion and vigor.” Within the questions that follow

  • on from this first question, we need to build on this response. So, the next question is:

  • How would you approachchangewithin our organization as the Chief Executive Officer?

  • So, how would you approach change? As you and I know, as a CEO, you are the person responsible

  • for delivering on the change needed. Now, not all times, but some organizations want

  • to have a new Chief Executive Officer because they want change in the organization. You

  • need to be aware of how to approach change, and also how to implement it. Here is my suggested

  • answer: “I have considerable experience of creating, implementing and delivering change,

  • and on that basis, I would use a tried-and-tested approach for ensuring change is delivered.

  • As your CEO, I believe it is important to create change that is genuinely actionable,

  • beneficial and believable. Therefore, I would approach change by ensuring all senior members

  • and managers of the organization are fully onboard with the change we all want to achieve,

  • the reasons for it, and the challenges they will face as the months progress. I am a great

  • believer that change cannot be delivered unless it comes from the top down and everyone really

  • buys in to it. If a member of the senior management team doesn’t believe in it, it cannot be

  • successful. This is where my communication and interpersonal skills will really come

  • to the fore, as I will be able tosellthe change needed to all members of staff

  • and therefore create a positive culture that realizes the benefits of change and the opportunities

  • it can bring.” So, another solid response! Third question: How do you plan to succeed

  • as our CEO when others in the past have failed to live up to expectations? This is a similar

  • question to: What makes you the standout candidate? Again, we want to give a really good response

  • to this question. “I already have a plan in place to succeed. My plan involves four

  • key stages. The initial stage is obtaining a thorough understanding of where we need

  • to be as an organization, including where we are right now, our strengths, the weaknesses

  • that hold us back, and also the opportunities that are available to us within this industry

  • that will help us to thrive moving forward. The second stage is creating a definitive

  • action plan based on short, medium and long term strategic financial objectives. I have

  • considerable experience in creating action plans that deliver results, and I will use

  • my experience from previous positions to ensure the plan’s objectives are both actionable

  • and achievable. The third stage of my plan is assessing key senior managers and members

  • of staff who are in a position to influence the change we need, and more importantly,

  • to deliver it. There will undoubtedly be many members of the organization who are highly

  • talented and hungry to deliver on the changes we, as an organization, want to make. The

  • fourth stage of my action plan is to provide the necessary resources, motivational support

  • and leadership direction needed for us to succeed. Whilst my plan will always be flexible

  • and adaptable to the challenges and the changes in the industry we will all face, I am one

  • hundred percent confident it will succeed.” What I like about that response, is that you've

  • already got a plan in place of what you're going to do. Now, of course, that plan needs

  • to be adaptable and flexible, because you need to get to know the organization. But

  • you've got FOUR KEY AREAS that you are going to focus on, and these will work in any organization.

  • Next question of our CEO interview: You will ultimately be responsible and accountable

  • for everything, but how do you plan to delegate in your role as a CEO? This is a question

  • about how you are going to delegate responsibility. But at the end of the day, you as the CEO,

  • are fully responsible for everything! But they want to know how you are going to delegate,

  • which is one of the core competencies required to be effective as a Chief Executive Officer.

  • Here's my suggested response: “Delegation is a fundamental element of being able to

  • deliver change and strategic objectives within an organization as a CEO. The only way I will

  • be able to deliver my action plan, and more importantly the financial targets we want

  • to achieve, is through effective delegation. However, delegation must be done carefully

  • and over the years I have become highly competent in this area. I approach delegation by following

  • six important steps. Step number one is DEFINING THE TASK I want to achieve. Defining the task

  • informs me of the output I want to achieve, and this will assist me in step two, which

  • is choosing the right person to DELEGATE to, based on their previous history of competence.

  • If someone has a track record of delivery, they will repeat that level of competence.

  • The third step is making sure I COMMUNICATE with absolute clarity and purpose what I want

  • from the delegation. This is a very important step as clarity of understanding is vital.

  • Step four is encouraging the person I am delegating to, to ASK QUESTIONS and provide me with feedback

  • on the task required. I will then, during step five, provide them with a SCHEDULE OF

  • WORK and a DEADLINE for completion. The final step is to MONITOR PERFORMANCE regularly,

  • without micromanaging, to ensure we are on track to achieve the relevant task or objective.”

  • That answer demonstrates you fully understand the importance of delegation, and that you

  • have a plan in place of choosing the right people to delegate to. Now, I still have some

  • questions to go through, so please do stick around. But when you are ready, if you CLICK

  • THAT LINK in the top right hand corner of the video, it will take you through to my

  • website where you can download my full set of CEO (Chief Executive Officer) interview

  • questions and answers. Next question: How do you see our company changing over the next

  • two years, and how do you plan to create the change necessary? Here's my suggested answer:

  • Prior to attending the interview, I researched both the organization in detail and the opportunities

  • I see available to us over the next few years. From the information and data I obtained,

  • I believe our customers and clients are seeking new and innovative products and services.

  • It is clear that the way people are purchasing their products and services is changing, and

  • we have the opportunity to embrace this change by using new and innovative marketing methods

  • and also making sure we develop the manner in which we connect with our customers and

  • clients to deliver what they need. I also feel it’s very important to ensure our service

  • delivery and customer service is to the highest standards possible. A company cannot survive

  • unless its service standards are the absolute best they can be. Consumers expectations are

  • continually growing, and we must respond to positively. In respect of delivering the change

  • needed, I will do this by utilizing our strengths, making good use of the strong brand and reputation

  • the organization already has, and also making sure there is an organizational culture that

  • views change as beneficial, and that also sees our customers and clients as the most

  • important asset we possess.” Next question of our CEO interview: What do you do outside

  • of work? So this is a question that is designed to see what you're REALLY like as a person!

  • How do you spend your free time? And of course, as a CEO, you won't have much free time. However,

  • you do need to make time for your family and also more importantly, for your own personal

  • development. Here we go: “Outside of work, I divide my time between my family, my health

  • and well-being, and also my own personal development. I am extremely fortunate that I have a supportive

  • partner who understands that my work must come first, and whilst I often do a lot of

  • work late into the night, we do find time to spend quality time together as a family.

  • I also enjoy walking and running a few times a week. When I say walking, I mean brisk walking,

  • as this is a great way to keep fit and also clear my head in preparation for the next

  • day’s challenges and opportunities that come with being a CEO. From a personal development

  • perspective, I am an avid reader, and I usually have a non-fiction book on the go. I’ve

  • just finished readingExtreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Winby Jocko

  • Willink. It’s a brilliant read and one that I got a few great tips from in respect of

  • mindset management and development.” What I like about that answer, is it shows that

  • you are a stable person. You know, you spend time with your family. You know, if you have

  • children, you spend time with your partner and you look after your own health and well-being.

  • You know how important that is in respect of mindset-management. And then also, you're

  • looking to personally develop as an individual, which obviously will help you in your role

  • as a CEO. Next question: How many messages are there in your inbox right now and how

  • do you manage your emails? This question comes up quite a lot during CEO interviews. A lot

  • of people think it’s right to say: “Oh yeah, there's like hundreds of emails in my

  • inbox!” but this is my suggested response to this question: “That’s a great question.

  • Prior to attending the interview today, there were approximately 25 emails in my inbox.

  • For some people, this may come across that I don’t get many emails, but actually receive

  • dozens every day. The main point is, I am very effective at managing my emails. This

  • is something that’s been ingrained into me ever since I started working many years

  • ago as a junior member of staff. I simply have to make sure all of my emails are either

  • actioned, delegated, or deleted as soon as possible so I can stay on top of things. As

  • a CEO, I will be available at all times of the day and night, so I will always be able

  • to manage my emails consistently. I prioritize emails based on who the message is from, the

  • urgency needed in respect of responding, and also how the information affects the organization.

  • I will also, wherever possible, delegate emails to other people. There are many times during

  • the day where I will simply ignore and delete an email. If it doesn’t require a response,

  • it simply won’t get one.” That shows that you are able to manage your messages, and

  • I like to stay on top of my emails. I hardly have any emails in my inboxas they come

  • in, I deal with them, because that makes sure that my mind is fresh and I'm ready for the

  • challenges that will come during the day. If you want my full set of CEO Interview Questions

  • and Answers, there is a link there. Even if you just want the questions I recommend you

  • prepare for, I suggest you CLICK THAT LINK and then you can read all of them. There’s

  • about 24 CEO interview questions that I recommend you prepare for, but you can also download

  • the answers for a small fee, and you can get those that I've just gone through, and also