Nonprofit – Executive Director

Position Name: Executive Director

Interviewer

Candidate Name

Interview Date

Introductory Questions

– Interviewer(s) share name, role, tenure, and hand business cards for thank you messages
– Share a brief overview of the company
– Give Candidate the Job Description, highlight Job Purpose, Schedule/Travel, Major Challenges & Key Decisions, and Physical Requirements

Walk us through your professional background.

What type of environment do you thrive in? What type of management style do you enjoy most?

Technical Questions

– Ask job related questions, based on skills and competencies needed for the role
– Ask open ended questions that allow candidates to tell a story about a specific example
– Ask 5-10 questions based on the role and how much time you have (~3-4 minutes per question)
– Listen for recent examples, details, consistency, the candidate’s role in the story, and teamwork
– Take notes and ask clarifying questions as follow-ups

What has given you the greatest sense of achievement at work and why?

Behavioral / Situational Questions

– Ask job related questions, based on skills and competencies needed for the role
– Ask open ended questions that allow candidates to tell a story about a specific example
– Ask 5-10 questions based on the role and how much time you have (~3-4 minutes per question)
– Listen for recent examples, details, consistency, the candidate’s role in the story, and teamwork
– Take notes and ask clarifying questions as follow-ups. Follow up questions may include:
- Tell us more about the action you took and the outcome.
- What did you say at that point?
- How did you react to that situation?
- Explain your role in more detail.
- Tell me in detail what steps you took.
- And what was the result?
- Describe the obstacles you faced in getting it done.
- What other options did you consider?
- Why do you think you reacted as you did?
- How do you think others felt about your actions at the time?
- Were you satisfied with the outcome of your actions?
- If the same or a similar situation presented itself, what would you do differently?

Change Management

As you have changed from role to role throughout your career, how have you modified your behavior to deal effectively with changes in the work environment? Give a specific example.

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Coaching & Mentoring

What strategies would you use to motivate your team?

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Tell me about a recent time you had to coach an employee to perform a task.

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Collaboration

What collaboration tools do you find the most helpful for working on team projects and why? How do you use these tools?

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Describe a high-pressure work situation and how you handled it. Tell me what happened, who was involved and what you did in terms of problem solving.

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Communication

Describe an example of when you have been called upon to present in front of a group. How did you prepare? Was the presentation a success? How could you tell?

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To get our points across, we sometimes need to use differing approaches when talking with different types of people. Talk to me about a time when you have done that successfully.

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Do you tend to take an observer/listener role or be an active participant in meetings? Tell me about a time when your preferred style worked well and a time when it didn’t.

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Critical Thinking

When a decision is needed, what process do you use to come to the right response?

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Decision Making

Describe a decision you had to make when you were really torn between the alternatives. How did you finally decide? What was the outcome?

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It can be difficult to use good judgment when everyone else seems to disagree with your approach. Give me an example of a time when you had to go against the wishes of a group to get something accomplished. What did you do? How did you explain your reasoning? What was the result?

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Do you tend to make decisions quickly and instinctively or more slowly and methodically? Tell me about a time when your method did not achieve the results you expected. What happened and what did you do?

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Facilitation/Presentation

In which settings are you most comfortable in presenting? How does your style and comfort vary for large group versus small group presentations?

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Leadership

How are you more self-aware now than earlier in your career? Are there certain tools you use to help in your leadership self-awareness?

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Describe a situation where your actions/words were instrumental in achieving the desired action.

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Tell me about a time when you had to inspire or energize an unmotivated individual or group. How did you do it and what was the result?

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Give me an example of a piece of constructive feedback you received about your leadership style. How did you respond?

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Have you had a leadership mentor? If so, describe him or her. What have you carried with you from this exposure?

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What makes you an effective leader? Why do you think people want to work for you?

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Managing Others

Describe your approach to hiring staff. What elements comprise this process?

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What is your greatest personal struggle in supervising others? Give me an example of a time when you overcame one of your struggled and resolved a problem.

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To get the most from your staff, describe the amount of structure, direction, and freedom you give?

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What have you done to develop a successor for your position?

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As you have grown in your career, how has your management style changed?

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Negotiation

How do you compromise in negotiations? Give an example of where this has been effective.

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When don’t you negotiate? Give an example.

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Planning & Organization

Describe a time when you were facing a challenging circumstance, personally or professionally. How did it affect your work? What did you do to balance the situation and stay on top of your workload?

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How do you manage a project? What are the various elements used?

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Describe a situation that didn’t go as planned. What would you have done differently?

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Results Orientation

Describe for me a recent time when you anticipated obstacles and were prepared with a contingency plan.

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Strategic Thinking

What is the most strategic program you have implemented during the past 12 months?

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Talk about a time you were implementing a strategy and had to revise it or change direction.

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Teamwork/Team Building

When it comes to group dynamics, what do you believe hinders teamwork the most?

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How would you describe a successful team? What is the #1 thing that makes a team truly thrive?

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Candidate’s Questions

– Be sure to leave time for their questions, generally 1-3
– Paint a positive but honest view of the pros and cons of the work and culture

Notes

Closing Questions

– Describe where you are in the process, next steps, and when they can expect to hear back
– Ask if they have any final remarks

What could you bring to this position that other candidates could not?

Interviewer Assessment

Enter your overall assessment about the candidate’s knowledge, skills, abilities, and fit for this position.

Would you recommend this candidate advance in the process?