Section Insights
Preparing for an Executive Interview
What tips can help in an in-person meeting with an executive?
To prepare for an in-person interview with an executive, focus on storytelling and understanding the corporate goals. Review relevant materials that cover interview techniques and storytelling structure. Maintain a conversation at the executive level rather than getting bogged down in technical details.
- Revisit storytelling and interview preparation resources.
- Focus on how your role supports corporate goals.
- Engage in high-level discussions rather than technical specifics.
Communicating Value to Executives
How should I frame my role when speaking with executives?
When discussing your role with executives, emphasize how your work aligns with corporate goals and delivers value. Avoid getting into the minutiae unless prompted. Instead, highlight the strategic impact of your projects and how they contribute to the company's success.
- Discuss the strategic impact of your projects.
- Align your conversation with corporate goals.
- Provide context and benefits rather than just details.
Understanding Executive Priorities
What should I focus on when explaining project management?
Focus on how your project management approach prioritizes projects that yield the highest ROI and align with corporate objectives. Discuss how you collaborate with stakeholders to ensure project alignment with business needs and deliver measurable benefits.
- Highlight ROI and alignment with corporate objectives.
- Discuss collaboration with stakeholders.
- Emphasize measurable benefits of your projects.
Selling Benefits, Not Tactics
What is the key to communicating effectively with executives?
The key to effective communication with executives is to sell the benefits of your work rather than the tactics. Executives are interested in how your contributions will lead to increased revenue, cost savings, and improved customer satisfaction. Tailor your message to focus on these outcomes.
- Sell the benefits of your work, not the methods.
- Focus on outcomes like revenue and customer satisfaction.
- Tailor your message to executive interests.
The Importance of Self-Promotion in Interviews
Why is self-promotion crucial in interviews?
Self-promotion is crucial because the most qualified candidate does not always get the job; it's often the candidate who effectively sells themselves. In interviews, focus on how you can benefit the organization and provide tailored solutions that meet executive needs.
- Self-promotion is key to interview success.
- The best candidate is often the one who sells themselves well.
- Focus on how you can meet executive needs and provide tailored solutions.
Transcript
0:00 Jules question I'm being flown out to corporate headquarters for a final interview with the VP for a national pmo role love it any tips for an in-person meeting with an executive so Jules number one I know you have access to the interview intervention 10th anniversary session or the sorry program the whole product that we built back in November and in number one in general you know that all of my best interviewing tips tricks tactics and
0:34 so on are in there for you if I'm if I'm going and I'm going to be going to an in-person interview I would be making sure that I Revisited if you have not already seen it the mastering the storytelling session as well as is acing any job interview sessions because one is about storytelling structure which you definitely need and make sure that those are in order and the other one is how to actually Ace the different types of interviews of which in person and meeting with a senior
1:04 person would be in there now that's the general guidance if I'm gonna be in person meeting with an executive you want to make sure that you are maintaining conversation levels at the executive level if you are talking bits and bytes about your role and how you're going to do this and that that's not going to go over as well as how your role is going to support the corporate goals what it's going to do what it's going to enable that executive or the executive management team to
1:38 see let me give you an example of the differences in what I mean because I think the illustration will really help you if you are talking with an executive and you are getting into the bits and bytes of how you do what you do if they ask you to do that that's fine then you're going to give them right how you ran this project give them context around the project you give them your playbook the outline and this and so on and so forth okay I know you know what I mean as a boot camper right
2:07 so you're you're going to get into okay and then I did this and then I did this and then I did this and so on okay that's not the level you want to be at unless they ask you to walk walk me through how you did this at the pmo level you want to be talking about things like well when I run pmos the the primary focus is to ensure that you not only know what projects are going to yield the highest
2:34 Roi for us the and the sequence in which we should do that but you're also going to know right which ones are going to be Top Line to you know focused which ones are going to be bottom line for focused and and you'll have the sequence in which to to to run your projects based on and make and making sure that they're congruent with the corporate goals the corporate culture the corporate Mission the customer support whatever and you you want to make sure that you're talking about how what
3:03 you do matters to the person who's listening to you so you know I design the pmos and our ability to manage and prioritize the Project based on business cases that I work with in conjunction with the customer meaning the internal customer stakeholders we review it and then I lay out for you which ones are going to give you the greatest return the fastest payback period and the so on and so forth you're taking what you do and talking about how it's going to matter to them and
3:37 how you're going to work with that executive and what that executive is going to get from you and how that executive is going to benefit if you go Downstream and you talk about how you run projects and pmos as it relates to efficiently delivering them that's not where you want the conversation a lot of you do this because you think that's where the gold is because you want to show how well you are at running the pmos you are not in a session or an interview where you were
4:05 actually needing to sell your tactics get that you're not selling your tactics to the executive you're selling the benefits to the executive and how what why the executive would know that you think of things differently look at things differently or able to process things differently deliver things differently because when you're talking to me I don't care how you do all that I want to know I'm going to make more money save more money have happier customers and so on so
4:32 you need to talk in this language here okay are you y'all tracking with me I I have an endless number of coaching individual coaching sessions just like this where we completely blow up the stories that somebody wants to tell in favor of the stories that they actually need to tell which leads me to believe that a lot of you probably go this way instead of going this way now I'm just talking about how this benefits an executive if Jules was going to be talking to the staff
5:03 it would be well when we do this I'm going to look at you and we're going to align the projects that that I prioritize and the ones you get to work on based on your goals this and that the other thing and then you go the other way so so so this is and when you're talking with your immediate boss you need to talk tactics but you need to talk executive level stuff first I'm sorry or as well
5:25 both meaning meaning you need to you need to cover both in your in the scope of your of your dialogue so this is this is really really important because a lot of you you're like well Andy I didn't get that job well you know what you were perfectly equipped to get the job you did a poor job selling yourself in the interview the interview is not about how well you do your job I need you that
5:49 to register the interview is not about how awesome you are at doing what you do I'm sure you can if you're interviewing what do I say you're qualified right it the person who's most qualified isn't always the person who gets the job in fact it's rarely the person who gets the job the person who sells themselves the best is the person who gets the jam so the person that goes Upstream with the executive and talks at this level here's how you're going to benefit here's
6:15 what you're going to do here's why I know this is going to be important to you here's the dashboard I'm going to build you here's how you're going to be able to use it here's what it's going to tell you you're going to be able to make the decisions faster you're going to make sure you know what the priorities should be you're going to be able to sync it I'm going to tailor all that for you
6:31 and spoon feed it to you kind of thing that's why I'm a better candidate than anybody else cool all right Jules awesome stuff just what I expected but higher level okay go get him make me proud please
Summary
- Prepare by reviewing storytelling techniques and interview strategies tailored for executive interactions.
- Maintain a conversation level appropriate for executives, focusing on how your role supports corporate objectives.
- Discuss the impact of your work on ROI, customer satisfaction, and overall business strategy rather than the specifics of project execution.
- Use examples that illustrate your strategic thinking and how you prioritize projects based on business needs.
- Remember that the interview is about selling your value and benefits to the organization, not just your qualifications.
- Tailor your communication to show how you can help the executive make informed decisions and achieve their goals.
- Practice articulating how your contributions will lead to measurable improvements for the company.
Questions Answered
What tips can help in an in-person meeting with an executive?
To prepare for an in-person interview with an executive, focus on storytelling and understanding the corporate goals. Review relevant materials that cover interview techniques and storytelling structure. Maintain a conversation at the executive level rather than getting bogged down in technical details.
How should I frame my role when speaking with executives?
When discussing your role with executives, emphasize how your work aligns with corporate goals and delivers value. Avoid getting into the minutiae unless prompted. Instead, highlight the strategic impact of your projects and how they contribute to the company's success.
What should I focus on when explaining project management?
Focus on how your project management approach prioritizes projects that yield the highest ROI and align with corporate objectives. Discuss how you collaborate with stakeholders to ensure project alignment with business needs and deliver measurable benefits.
What is the key to communicating effectively with executives?
The key to effective communication with executives is to sell the benefits of your work rather than the tactics. Executives are interested in how your contributions will lead to increased revenue, cost savings, and improved customer satisfaction. Tailor your message to focus on these outcomes.
Why is self-promotion crucial in interviews?
Self-promotion is crucial because the most qualified candidate does not always get the job; it's often the candidate who effectively sells themselves. In interviews, focus on how you can benefit the organization and provide tailored solutions that meet executive needs.