If you have been a candidate at the executive level, you have probably experienced bad interviews. Perhaps the executive interviewing you had trouble discovering your value. Didn't ask you too many questions. Spent a lot of time talking and not a lot of time listening.   Most candidates leave such interviews frustrated and uncertain of how they did.

If you have been a candidate on one of our searches, you know that you have had performance objectives outlined for you in the job profile. Even if the employer did not ask you substantive questions, you knew how to weave in the substantive answers - the things the employer really needed to hear about you to understand why you are qualified.

There is a solution for executive candidates who are interviewing on jobs where they don't know the objectives: Discover the objectives in the interview. Ask questions that allow you to find out what the employer really needs. Then give relevant responses. Essentially interview yourself.

You start off by dismissing the notion of an "interview."   This is a Customer Visit. You are the product, and you are the head of sales and marketing. Put yourself on an equal footing with the buyer (interviewer). Ask questions. Discover needs, then demonstrate how the product fits the perceived need. Show the Benefit to the Buyer.

In standard interviews, most employers first ask candidates to walk through their background, then they move on to "competency" based interviewing - "Give me examples of how you have demonstrated leadership; Tell me about your problem-solving capability", etc.

With the customer visit mind-set, your approach would be to insert questions strategically, to discover the need for the skill in context. When the interviewer asks about leadership, give a concise example, then ask: "How do you most need leadership applied right now in your situation?" When asked about problem solving, give a concise answer, and then ask, "Once the right person is hired, what is the biggest issue that needs resolution immediately?" You can't ask these types of questions for each question the employer asks, but you can strategically insert them to get a good feel for what the actual objectives are for the role.

If you are asked very general questions, like, "Tell me about yourself", rather than launching into a 10-15 minute monologue that merely recites your resume, use this as an opportunity to be strategic: "I'd be happy to tell you anything you'd like, and I want to make sure it is relevant to your needs. What is the most important objective for this role, so I can tell you how my background will help achieve that objective." Gutsy, yes. But you are modeling the kind of bold, proactive, forward-thinking behavior that most employers would want once you are in the job. You are showing them how the "product" meets their needs.

If you get a very talkative interviewer who goes on and on about the company or the job, watch for an opportunity to insert a comment: "I'm glad you mentioned that. I'd like to tell you about a time I solved a similar issue." The interviewer will usually allow you to elaborate.

By being an equal participant in the process, by asking questions and making statements that then allow you to give meaningful answers, you are actually helping the interviewer do a better job. At the executive level, most interviewers are CEOs, VPs, who spend their days on other things - they don't interview much. Help them out. Be a partner in the interview, and at least partially interview yourself, and you will have a much more successful experience.