Is it true that interviews get better (easier/more chill) when you meet the higher ups? This is for a med size tech company. Expected to meet with C-level management on my last round
I had a C-suit meetint/interview as last round…after panel interview. Has 2 meeting back to back..1 was great..went a bit over time as well..the other was meh..so i am not sure what to expect of it 🤭
Hope you did well and get the job!! Pls report back if you hear anything
Depends on how you look at it. Director/VP/C-suite roles will inevitably require you to have tangible experience/visible output in the industry that you play in. When you grinded out a product that turned into a successful IPO, or you managed ops for an organization with 100+ people, then yes, interviewing does indeed gets easier. It becomes less about "proving who you are" and more about "what do you bring with you that will solve all of our issues + take us to the next level". You could argue the latter is the same for any other role, but in the no-bullshit reality that's not the case.
My bad, I misread your post - thought the question was around interviews FOR senior leadership positions. What you're asking for depends a lot. Usually people with more skin in the game will want to make sure they hire the right person. They won't necessarily grill you with the toughest questions, but will pay more attention to your culture fit. Just my 2c
That makes sense - thank you for your input!
The higher ups are typically more rusty when it comes to interview skills in my experience. This can work in your favor, meaning you have a relaxed conversation, or they could fall back on generic interview questions that make or break you in their mind but aren’t relevant things to ask. For example, I did 7 of 8 interviews for the same company a few weeks back. The final interviewer was the most senior and singed me because she asked me about my favorite trends in the “tech industry” and I was upfront that I don’t follow those things unless they pertain to my job. Makes sense to ask of someone applying to their first tech job, but not someone with 7 years of PM experience.
Not true. That question may be used to assess learning agility of a candidate. The senior leader may want to know if he/she is hiring someone who can only be good at what they do, or has innate growth mindset and aptitude to take on something challenging and new for the team/company in the future.
It may feel like a casual interview, but don’t be fooled, these interviews with senior leaders can totally sway the hire/no-hire decision. I’m a hiring manager and I’ve interviewed people that did well enough to consider for an offer, but director+ level leader may say something that implies they had a less than great impression of the candidate. They won’t tell you not to hire, but as the hiring manager, I understand that I better be dang sure this person is going to be a great hire, because I’m risking my own political-capital and credibility to hire someone my senior leaders didn’t like.
Interesting input, thank you for your feedback! Do you have any tips on how best to navigate conversations with senior leaders?
Put out a happy, positive vibe. But most importantly, be authentic. They’ll be able to tell if you’re trying too hard to impress or suck up.
Usually the c-level final round is pointless and just an exec who wants to keep the vibe of meeting every candidate before hiring as long as they can. Usually just simple small talk. You cant screw it up unless you actively try to haha
😂 thanks for your input! Hopefully will be lighthearted