NEWSLETTERS

When it comes to the executive interview process, it’s important to prepare for psychometric testing. Psychometric testing allows prospective employers to gain insight into your personality, skills, aptitudes, strengths and weaknesses. In this article, Executive Interview Coaching founder Richard Elstone explains how to prepare for psychometric testing and optimise your chances of landing your next executive role. What is psychometric testing and what is it used for? Psychome

The interview with your manager’s boss is usually the last interview in the hiring process and in a way, it’s the most important one. There’s no doubt these kinds of interviews can be intimidating. If, for example, your boss is the Executive General Manager, their boss could be the Managing Director. If you’re going for a direct report as one of the C-Suite executives reporting into the CEO, your boss’s boss might even be the chair of the company. So, how do you excel

Corporate restructures are when a company makes significant changes to its financial or operational structure, in order to improve efficiency, become more profitable or enhance the customer’s experience. As an employee looking down the barrel of a corporate restructure, the uncertainty can be nerve-wracking. However, in many instances, restructures also present opportunities for growth, promotions and sideways moves. Executive Interview Coaching founder Richard Elstone expla

The truth is that most people don’t really prepare for the question. Instead, they think they’ll wing it.

Are you an executive who has been in a holding pattern in the same role for some time? Are you hoping for an internal promotion that never seems to eventuate? Executive Interview Coaching founder Richard Elstone says when executives don’t get promoted, it’s usually for one of two reasons. Let’s take a look. There’s no obvious successor One of the main reasons executives don’t get promoted is that they haven’t developed a clear successor to take over their role, says Richard.

Tips for making an executive career change. What are your career goals for the future? If you’re looking to move on from your current executive appointment to something different next year, now is the time to start planning. Here, Executive Interview Coaching founder Richard Elstone provides some tips for those looking to seize opportunities for the new year. The key is to start preparing sooner rather than later. Define your career goals One of the most common interview ques

You’ve been offered a position on a board and you’re wondering whether to take it. Before you decide, it’s important to do your due diligence and ask certain questions to help inform your decision. In this Q and A, Executive Interview Coaching founder Richard Elstone chats to author, board director, and international expert on board governance Julie Garland McLellan. She explains the kind of due diligence non-executive directors (NEDs) should do before accepting a board role

Executive Interview Coaching founder Richard Elstone recently chatted with Michelle Redfern to discuss the gender gap in leadership and how she plans to help the next generation of women CEOs make it to the top. Michelle is a globally recognised gender equality, diversity and inclusion strategist. She advises organisations in the business and sporting sectors on DEI strategy development and implementation and works directly with women leaders to advance their careers. Here is

There’s a big difference between the resumé that will get you your next executive position and the one that will help you land a board seat. If you’re serious about securing a coveted board seat, you need to highlight your strengths in the area of governance, your committee experience, and much more in the board resumé. Here are some tips for getting your non-executive resumé right. Keep it succinct Board resumés are generally shorter than executive resumés. A crucial differe

Board interviews are very different from executive interviews. If you’re an aspiring non-executive looking to be appointed to a board role, you’ll need to plan for the interview carefully. In this article, Executive Interview Coaching founder Richard Elstone explains some common questions you may face in a board interview setting and how to outperform your competition. 1. Why would you like to join the board of this company? A chairperson will likely want to know why you’d

Picture this. You’re an executive search consultant interviewing two prospective candidates for an executive role. You ask each the usual questions, including how they made an impact in their previous roles. Candidate A looks blank, then begins to waffle about their prior experience. Candidate B, on the other hand, draws on specific numbers to illustrate their impact. They know their top line revenue numbers, their margins and who their biggest customers are. Confident. Prec

You’ve been through the interview process and landed the executive role of your dreams. So, what now? Some executives find themselves feeling uncertain about how to tackle those first 90 days in a new role. How do you prove yourself? What’s the best way to hit the ground running? The first few months are crucial for new executives looking to build solid foundations for a successful leadership. It’s natural to feel pressure to deliver results, but you have to do it in a carefu

If you’re preparing for an executive interview, one of the questions that’s bound to come up is how you solved a problem or overcame a challenge. Here, he explains how to effectively share a story in an executive interview setting, why they are important, and how he and his team can help you prepare for them. What is a story? A story allows you to showcase how you dealt with a particular problem or issue. Let’s take a look at a few examples. An HR person may have a story aro

Are you an executive looking to build your skills as a non-executive director? Many executives choose to venture down this path, but the truth is it can be a challenging transition. The competition for board roles is often fierce. You’ll be going up against other ex-CEOs, CFOs, COOs and senior executives with years of experience and knowledge behind them. So, how do you prepare for a board role and set yourself apart from the competition? In this article, we share insight fro

Many executives in their 50s wonder whether they’ll ever get another executive role. The answer is ‘yes’ – with the right career coaching...

When it comes to getting ready for an executive interview, you can never be too prepared. If you missed our ‘Interview preparation part 1’ blog, you can find it here. As a recap, the first step when preparing for an executive interview is to do a company-based SWOT analysis, followed by a personal SWOT analysis. This will help you develop a strategy to answer potential interview questions. In this article, ‘Interview preparation part 2’, we run through common types of intervi

When you’ve been with the same organisation for some time and a new executive opportunity arises, it can be exciting. However, as an internal candidate it’s important to invest the same amount of time and energy into your resume and the interview process as you would do for an external opportunity. Here, Executive Interview Coaching founder Richard Elstone explains some of the biggest mistakes internal candidates make when applying for a role. Assuming the job is yours Just b

Do people still use cover letters? If you haven’t been for an executive interview in a while, you may be wondering whether people still use cover letters and if so, how to structure one. The simple answer is ‘yes’. A cover letter can be a powerful tool at an executive level to help you pique the interests of a search partner or recruiter and get noticed. But when it comes to nailing the cover letter, you can’t just throw something slapdash together. Here are a few tried and t

When you’re interviewing for an executive role, you want to dress to impress and leave a positive first impression. But how? In this article, we speak to Executive Stylist and Certified Image Professional Julie Hyne about how to look your best in an executive interview. Julie has been providing advice to executive women for more than 20 years via her business, Style for Life. Executive Interview Coaching founder Richard Elstone also provides insight into what men should wear

There’s no denying it – panel interviews can be intimidating. When you’re sitting across from three or four people interviewing for a government or public sector senior executive service (SES) opportunity, you may feel a bit like you are under a microscope. However, it’s important to remember that the people interviewing you want you to succeed. More than anything, they want to find the right person for the role as soon as possible. If you do have a panel interview on the ho