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for an interview in order to shorten and focus the time spent with candidates. Putting in the effort to prepare an effective interview will allow you to get the most valuable information from the candidate in the least amount of time, while still making the candidate feel important and excited about the opportunity available at your company.

Top 9 Strategies for Conducting Effective Executive Interviews

1. Know What You Want -
Create a ranked wish list of experiences/skills, both technical and those related to organizational structure and corporate culture. Clearly mark which abilities are non-negotiable requirements for the job versus those which are highly desired. When appropriate, speak with the individual currently in the position and employees who work with the incumbent, including peers, subordinates, and superiors. Knowing exactly what the company needs will let you tailor the search and reduce the number of interviews you will actually need to conduct.

2. Be Structured, Consistent, and Well Rehearsed -
Use a system for quantifying and analyzing interview information, and know your questions ahead of time. Designing an interview outline with the most important questions at the front of the interview and appropriate follow-up questions listed below each main topic will streamline the process and save you time. Within 15 minutes, you should be able to know if the candidate meets the requirements for technical expertise and ability to work within the organizational structure/culture. If the candidate doesn't make the cut, then there is no reason to go into more detailed interview questions. If you need an executive that is an expert at navigating the FDA approval process, but the interviewee can't convey a situation in which he or she was seeking PMA for a device, then why waste any more time chatting?

3. Remember that Actions Speak Louder than Words -
Asking behavior based interview questions allows you to get a feel for the past experiences of your candidate, at the same time that you are learning about how he or she handles situations and leads others. Ask about overcoming obstacles in obtaining a CE mark for a product, or how the candidate dealt with a difficult team member in the past. Obviously these questions will need to be tailored specifically to the job, and perhaps even the individual applicants, but the time spent in crafting these questions before hand will save time at the interview table.

4. Do Your Reading -
Before entering any interview, face

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