Qualities to Look for in an Executive Interview

If you’re an employer, you’re probably familiar with how stressful, and expensive the hiring process can be. When there is an executive-level position open at your company, you want to ensure that you hire the best person for the job, without any regrets. 

As you prepare to interview potential candidates, it’s crucial to look beyond each candidate’s technical skills. It would help if you also considered the individual’s personality and how they conduct themselves on an interpersonal level. While technical skills and the ability to do the job are incredibly important, so too are qualities like communication and dependability.

To gain a better perspective on what to look for while interviewing for upper management and executive positions, look at our list of essential executive candidate qualities.

A Positive Attitude 

A positive attitude is a characteristic closely linked with business professionalism. Even for an entry-level position, you want someone upbeat and enthusiastic. Excitement and enthusiasm carry over into the workplace and job performance and are contagious qualities. An executive manager with a positive attitude will surely boost office morale.

Communication Skills 

One of the most critical aspects of an executive search Toronto and GTA employers look for is stellar communication. Meeting face-to-face allows you to ask a few open-ended questions to gain a greater understanding of how this individual will communicate with others on the job. You could start with an open-ended question, such as: Tell me about yourself. As the candidate responds, watch for essential communication qualities such as eye contact and an open body posture that includes unfolded legs and arms and a forward-leaning position. You want your new executive to exude confidence and leadership.

Dependability 

Hiring a dependable and reliable employee would be the main objective of an executive search. You’re looking for someone who will show up and give their all to every project, big or small. The right candidate will comply with your company rules and procedures and is trustworthy with company resources. However, trustworthiness can be challenging to measure in an interview. You’re looking for details on how the candidate demonstrated dependability with prior performance. Consider asking an open question: How would you describe your work ethic, and could you give specific situational examples? If necessary, ask for clarification on the candidate’s job responsibilities when this incident occurred.

Leave It to the Professionals 

To hire the best person for the job without going through the interview and hiring hassle, work with executive search experts in Toronto who can conduct the interview for you. A recruitment agency can save you the trouble of filtering through hundreds of resumes because they already have a qualified pool of outstanding candidates to interview. They’ll know how to spot the top qualities in any executive candidate, and all you’ll have to worry about is giving them a warm welcome at the office.

If you can trust, communicate with, and positively engage with a candidate, you might want to consider hiring them. And if you’re not 100% convinced on any candidates, work with a professional recruitment agency to help you get the job done.