Hiring for senior management roles—like directors, managers, and executives—is tough.
There's always the option to promote internally. Hiring externally brings fresh perspectives and new energy, but it also places significant pressure on the hiring manager. You're essentially blocking someone's internal promotion. That's real pressure.
And the pressure doesn't stop there. At this level, the talent pool is exceptional. Here's an example: recently, I was helping a company hire their CTO—a 250-person company in France. We received around 60 applications (almost no headhunting), 30 of which were strong candidates. We spoke directly to 20 candidates (all great options) and found 8 who were excellent fits. That's a great problem to have when hiring. We had to refine our selection criteria even further to make the final decision.
Compare this funnel to typical developer roles—it’s completely different. I don't know anybody who would say that out of 60 developer applications, 30 seemed strong. Hiring developers usually involves active headhunting, less motivated candidates, and a more transactional process with applications often being too generic or poorly tailored to the job.
Given these realities, you need to be exceptional in interviews if you aim for director-level or executive positions.
But what exactly does "exceptional" look like? Here are two practical strategies I usually discuss with people during mentoring:
Use an Answer Script
Even experienced candidates struggle because they either think too long during interviews, give inconsistent answers, or—quite the opposite—deliver overly rehearsed responses that feel unnatural. This can make candidates appear unprepared or unfamiliar with their own experiences. Using an answer script helps you stay focused on delivering clear, structured responses that genuinely reflect your capabilities. Here are two scripts you can use:
- The Classic Story Structure: Start with an introduction, present a conflict or challenge, show how you resolved it, and conclude with results.
- My Personal Script: Connect the topic to your passion and achievements, relate directly to the company's context, present an example problem you've tackled, share the result, and end by inviting them to ask more.
For example, a generic response to the question "How do you ensure your teams deliver the results the business needs on time?" might be: "I set clear goals and regularly check progress, making sure that...". However, using the classic story script, you could say (in a very simplified way):
In my previous role as Tech Manager, when I joined the company, we had a critical project falling significantly behind schedule, with an impact on client commitments (many hundreds of K) and team morale. I conducted an in-depth review and engaged directly with the teams. It became evident that unclear priorities and constant context switching were derailing progress. To address this, I helped the team implement a rigorous planning framework, defining explicit weekly objectives and establishing concise daily checkpoints. This accelerated the project timeline, leading to completion ahead of the revised schedule, and also visibly boosted team confidence and overall morale, reinforcing our capability to deliver under pressure.-
Always Contextualize Your Answers
Use the information you have about the company from the job description (JD) or your research. This will prevent generic answers and help you provide meaningful responses. Instead, link your experiences directly to their stated needs.
For instance, referring back to the earlier example, you can expand your response by emphasizing mentorship and clear management of responsibilities—two aspects explicitly mentioned in the job description. Your answer can continue with:
After successfully implementing the structured planning process, I took time to reflect on why the team hadn't naturally taken similar steps earlier. The issue wasn't a lack of skills or knowledge. Instead, team members hesitated because their roles in decision-making and initiating improvements weren't clearly defined. Understanding this, I prioritized direct mentorship, encouraged greater team independence, and clarified individual responsibilities. This approach not only improved immediate results but also promoted a culture of ownership, making sure the team could handle future projects effectively on their own. This aligns directly with your emphasis on proactive leadership and mentorship.-
Use Your Answers to Learn About the Interviewer
If you're interested in exploring these strategies further and learning more advanced techniques—like using your responses to gain deeper insights into the interview context, mastering your body language, or ensuring the interviewer feels that you truly understand their company—let's connect for a free mentoring session.
Feel free to reach out if you're aiming for a senior role and want help preparing for the interview process. Over the years, I’ve participated in recruiting hundreds of professionals across various industries—developers, managers, directors, VPs, and C-level roles. I’ve sat on all sides of the table: I’ve evaluated candidates, I’ve coached them to present themselves clearly and confidently, and I’ve been interviewed myself for senior roles.
For senior positions especially, the bar is high, and the expectations go beyond skills—they touch on leadership style, strategic thinking, and cultural fit. I’ve helped many candidates cut through the noise, avoid overcomplicated jargon, and focus on what really matters: showing who they are, what they’ve done, and how they think. The goal is always the same—keep it clear, keep it honest, and make it impactful.
Bonus Tip: Match (and Slightly Exceed) the Interviewer’s Energy
Matching the interviewer's energy can greatly influence the outcome. Too little energy can be perceived as disinterest or low confidence. Too much can come across as overcompensating, aggressive, or not in tune with the company culture. The key is to tune in quickly—observe their tone, pace, and intensity—and then match it, adding just a bit more warmth, clarity, and presence to stand out.
Energy isn’t just about how loud or expressive you are. It’s your rhythm, tone of voice, eye contact, posture, and facial expressions. Energy doesn’t mean being loud or overly expressive. It’s about how clearly you speak, how you hold eye contact, how steady your pace is, and whether you look like you actually want to be in the room. If the interviewer is calm and serious, don’t go in with over-the-top enthusiasm. If they’re fast-paced and energetic, pick up your tempo a little. It’s not about faking anything—it’s about showing you can read the room and adapt without losing yourself.
Photo by Armand Khoury on Unsplash