"The focus should be on one's strengths, motivation and fit when interviewing or filling executive-level positions," states executive onboarding guru and New Leaders Playbook contributor George Bradt on TotalPicture Radio
STAMFORD, Conn., May 11, 2011 — "The actual job interview comes down to three key areas – strengths, motivation and fit – and three questions related to those areas determine whether or not a job is a good match for the potential employee and a good hire for the employer," according to George Bradt, managing director of PrimeGenesis, and a Forbes.com and Huffington Post contributor.
In an exclusive interview with Peter Clayton, producer/host of TotalPicture Radio, a popular career and leadership development podcast, Bradt points out that executive recruiters like Kevin Kelly, CEO of Heidrick & Struggles, whom Bradt recently featured in his Forbes.com column, agree that there are ONLY three true interview questions: "Can you do the job? Will you love the job? And, can we tolerate working with you?" said Bradt. "I would suggest any question anybody has ever asked or responded to in an interview was either a subset of one of these three questions or a way to probe a little more into a candidate's responses."
"People do a lot of interview training. They do practice and get coached on all sides. They come in and think they're on stage and want to perform," stated Bradt. "I've got to tell you, I think that interferes because I don't think there are winners and losers in interviews. It is really about finding the right match for both the job seeker and employer."
Bradt said that if job seekers as well as hiring managers "stop the posturing," open up and treat the interview process as a "rational conversation" looking to make a connection, the whole process would be much more effective and productive for both parties.
During the interview for TotalPicture Radio's Leadership Channel series, Bradt discusses many real-world examples of success – gathered from his numerous interviews and articles for his Forbes.com "New Leaders Playbook" weekly column, including:
- Former White House Communications Director Robert Gibbs' reported move to a senior executive position at Facebook;
- Ajay Banga's masterful transition from Citi to MasterCard CEO. "What Ajay did that was just magnificent was he spent ten months wandering in and out of people's offices, saying, 'Hi, I'm Ajay. Tell me about you'";
- The "coopetition" relationship between IBM's Sue Hed and one of the company's competitors, Oracle. "Sue focused on getting early wins in what she called manageable geographies," recalled Bradt;
- Mike Duke's leadership at Wal-Mart;
- Sam Martin's turnaround of A&P.
According to Bradt, "Once senior executives land a position, they need to take advantage of the 'fuzzy frontend' – the time between accepting the job, starting the job and their first key months in the position – to partake in some directed listening and learning about their new company and organization. This will help them experience a much smoother onboarding process and better adapt their management style and objectives to their new workgroup, corporate vision and colleagues' skills."
In closing, Bradt states, "People are hiring and the war for talent in today's market is very real. Executives currently wrestling with the job search should really do a sprint over the next few weeks before the summer hits and businesses practically shut down." Additionally, Bradt cautioned, "The market is still tough for senior-level, long-term unemployed people. However, that could all change quickly for an executive with a single successful interview that focuses on one's strengths, motivations and fit for a particular position."
About PrimeGenesis and George Bradt
George Bradt is a Managing Director of PrimeGenesis, a Stamford, Connecticut-based consultancy focused on transition acceleration and executive onboarding. Previously, he has worked in sales, marketing and general management at several global companies, including Lever Brothers, Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola. Bradt holds degrees from Harvard and Wharton. The third edition of his critically acclaimed book The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan (Wiley Publishing) will be available this fall.
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