When you are facing your first Non-Executive Director role, you are probably curious about the type of questions you will be asked during the interview. And rightly so.
It is important to note that interviews for Non-Executive Director positions are not the same as interviews you will have experienced when you applied for an executive position.
That’s not to say the traditional advice about interviews does not apply. You should still tailor your CV to the match the needs of the organisation, conduct thorough research about the company and make notes of what you perceive a board want from you.
You should make notes about what challenges the company is likely to be facing and what solutions you can offer them. This will help you to create, in your mind, a better understanding of the non-executive role and prepare you for questions that are likely to be asked.
To get you started, we have listed five common questions and provided explanations of what employers are looking for in your answers. We’ve also included a list of additional questions which may crop up in a non-executive director interview, so you can cover your bases and research accordingly.
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- 5 Key Questions Commonly Asked in Non-Executive Director Interviews
- Additional Questions to Consider Ahead of Your Interview
5 Key Questions Commonly Asked in Non-Executive Director Interviews
What do you know about the company?
Simon Laffin, Chairman of Flybe Group plc and Assura plc, says this is a ‘classic’ question put to non-executive directors. The question is a test of your ability to research companies, whether you understand the sector and whether you demonstrate a good work ethic.
It is important that you show a good awareness of the company culture. Even if your values do not always align with the culture of the company, you may have to set your personal feelings to one side and demonstrate that you can remain impartial.
Interviewers will also want to test your strategic and critical thinking. They will quiz you about where you see the company in five, 10 or 15 years, and what key challenges you expect the business to face in that time.
How you answer will reveal your approach to strategic considerations and whether you can provide solutions for potential flaws in the current business model. Therefore, it is crucial that you have a strong understanding of the business sector.
Have you influenced change or challenged executives in the past?
Karl George MBE, Managing Director at the Governance Forum, says that interview panels want to “hear examples of your leadership skills and your ability to hold executives to account.” It is important that you can be critical, but also have the knowledge to provide strong arguments and suggest solutions.
Interview panels looking to hire Non-Executive Directors often start the interview with a personal question to get a better understanding of the candidate’s ethics and personality.
An interview panel is not interested in your past roles. They want to know what kind of rapport you will have with other members of the board. One of the key roles of a Non-Executive Director is to challenge ideas and current models. If you are not a likeable character, you are more likely to grate on other board members.
What qualities do you believe you can you bring to our board?
Before attending an interview for a Non-Executive Director opening, think about why you are being considered for the role. The recruitment panel will obviously be interested in your knowledge, skills and experience, but they want to bring people on board with a vision that offers value.
Non-Executive Directors do not engage in the day-to-day running of a company, so the board will test your work ethic and commitment. They may ask how hands-on you will be and how much time you can dedicate to the project.
Do not be afraid to ask questions about the type of qualities they want to see in a Non-Executive Director. This is your opportunity to turn the tables. Ask them what challenges they face and what expertise they are specifically looking for. This will show that you are genuinely interested in the company and the role. It also gives you an insight as to whether you are an ideal candidate, after all, it is a two-way process.
Why do you want the role?
Among the trickiest questions to answer in a non-executive director interview – any interview, for that matter – is explaining why you have put yourself forward for the position. This is a challenging question for several reasons, not least because your answer needs to sound authentic and truthful whilst bolstering your value proposition.
While you’ll undoubtedly have your own reasons for applying for the role – be it salary, location or company benefits – these should play second fiddle to other, more considered aspirations. Look to demonstrate your drive and desire to inspire positive change within a business, seeing their challenges as your own.
When asked why you want the role, one of the key areas to touch on is career progression. This is a good area to focus on as it affords a platform for voicing your personal ambitions and goals, while showing them that, in taking you on, they’re recruiting a driven individual with a firm grasp of what they want to achieve in the future.
How would you describe your style as a non-executive director?
The role of non-executive director often entails a fine balancing act, wherein authority and control must, on occasion, make way for delegation and a hands-off approach. It’s also a flexible position, and one which can look a lot different depending on a business’ culture, structure and hierarchy.
For these reasons, interviewers will be keen to get a handle on your style as a non-executive director – gauging both your capacity for authority, and your willingness to pass the reins as and when this is required. These attributes can be hard to communicate and demonstrate at interview, but having a thorough understanding of a business’ culture can help you align your character with the ideal candidate they’re looking for.
During your interview preparation, it’s important to consider occasions in which you demonstrated leadership, but that doesn’t necessarily mean focusing on your personal achievements. Interviewers will want to see evidence of effective leadership in all its forms – whether that’s delegating tasks, establishing greater collaborative practices between teams, or celebrating the successes of junior colleagues.
Additional Questions to Consider Ahead of Your Interview
Non-executive director interviews cover a lot of ground, so the more preparation you do, the less chance you have of coming unstuck by an unexpected question. Here, we list some other questions which commonly crop up in non-executive director interviews, so you can take your planning to the nth degree.
- What are the leadership qualities of a non-executive director?
- In your view, what defines the relationship between non-executive and executive personnel?
- Considering the current state of our business, what opportunities do you see and how might we achieve them?
- What do you see as the biggest threats to our organisation? And what measures will you implement to safeguard against them?
- What key experiences, both professional and personal, do you believe will add value to our organisation?
- How involved do you feel non-executive directors should be in informing overall business strategy?
- In your view, what constitutes a diverse board of directors? And what are the benefits of ensuring this?
- In the current climate, what do you see as the biggest challenges our business faces? And how will you lend support to overcome them?
- What do you think our key stakeholders, investors and clients expect from the board?
- What structural changes do you think we should be considering as a business?
We hope this in-depth guide to non-executive director interview questions proves useful in aiding your preparations. For more practical guidance and advice, click here for the In Touch blog, or to join our global network of elite professionals, visit the homepage today.
