From the first screening call with an executive search firm or HR leader, to the final round of conversations with the CEO or board of directors, executive job interviews can be high stakes—and high stress. Strong interview preparation is crucial to success.
Senior leaders now have another tool at your disposal to help you ace the job interview: the power of artificial intelligence (AI).
A few rounds of interview preparation with AI can help you improve your storytelling and boost your confidence
Generative AI tools such as Gemini, ChatGPT, Copilot or Perplexity can provide a range of assistance that complements your person-to-person preparation. Pairing AI’s capabilities with mock interviews and feedback from your career transition coach or search firm creates a well-rounded strategy.
Here are some of the ways we’re leveraging AI for executive interview prep here at Navigate Forward.
1. Generate Potential Executive Interview Questions
A great starting point for AI-assisted interview preparation is to ask for common interview questions. You provide a definition of your industry or your position, such as:
- What are common interview questions for COOs at SaaS companies?
- What are common interview questions for VPs of marketing at property/casualty insurance firms?
You can also ask for questions related to trends or key topics in your field, such as:
- What are potential interview questions for managers in telecommunications?
- What are potential interview questions for board members at private equity-backed companies?
Once you’ve reviewed those general questions, you can dig deeper. Upload the job description of the role you’re interviewing for and request a list of questions tailored to that the specific position.
Practice with AI can help you respond succinctly and candidly to executive interview questions
Keep in mind that the information you receive will vary depending on the AI tool you’re using and the exact prompt you supply. If the output isn’t ideal on your first try, it’s worthwhile to test different tools and vary the wording of your prompts.
2. Answer Executive Interview Questions More Succinctly
Questions in hand, it’s time to take AI for a spin as you formulate your answers. This is a useful to do before you participate in a mock interview with your outplacement consultant, career coach or executive search firm.
One helpful exercise is to practice answering in a behavioral interviewing method. These frameworks help improve your storytelling with open-ended questions like:
- “Tell me about a time you faced a challenge at work and how you handled it.”
- “Describe a mistake you made at work and how you wish you’d handled the differently.”
Positioning your strengths and weaknesses is another opportunity to leverage tools like ChatGPT and Gemini. Many executives struggle with substantive responses to these common leadership questions.
A round or two of iterative practice with AI can help you respond succinctly and candidly to either set of questions.
As you work with your AI tool, don’t focus on memorizing exact answers. It’s important for your answers to remain in your voice and to be authentic to your style. Do watch for ways to rephrase your responses so they’re more concise and make a stronger impact.
3. Research Your Target Organization and Industry
A third way to tap AI’s power for executive interview preparation is with company and industry research. This way, you’re prepared to ask smart questions and to incorporate relevant insights into your answers. You can also include these details in your follow-up communications.
Save time by asking your AI tool to summarize company background, recent news or specifics about organizational culture
Instead of spending your valuable time culling through search engines, press releases and company social media feeds, ask your AI tool to summarize company background and recent news—even specifics about organizational culture.
Consider prompting AI for industry trends and challenges that may be relevant to your role. You can include these topics in your answers and demonstrate your thought leadership.
As with any technical application or online data, be sure to validate the information that AI serves up. Understand its sources and use healthy skepticism if the details seem out of line with your expectations. No tool is perfect at this point!
Our primer on AI for executive job search is also a great starting point to understand best practices.
Pair AI Preparation with Mock Interviews
A few rounds of interview preparation with AI can help you improve your storytelling and boost your confidence. But, don’t skip the “in real life” opportunity to conduct a mock interview or two with a skilled and experienced resource such as your career transition coach. There are a number of other nuances that face-to-face feedback can help you address—everything from your posture and tone to the overall impression you make.
The bar will be high for executive level positions and board of director roles. The more you can prepare in advance, make a winning impression and distinguish yourself through thoughtful, memorable responses, the more you’ll stand out as a candidate.
Ready to land your next leadership role? Check out our other wisdom for executive jobseekers, including tips for virtual interviews.