What You Need to Know About Executive Recruiting

What It Covers

Executive recruiters now play expanded strategic roles in vetting both internal and external C-suite candidates. Mark Thompson and Byron Laughlin explain how aspiring leaders can navigate behavioral interviews, assessments, and reference checks.

Key Questions Answered

• •Recruiter relationships: Build connections with top executive search firms before needing them, treating interactions as developmental opportunities to learn market trends and understand how your resume translates across different roles and industries.
• •Behavioral interview preparation: Recruiters examine your entire history from childhood forward, seeking character evidence, learning mindset, and resilience. Prepare stories demonstrating both technical expertise and emotional intelligence across career highs and lows.
• •Assessment endurance: Practice multiple psychometric tests beforehand to build stamina for day-long evaluation sessions. Tests measure pressure response, leadership style, and cultural fit. Fatigue can force candidates into making things up or requesting breaks.
• •Reference management: Proactively cultivate a multi-decade network of professional relationships who can speak to specific job criteria. Recruiters will contact unlisted references and use AI to scrape Glassdoor, proxy statements, and social media for comprehensive background checks.