How to Survive (and Succeed In) An Interview with a CEO

How to Survive (and Succeed In) An Interview with a CEOHow to Survive (and Succeed In) An Interview with a CEO CEOs are just regular people. Regular people who run billion dollar companies and accomplish amazing things , that is. Considering the polish and professionalism of your average CEO, we think its perfectly natural that fruchtwein of us will feel a glimmer of something like nervousness or fear when we find ourselves in a location to interact with someone at this level, whether were being introduced for the first time, passing in the elevator, or giving a presentation. Do you find yourself with a light case of the jitters when you think about interacting with your CEO? In honor of our Top CEOs award , read on for tips on holding your own in a handful of common office scenarios, likeYou dont need to read through the Glassdoor Interview Questions & Answers to know that a standard interview with a recruiter or hiring manager can be intense. But interviewing with the CEO adds a whole other level of intimidation youre speaking with the most experienced, invested, and authoritative person in the company, and her opinion of you can have a strong influence on whether or notlage you get the job. So, how can you keep your cool?First and most obvious, respect the CEOs time by preparing for your interview. Your answers should come from an informed and authentic place, not a memorized and rehearsed one. And remember, youre there to interview her just as much as shes there to interview you. Ask as candid and analytical questions as you can and CEOs and founders like Eventbrites Julia Hartz will appreciate your moxie.One of the biggest stereotypes attached to CEOs and higher ups is that theyre busy theyre often the ones showing up late to your meeting or staring at their phone as you talk through an important topic. Which brings us to your first task for holding your own when presenting to a CEO during a meeting not taking his behavior personal ly. It doesnt feel good, but sometimes whats happening before your meeting is genuinely a higher priority than the meeting itself and the same goes for the email, text, or call that comes in right when you flash to the most important PowerPoint slide youve got. Speaking of PowerPoint slides, we know theyre unavoidable sometimes. But if you really want to impress your CEO (and follow in the footsteps of Jeff Bezos, who banned PowerPoints in executive meetings ), youll skip the slides in favor of an in-depth conversation that digs into the story of the topic at hand. Providing your CEO with the narrative context he needs to make a decision is the most effective use of his time. Youve heard the standard advice about talking to Important People Be yourself. Dont talk politics. Know when to exit the conversation. But if you really want to impress a CEO or just walk away from the conversation without feeling like your foot is in your mouth we recommend heading into work with a few g o-to conversation starters in your pocket, like the following As with most interactions, how you say something is just as important as what you say. With just a little preparation, you can be prepared for a warm, casual conversation with your CEO.Are you worried youre so nervous around your CEO that you might accidentally hug him or sputter a mouthful of jibberish when he asks you what youre working on? These extraordinary but true examples show us that no one is immune to awkwardness around the highest employee on the totem pole. But you can recover from almost any awkward moment if you practice a fool-proof social situation process. First, prepare to respond with good-natured humor. Try to shift to a perspective that everything that happens in the workplace is well-intentioned until proven otherwise and respond accordingly a brief smile, a quick apology, and an invitation to laugh it off. And most importantly, remember that while this moment might define your day, its just one of hundreds in the day of a CEO. Its not at all that youre not important its that your few seconds of perceived embarrassment will be balanced out with hundreds of other interactions with other people. Barring any extreme circumstances, the rest of the CEOs day will dilute your embarrassing moment enough that its not going to haunt you.