So you're a graduate applying for a position with a big corporation, and will be interviewed by its CEO. What questions is he/she likely to ask, and how should you respond? The suggested answers are contained in this series of eye-opening insights from leading US CEOs explaining what they look for in candidates - and their opinions bubble over with insightful tips to get you hired.

Lloyd Blankfein, Chairman/CEO, Goldman Sachs: "I look for people who are willing and able to get very deeply involved in something. At the same time, I like people with broad interests, so they're well-rounded and interested in a lot of different things. I'd sooner give a job to somebody who showed he/she could really dig deep in something - even if it's in an area of totally different content - than take somebody with superficial experience across a broad swath, and no deep experience in anything."

2009 interview with The New York Times

Robert Iger, Chairman/CEO Walt Disney Company: "You've got to be an optimist, not a pessimist. You must show enthusiasm and spirit. You can't let people see you brought down by failure. You don't have that luxury. I believe in taking big risks creatively. If you fail, don't do it with mediocrity - do it with something that was truly original, truly a risk."

2011 interview with Harvard Business Review

Karl Heiselman, CEO, WolfOlins: "I've worked with people in the past who might be amazing in what they do, but when you're not looking forward to talking to them, that's not a good sign. I remember one person I interviewed for a very senior position but when I saw him from a distance he had this very aggressive look on his face. When people don't know they're being looked at, you can tell a lot from the expression on their face."

2012 interview with The New York Times

Phil Libin, CEO, Evernote: "When interviewing people I ask them to write a few paragraphs about a short and useful topic I assign. You can tell a lot more about a person's personality from a few paragraphs of their writing than from a lengthy verbal interview. Many people can pretend to be something they're not in person, but very few people can do so in writing."

2011 post at Inc

Mickey Drexler, CEO J. Crew: "The person is a resume, not what's on a piece of paper. Whoever gives advice about resumes in college should be dismissed. Titles don't matter, nor what school you went to. What matters is hard work, and emotional intelligence. People put 'Study Abroad' on their resumes [but] I like it when they don't study abroad because it means they aren't [privileged]. What is it about study abroad that will make you a better J. Crew associate?"

2013 Women's Wear Daily CEO Summit

Christine Day, CEO Lululemon: "Taking responsibility, taking risks and having an entrepreneurial spirit are qualities we look for in our employees. We want people who bring their own magic. Athletes are great within our culture; they're used to winning as well as losing. They know how to handle - and fix - defeat. Also, they're team players. Currently, 70 percent of our managers are internal hires, so they're grown up in the culture."

2012 interview with Forbes

Allan Mullally, President/CEO Ford: "Your resume tells a lot about what you've done. I would like to know what you've enjoyed doing, what areas you feel comfortable in making a contribution right away, what areas you might struggle with, what you actually want to do, and, especially, what are your strengths. And between what you've done and the way you communicate, I can just look in your eyes and tell a lot."

2009 interview with The New York Times

Joseph Jimenez, CEO Novartis: "The first thing I look for is people who have high emotional need to deliver results. It may sound simple but there are people who are incredibly passionate about what they do - for example, if you're a scientist and you're working on a particular drug, and your drug does not get approved in the FDA's (Food and Drug Administration) first round of approval, are you sleeping at night, or not? If you're not sleeping at night, then we're hiring you."

2011 interview with The New York Times



Published 6.3.2013
China Daily

The article is compiled by Mr Ho, deputy chairman and secretary-general of China Energy Fund Committee, a think-tank on energy and Chinese culture.