Knowledge and skills allow you to climb up the career ladder. But when you're at the top, your ability to interact with people comes to the fore.

There are only three questions that are the main ones in an interview. Only three. If you recall all the questions that you were asked or that you yourself asked during job interviews, you will understand that these were detailed answers to these same three questions. Each question can be phrased differently, but no matter how it is phrased, it will be a variation on one of these three themes: strengths, motivation, and adaptability.

Can you do this job?

CEO of executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles Kevin Kelly explained to me that it's not just about skills, but also about leadership and interpersonal ability. “When reading a resume, it is impossible to get an idea of the strengths and weaknesses of the applicant. We ask for specific examples of not only successes, but also failures, or talk about a task that the applicant clearly failed at, and then we ask what he learned from this experience and what he would do differently next time. It's important to evaluate not only the skills they have, but also what I call their emotional quotient."

Knowledge and skills allow you to climb up the ladder. But when you're at the top, your ability to interact with people, both vertically and horizontally, comes to the fore.

Will you love this job?

Cornerstone International Group CEO Bill Guy highlights the fickle nature of motivation. “It is not enough for young employees to simply get paid for hard work - on the contrary, they will work hard if they enjoy their environment and the challenges associated with work. Leaders who embrace this new management style attract and retain the best employees."

Can we work together with you?

As the conversation continued, Kelly from Heidrick explained to me the meaning of cultural adaptability, the ability to work within an established team. “It seems that when top managers come to a company in a completely new environment, they already know everything. But such minor missteps as, for example, communication by e-mail in the current voicemail culture are enough for the team to develop a negative attitude towards the boss over time. Feedback or adaptation is very important. If you don't have good feedback, you'll lose credibility in the future."

According to his personal statistics, 40% of top managers leave organizations, they are fired or forced out within 18 months. It's not a matter of their unsuitability; this is because very often they do not adapt to the culture in the organization or are not explained its features when they join.

How to prepare for interviews

If you are interviewing, determine what you are looking for in the applicant in terms of strengths, motivation, and adaptability before you begin the interview.
If you are interviewing, come up with examples that demonstrate your strengths and your motivation for working in the organization for the position you are applying for, as well as your ability to adapt your habits to the organization's manners, relationships, attitudes, values and environment ( Behaviors, Relationships, Attitudes, Values, and Environment - BRAVE). But remember that interviews are exercises in selling solutions. They are not dedicated to you personally.
You should view the interview process as an opportunity to show that you can solve a problem for the organization and the interviewer. Therefore, it is necessary to highlight your strengths in the areas that are most important to the interviewer, as well as explain how you will be motivated by the challenges that await you in this position and explain why you will fit easily into the business culture of the organization.

Three main interview questions