Preparing for an Executive Interview
September 18, 2025
Interviewing isn’t just about surviving a few tough questions; it’s about knowing your audience, backing your story with real metrics, and asking the kind of questions that make you memorable. Even seasoned execs get rusty, and hiring managers can trip themselves up with clunky, repetitive processes.
In this episode of Mission One: The Executive Edge, hosts Gerard Miles and Dan Hampton share the secrets of great interviews, from tailoring answers and framing metrics to asking the right questions and running a process that doesn’t scare candidates away. Whether you’re in the hot seat or leading the panel, this is your playbook for interviews that actually work.
Interviews can rattle even the sharpest executives. In this episode of Mission One: The Executive Edge, hosts Gerard Miles and Dan Hampton share the secrets of great interviews, from tailoring answers and framing metrics to asking the right questions and running a process that doesn’t scare candidates away. Whether you’re in the hot seat or leading the panel, this is your playbook for interviews that actually work.
They also explore how context can transform even flat or declining results into a compelling narrative, and why great interviews feel more like conversations than interrogations. For hiring managers, Gerard and Dan highlight the power of scorecards to bring structure and fairness, the importance of avoiding repetitive interview loops, and the need to deliver a polished candidate experience that sells as much as it assesses.
Gerard and Dan mix humor with hard truths, from Dan’s teenage Walgreens interview blunder to real-world lessons on closing candidates quickly before competitors swoop in. It’s a practical, witty, and clear-eyed guide for executives on both sides of the table, because in the end, interviews aren’t just about getting the job or making the hire, they’re about building the right fit.
What You’ll Learn
They also explore how context can transform even flat or declining results into a compelling narrative, and why great interviews feel more like conversations than interrogations. For hiring managers, Gerard and Dan highlight the power of scorecards to bring structure and fairness, the importance of avoiding repetitive interview loops, and the need to deliver a polished candidate experience that sells as much as it assesses.
Gerard and Dan mix humor with hard truths, from Dan’s teenage Walgreens interview blunder to real-world lessons on closing candidates quickly before competitors swoop in. It’s a practical, witty, and clear-eyed guide for executives on both sides of the table, because in the end, interviews aren’t just about getting the job or making the hire, they’re about building the right fit.
What You’ll Learn
- How to tailor your answers to peers, hiring managers, and cross-functional stakeholders
- Which metrics to prepare and how to share them without breaching confidentiality
- Why context is as important as numbers in explaining results
- How to frame flat or negative performance as resilience and market leadership
- Why great questions can elevate candidates above stronger résumés
- The anatomy of an effective hiring scorecard
- How to avoid repetitive loops and improve candidate experience
- When and how to accelerate the process to secure A-players
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Mission One: The Executive Edge is brought to you by Mission One. They ensure founders and senior leaders make the most important hires they’ll ever make across consumer tech, AI, gaming, and entertainment.
If you’re building your leadership team or considering your next move to the C-suite, connect with Gerard Miles or Dan Hampton on LinkedIn, or visit missionone.io/contact-us.
Episode Resources:
- Gerard Miles on LinkedIn
- Dan Hampton on LinkedIn
- Mission One: The Executive Edge on Apple Podcasts
- Mission One: The Executive Edge on Spotify
- Mission One: The Executive Edge on YouTube
Mission One: The Executive Edge is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so