The best startup CEOs have a heart for innovation, a passion for customer experience, and a head for business. They can take a great vision and turn it into a profitable product. As a recruiter, hiring a CEO for a startup can be a difficult and overwhelming process—even with the extra resources needed to fund a venture.
At interview, applicants need to demonstrate a deep understanding of the company, a commitment to its vision, and an appreciation of their potential role within it. With the right questions, you can pick out the superstar CEO who will turn your startup into the next big player in your market and industry.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the ten best questions to ask a startup CEO at interview, why you need to ask them, and how to get the most out of the answers you receive.
What Motivated You to Lead This Startup?
Finding out what motivated a candidate to lead a particular startup provides important insight into their mindset and thought process. Do they see the company as an exciting challenge, product-focused, customer-centric, or a blend of all three? It’s a question that can reveal loads about both the applicant’s aim for the company and the industry approach that may follow.
What Are Your Industry Experience and Expertise?
It is essential to ask what a candidate knows about the industry you intend to operate in. They must be an expert, or have previous experience, to be able to successfully operate a startup effectively. This question also can lead to a discussion about their previous roles and related successes, as well as their technical and problem-solving capabilities.
What Core Values Should the Company Emphasize?
This question will help you understand the candidate’s view on core values and culture. It can also help you see if their values match your own, as this forms the basis of a successful working relationship. Additionally, make sure to ask if they have any experience leading teams and managing change.
What Problems Has Your Previous Startup Experienced?
One of the most important questions to ask a potential startup CEO about is the problems their previous venture has faced. This reveals a great deal about their experience, how they manage setbacks, and how good their critical thinking abilities are when it comes to predicting future risks for the organization.
What Procedures and Strategies Have You Used to Gain Support for Your Previous Ventures?
The question of which procedures and strategies the candidate has employed in previous ventures is an important one. It reveals a great deal about their experience, how good their communication skills are, and how much they have already achieved in the startup world. It’s also a good chance to ascertain whether they have the skills necessary to lead a diverse team with clarity and direction.
What Milestones or Goals Do You Consider Most Important?
Asking the right questions about a candidate’s long-term vision and goals can help you understand their ambition and ambition for the company. Answering this question will also tell you if they have their finger on the pulse of the industry and the needs of the market. Make sure to ask if they have experience in leading teams and managing change.
What Are Your Preferred Methods of Communication to Keep Team Members Engaged?
This question provides insight into how well the potential CEO communicates, as well as their approach to engaging team members. It’s also a good opportunity to make sure their approaches align with the existing strategy and culture. If a candidate’s approach to team communication is ineffective, it could jeopardize the success of the new venture.
What Do You Consider to be the Core Role of the CEO?
It is important to ask what a candidate considers the core role of the CEO. The answer provides insight into how the candidate intends their role within the organization, as well as their attitude towards leadership. The ideal candidate should understand the importance of setting a positive work ethic, identifying and transferring knowledge, and leading by example.
Can You Demonstrate a Working Knowledge of the Technical Aspects of the Business?
This is an important question to ask, as it gives you a good indication of the candidate’s technical knowledge. As a startup CEO, they should have a solid understanding of the technical aspects of your business and be able to troubleshoot any issues the team encounters.
What’s Your Plan for Growing the Venture?
Finally, ask the candidate about their plan for growing the venture, what strategies they will use to do so, and how they will track progress. Knowing the answers to these questions reveals how the applicant approaches growth and how well they are able to think strategically.
As a recruiter, asking the right questions can make all the difference in the world when it comes to hiring the best startup CEO for your company. Asking the ten questions outlined in this article can help you identify the candidate who has the skills and abilities needed to successfully lead your venture and turn your vision into reality.
