05/04/2026
I recently sat on an interview panel to select a ๐๐๐๐ค๐ค๐ก ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ก.
Dozens of candidates applied. Many were qualified on paper. But ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฏ๐๐ฌ โ not because of what they lacked, but because of what they revealed.
Here are the ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฌ ๐ ๐จ๐๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐, ranked from serious to absolute dealbreaker:
๐๐. ๐๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐. How you show up to the interview is how the panel imagines you representing the institution.
๐. ๐๐จ๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ . Applying without meeting basic eligibility criteria shows a lack of seriousness from the very start.
๐. ๐๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง. If you don't know who you're applying to, the committee assumes you don't really care where you land.
๐. ๐๐จ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ. A leader who can't articulate clearly in an interview raises serious doubts about how they'll lead in practice.
๐. ๐
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ. Gaps are understandable. Vague, evasive answers about them are not. Own your story clearly and confidently.
๐. ๐๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ. Narrating personal hardships to gain sympathy backfires. Panels are looking for resilience, not pity.
๐. ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง'๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐. It doesn't read as humility โ it reads as a lack of belief in your own worth.
๐. ๐๐จ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ-๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ . Claims without evidence mean very little. If you can't recall a single strong example, the committee can't picture you in the role.
๐. ๐๐จ๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐โ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ก ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ก ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง. 7โ8 months at each place raises one quiet but powerful question in every committee member's mind โ will they do the same to us?
๐. ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฒ๐๐ซ. The single biggest dealbreaker. It is an instant character question โ if you speak this way about them, what will you say about us?
๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ช๐ฑ๐ข๐ญ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฆ๐ด๐ด โ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ญ๐บ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ข๐ด ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ๐ญ๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ด๐ต ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ง๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ช๐ฆ๐ธ.
If you are preparing for any leadership interview, treat it as a preview of the leader you intend to be.
๐ฌ ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ด๐ต? ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฑ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด. ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ต ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ช๐ฆ๐ธ.