1⟩ Tell me me something I don’t already know?
A friend told me that this is a question often used in interviews at Google. It forces the candidate to get creative and explain something out of the ordinary.
Chief Operating Officer
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“COO Frequently Asked Questions in various Chief Operating Officer job interviews by interviewer. The set of questions are here to ensures that you offer a perfect answer posed to you. So get preparation for your new job interview”
71 Chief Operating Officer Questions And Answers
2⟩ Why are you leaving your current role as Chief Operating Officer?
I’ve learned a lot from my current role, but now I’m looking for a new challenge, to broaden my horizons and to gain a new skill-set – all of which, I see the potential for in this job.
3⟩ Tell me what Are Your 3 Biggest Accomplishments?
This question lets me see what the candidate considers success. It could be anything from getting a certain salary, earning a certain title, or reaching a specific goal. It also tells me if they get their biggest sense of accomplishment at the office or through their personal life.
4⟩ Explain how do you allow your employees to focus on improvement?
In order for your organization to grow, your employees have to grow along with it. A good operations leader knows that time must be allocated to employee improvement, and asking this question explores their self improvement philosophies.
5⟩ Why do you believe we should hire you as Chief Operating Officer?
This question needs to be carefully answered as it is your opportunity to stick out from the rest of the applicants. You should focus on skills that you have, including those not yet mentioned. Simply responding “because I’m really good” or “I really need a job” isn’t going to work. You shouldn’t assume the skills of other applicants or their strengths, focus on yourself. Tell the interviewer why you are a good fit for the position, what makes you a good employee, and what you can provide the company. Keep it brief while highlighting achievements.
6⟩ What do you see yourself doing in five years as Chief Operating Officer?
This is another question looking towards job commitment. Some people go through jobs like socks because they don’t have a life plan, and your answer can show insight into this. It can also be used for finding out if you are the type that sets goals at all in life, because those that make long-term goals are usually more reliable. Also, your goals can provide insight on your personality too.
You should respond with an answer that shows progression in your career is on track with your route in the company. It’s important to do your research on company prospects, this way you understand what to expect and if it’s in your long-term goal. Interviewers don’t want to set you on a path that won’t provide the results you want, resulting in you resigning.
7⟩ Explain me what’s your management style?
How do you build relationships with people you oversee? Like the previous questions, these will help you figure out if a candidate would work well with his or her subordinates and also offers insight into how relational a candidate it.
8⟩ Suppose you owned the company, what would you change?
One of my favourite questions when hiring a new employee is ‘If you owned the company, what would you change?’. This is particularly awesome as you get to watch the interviewee think of a logical answer without offending the company itself. Of course when the question is asked, I’m looking for a genuine answer, it this question which will sometimes decided who is hired and who isn’t.
The employee should understand this is business and it is cut throat, if they see a flaw in something they should speak up
9⟩ Tell me what 2 or 3 things would be most important to you in your ideal job, and why?
I like to ask the following: What 2 or 3 things would be most important to you in your ideal job, and why?
I ask this question to understand the candidate better. It can let me know several things: What are their priorities / What are their pet peeves / What are their must-haves to feel like they’re in a good position.
I have a better scope of the candidate once they expound on this question.
10⟩ Where do you see yourself in 5 years as Chief Operating Officer?
What do you feel is your best work trait?* This question really opens the candidate up to being vulnerable. It will give you some insight into how they view themselves and what their confidence level is. It really helps to set some candidates apart from others. When asking this question, a lot of times it brings up areas that they don’t feel they are strong in as well.
11⟩ Tell me why is this position open?
From the side of an applicant (high-level administration), I always ask those interviewing me, Why is this position open? I think it’s a fair question. I like to know what circumstances I will walk into: was someone let go? did my predecessor retire? is it a new position?Always good to know.
12⟩ What are your salary expectations as Chief Operating Officer?
This question is like a loaded gun, tricky and dangerous if you’re not sure what you are doing. It’s not uncommon for people to end up talking salary before really selling their skills, but knowledge is power as this is a negotiation after all. Again, this is an area where doing your research will be helpful as you will have an understanding of average salary.
One approach is asking the interviewer about the salary range, but to avoid the question entirely, you can respond that money isn’t a key factor and you’re goal is to advance in your career. However, if you have a minimum figure in mind and you believe you’re able to get it, you may find it worth trying.
13⟩ Explain a time when you made a decision that wasn’t the most efficient route?
Showing a time where a managerial decision didn’t pay off is a great to see what their thought process is, and how they learned from the mistake.
14⟩ Explain me 3 Likes and 3 Dislikes you have at your current job?
This is a good question to use when determining whether or not a candidate fits into the company culture. If the things they dislike about their current job could also come up in this position, it definitely raises a red flag. I also notice if they have more “dislikes” than “likes.”
15⟩ Tell me how do you think the company will change in two years, and how do you see yourself creating that change?
We don’t want our organization to remain stagnant, so we want to make sure our leaders can take us in the right direction. That’s why we ask them what they see for our organization’s future and how they want to get us to that point.
16⟩ Tell me do you have experience overseeing a small staff?
Many highly qualified CFO and COO candidates will be coming from businesses where they oversee a large support staff, but chances are that your church team and/or your finance department is much smaller. The new CFO or COO will need to be able to work in this environment and be willing to do more hands-on work than he or she has done in previous roles.
17⟩ Tell me what blogs and resources do you follow online to keep up with the industry?
The question(s) I ask every candidate is specifically related to my industry (Digital Marketing).
☛ What blogs and resources do you follow online to keep up with the industry? I like to understand if they are keeping up to date with the leading resources online to know what is happening in our industry and the “hot topics” vs. the fads.
☛ Take me through your process of how you would manage a project in xxx (in my case an SEO project). I look for structure and an articulated process with technical and practical know how.
☛ A good response will shine with confidence, flow naturally, show experience from past failures or trial and error and well-articulated.
18⟩ Tell me what is your morning routine like and how does it change when you’re in a rush?
This COO interview question explores how they utilize their limited resources. The question also dives deep into how the candidate prioritizes tasks – a must for operations leaders.
19⟩ Basic Chief Operating Officer (COO) interview questions
☛ Have you done this kind of work before?
☛ How long would you stay with our company?
☛ Do you think you are overqualified for this position?
☛ Have you ever had to deal with conflicting deadlines?
☛ Are you planning to continue your studies?
20⟩ Operational and Situational Chief Operating Officer Interview Questions
☛ What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture?
☛ How do you deal with disagreements with the company CEO?
☛ What’s your decision making style? Give an example of a situation where you had to make a quick decision.
☛ Describe your typical daily tasks. How do you prioritize?
☛ What analysis software tools have you previously used?
☛ How do you prepare forecasting reports for quarterly office costs?
☛ Which are the most effective performance appraisal systems?
☛ How can you contribute to fundraising ventures?
☛ What company policies would you suggest we implement?
☛ We’ve found a new vendor for hardware supplies, who’ll decrease costs but their shipping is less reliable. What would you do?
☛ How do you keep track of a company’s progress? Are there specific metrics you’ve found useful?
☛ What’s the most effective way to give and receive feedback?
