How to prepare for the Non Executive Director Interview

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE
NON-EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW

WHAT WE’LL COVER TODAY
• Your mind-set
• What is the interviewer looking for?
• Why conduct research into the company and how to do it
• Making first contact
• How to write a covering letter that will make you stand out from the crowd
• Tips for preparing the questions you will ask at interview
• Questions you can expect to be asked in interview
• Extra resources
SUCCEEDING AT INTERVIEW

RICHARD DAVIES
• Executive Coach with In Touch
• 25 year corporate career with Kellogg’s and Shell
• Was Head of Learning & Development at Shell
• Built own portfolio career since end of 2016
• Been involved with hundreds of interviews

THE INTERVIEW

WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR?

THE PURPOSE OF NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The non-executive director (NED) is, essentially, a creature of corporate governance
• NEDs essentially perform a supervisory and advisory function
• NEDs support the board in instilling the appropriate culture
and values
• NEDs are there to bring balance and hold the executives to account

EXCEPTIONAL NED – KORNFERRY INSTITUTE REPORT
• Objective and independent thought processes
• Ability to challenge in a supportive way
• Effective communication and influencing style
• Established experience of current or future business of the company
• Diverse but in-depth business experience, able to learn and understand
company business quickly
• Financial literacy, able to understand business models
• Risk understanding
• Technology as business models become inextricably intertwined with
technology and digital strategies

WINNING MIND-SET

MIND-SET : EQUAL BUSINESS STATURE
“It’s just as much a case of you checking to see
if this organisation is right for YOU -
as it is for them to try to discover
if you are right for THEM”

MIND-SET : EQUAL BUSINESS STATURE
The interview is your opportunity to demonstrate what it will be like to have you on their board e.g.
• Evidence of having done your homework
• Share strategic insights
• The right behaviours – challenge with diplomacy

STEP 1 – RESEARCH
• Research the hiring company or organisation
• Initial due diligence. Is this a company or organisation that you’d like to join?
• Research informs your high quality questions for interview

RESEARCH
Public Image
• Research the company’s reputation online via rating agencies and search out any articles or news stories
the company has appeared in. Similarly, you can learn a lot from the company’s own website, especially in
terms of commercial and regulatory statements and the public image it portrays.
• Download and read the annual report

RESEARCH
What do customers say about the company?
• Trustpilot company check is the largest source
of data on UK companies and attracts over a
million visitors each month carrying out due
diligence
https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/companych
eck.co.uk

RESEARCH – COMPANIES HOUSE
https://www.gov.uk/get-information-about-a-company

RESEARCH
What do employees say about the company?
• GlassDoor has a database of 8+million company
reviews, leadership/management ratings, salary
reports, job interview tips, employee benefits
reports, and workplace insights generated by
employees.
• Whilst this is a useful source – there is likely to
be some biased reviews from disgruntled
employees. Take the research insights from this
as just one of many inputs.
https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Reviews

STEP 2 – CONTACT THE COMPANY
First Contact
• If details have not been provided in the job posting, call In Touch, or the
recruitment agency that has posted the role. Ask for help.
• Explain that you’d appreciate the chance to talk to one of the interview panel
• When you do manage to fix up a call. Be professional, ask questions e.g
• Why are they looking to recruit a NED now?
• What are the key challenges ahead for the
organisation?
• What skills, experience and attributes are they
really looking for in a NED?

STEP 2 – CONTACT THE CHAIR OR A CURRENT NED
Ask
• Ask the interview panel member if you can chat to one of the existing NEDs
• Look at the company website, are there links that will help you get in contact
with the NEDS?
• Search LinkedIn and send a request to connect
• Personalise the invitation and explain that you will be applying for a NED role
and would appreciate a chat

WHY HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS?
Stand out from the crowd
• Gain valuable information you can add to your application covering letter
• Be memorable - if you have spoken to a panel member this increases the
likelihood of being called for interview
• When it comes to interview, demonstrate your diligence and
refer to insights from your conversations

STEP 3 - WRITE A WINNING COVERING LETTER
Recruiters spend between 6-40 seconds scanning a cover letter
• It is important to stand out
• Name the people with whom you have already spoken:
‘ It was fascinating to learn more about your organisation and its plans when I was
speaking to . . . <insert name of person / people you have spoken to>’
• Find out more tips for your cover letter by listening to the In Touch webinar on
this topic. How to Craft a Winning Cover Letter by Brendan Gurrie, March 21st
2019. Available on BrightTALK

STEP 4 - PREPARE YOUR QUESTIONS
From research, prepare questions that demonstrate your commercial acumen,
using the Three Dimension model of Value from Axiometrics
• System questions (Thinking and the Why) – about Vision and Purpose, Their Point
B, challenges and growth opportunities, longer term strategy, market disruption,
compliance, new legislation or relevant trends in technology
• Task questions (Doing and the How) - about current financial performance, cash,
liabilities, immediate priorities and the competition, sales & marketing,
operations. How they are going from Point A, their current position, to Point B
• People questions – (Feeling) about employee engagement levels, customer
satisfaction, supplier relationships, key partnerships, and the team dynamics on
the board and engagement with all relevant stakeholders
• http://www.axiometricspartners.com/

STEP 5 - QUESTIONS YOU COULD BE ASKED
No guarantee you’ll be asked but it’s better to be prepared
• What is it that attracted you to this non-executive position?
• What is your previous experience and how do you believe it could be valuable
to this board?
• How would you describe your style and how would you tailor your approach as
a non-executive director?
• What mistakes have you made in previous roles and what did you learn from
them?
• What do you believe our clients and stakeholders expect from us and how can
we deliver on this as a board?

QUESTIONS YOU COULD BE ASKED
No guarantee you’ll be asked but it’s better to be prepared
• Can you outline 3 key challenges that may affect businesses in our sector over
the next 10 years?
• Do you have any previous examples of where you have helped a business
achieve their financial goals and unlock new commercial opportunities?
• What do you believe your role will involve as a Non-Executive on this board?

• Members can go to the portal, look under ‘Learning Hub’ and you’ll find four-module CPD accredited courses
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Members can go to the portal, look under ‘My Downloads’ and you’ll find a checklist and useful worksheet
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

How to prepare for the Non Executive Director Interview

How to prepare for the Non Executive Director Interview

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