Strategic-thinking is the ability to make informed business decisions through analysis. Strategic thinkers take a company’s vision and transform it into action.
Your ideal strategic-thinking candidate can:
- Ace long-term objectives
- Catch potential risks and plan ahead
- Use resources efficiently
- Develop action plans no matter what
- Deal with competition like a pro
Top 15 Strategic Thinking Questions to Ask in a Job Interview
1.In your opinion, what role does strategic planning play in this managerial role?
2.Describe your process of setting long-term goals for your team.
3.How do you inform people about your strategic decisions?
4.Outline in very broad terms how you would create a strategy for say, a public interest campaign.
5.How do you build an awesome action plan?
6.How do you measure how awesome your strategies are?
7.If we hire you for this managerial job, what goals will you set for yourself and your team?
8.How do you measure the effectiveness of your strategy?
9.How should you go about identifying allies as part of any good business or organizational strategy plan?
10.Have you ever proactively identified and addressed an issue at your company? What happened?
11.How do you set, check and review long-term team goals?
12.Think about a product or service provided by your organization. What are some specific competitive strengths and weaknesses of that product or service within the marketplace?
13.Think about the organization you work for now. What are some strengths and weaknesses of the organization as compared to its competitors?
14.Share a specific strategy you had developed and proposed for your organization lately. How did you develop the course of action? What was the result?
15.Have you ever faced a situation when you had to make a decision, which did not fall within your area of responsibility? What decision did you make and how?
Why should you ask Strategic Thinking-based Questions in a Job Interview?
Strategic thinking is the ability to envisage new solutions to old problems and to constantly reinvent your point of view in a way that is unique and benefits the purpose of your organization. It’s a key skill required if you have any intention of climbing the corporate ladder, so start work on your strategic thinking skills today. Candidates that possess strategic thinking skills will be seen as top talent, and it’s a quality that makes many managers, directors, and executives the successful leaders they are.