Change management is an important aspect of consulting our clients here at Egon Zehnder International. Have you participated in a change management process during your career?

"In my leadership role with my current organization, I have been part of an ongoing change process to optimize our staffing ratio to meet production needs. After being part of a careful analysis process and researching industry standards, we implemented a plan to heavily reduce our administrative staff while bolstering production staff and this was a huge change for our organization. My role in the implementation of the process was to gather data and put together a presentation for our Board and Senior Leadership. As well, I helped prepare both internal and external communications that went out regarding our upcoming changes. As things stand today, we have been in continuous review of new processes and things are going great! This involvement has helped prepare me for helping others manage significatn change in their business processes."

Due to many factors, change is inevitable adn unavoidable for businesses today. Because of this, Egon Zehnder International is often sought after to lead change management processes for their clients and the role that you are interviewing for will help facilitate this process with clients. Prior to your interview, think about particular change management processes that you have been a part of and be able to speak to your ability to lead others in making necessary business changes. Make sure to talk about the importance of having a vision, developing a plan and measuring progress as part of the overall change process.

"I was hired to my current role as GM of _______ to be a change manager for our Devices business. Historically, our business operated on a model of having inventory in place at all costs - this drove the business to airship 58% of the +90M units we sold in 2021. This was certainly a unique year with many manufacturing and supply chain challenges, but it also served to highlight the costs that were being incurred and not properly managed. I was hired with the goal to cut our air shipments in half. To do this effectively, I determined we needed to do three things: 1. Change the culture of "cost acceptance" throughout our organization, 2. Create an air approval process that treated this decision as a "defect" vs default, and 3. We needed to create a new ordering system that weighed the costs of supply chain decisions against the costs of being out of stock. #1 was mostly the soft side of change management influencing senior stakeholders throughout the organization. I was able to do this effectively by constantly highlighting the cost of every decision that was being considered - something that was surprisingly not done previously. 2nd was a mechanism I put in place to ensure that I had awareness and control over what was happening in our global supply chain. I disabled air orders without a manual approval intervention - the business justification that I used to say "yes" was to weigh our lifetime economic value of having a specific unit in stock to sell - this incorporated current profitability, demand perishability, and downstream economic impact to our decision model. The 3rd key work stream was to build the new ordering system - this was something that I certainly was not able to do personally, but I used my approval methodology to start the framework for the engineers to build out what we called 'cost-aware' ordering. It built on my tradeoff model and added more scientific scenario testing into it (additional example info - country-level profitability analysis to optimize inventory placement when constrained).In the first six months in role, I was able to reduce our air shipments to 18% saving +$200M annually. As we've entered 2023, we have doubled down on these initiatives and launched our cost aware ordering system enabling us to further reduce air shipments to below 3%, saving an additional $75M."

What potential challenges or obstacles do you anticipate encountering when working with groups of high-level leaders for our clients on their team development?

"In talking to another employee here, I understand that this role will have me working across a pretty broad spectrum of industries and I honestly see this as the only hurdle I will have to overcome from the start. As you can see from my experience, my professional experience has strictly been in the retail industry adn this role will really push me to learn healthcare, manufacturing, sales and other industries so I can speak knowledgably to the businesses of my potential clients. I have great research skills and would utilize this skill to get to know my clients and their businesses very well if hired for this position."

The role that you are interviewing for at Egon Zehnder International will put you in front of high level leaders at the clients you will be working for and you will have to possess the confidence and ability to work with them directly on team building and promotion. Dig deep to think about what you believe your biggest hurdle will be in that situation and talk to your interviewer about your plan to overcome that obstacle. Make sure that your learning opportunity promotes your insight into the role that you are interviewing and potentially points out an area of inexperience that have that you see as a great opportunity.

"Based on my previous conversations with ______, I understand this role will have me working across a broad spectrum of industries and I see that as my largest hurdle to overcome. As you can see from my experience, all of my work history since getting my MBA has been with _____. While I've shown the ability to quickly learn, adapt and be successful in roles across Operations, Supply Chain Management, and Retail business leadership at ______, this role will push me to learn and be successful in manufacturing, healthcare, and other industries that I have not specifically worked in previously. I am eager to learn and push myself into new opportunities and this, combined with my track record of adaptability, will enable me to get to know my clients in deep and meaningful ways if hired for this position."

Being successful in consulting and working here at Egon Zehnder International requires the ability to work effectively with Type A personalities. What are your experiences in working with this personality and how did you make the relationships a success?

"For the last six years, I have worked under your prototypical type A personality as my director. Being a self admitted type B, being under my new director was difficult at first. For me to be successful under her and for our relationship to flourish, I learned quickly that she liked me to regularly communicate timelines for projects and give updates when necessary as she was very time driven. As well, small talk and getting to know me personally wasn't a priority so our communications to this day are pretty succinct and to the point. In this role, I would feel very comfortable with working with high level type A's because of my firsthand experience."

To first understand this question, it is important that you know that Type A personalities are exemplified by being competitive, motivated, organized and goal driven, among many other traits. These traits often lead to success in high level roles within organizations and your chances of working with this personality type are high. Think of a time you worked with a typical Type A personality and explain the methods you used to ensure that you had a sound and successful working relationship. Make sure that your interview walks away knowing that you can work effectively with difficultly driven individuals with high expectations.

"If you haven't been able to tell during my interview so far, I am a type A personality myself. My personality has helped me become very successful as a Financial Analyst. Having had formal training in the different personality types, I know that I need to take a meticulous approach when working with other type A personalities. My current team is loaded with type A's and regular communication is key in ensuring that expectations are clear and timelines are being met. If hired for this position, I would know my place in working with leaders from clients and I can easily be both cognizant of my approach and have the ability to put my desire to be in the lead aside with them when needed."

"I consider myself a Type A person - from my time at the Naval Academy, as an officer in the Navy, and at _______, I've made a point to surround myself with motivated, competitive, goal-driven people as that is what I have found brings out the best in me personally. Both my current and previous managers have been Type A personalities - what I have found best in dealing with them, as well as other stakeholders at ______, is to regularly communicate timelines on projects or deliverables and to give updates in a prompt and succinct manner as they are very time driven. In this role, I would feel very comfortable working with high-level Type A's because of my depth of experience working with similar personalities throughout my career."

In our world here at Egon Zehnder International, our clients rely on real world analytical data versus assumptions and guesswork. What analytical skills would you bring to the table here for our clients?

"Working as a Financial Manager over the past 10 years, I have become very experienced and thorough in my use of KPI's to demonstrate key areas like gross profit margin, liquidity ratio and days in accounts receivables. For the clients I'd be working with here at Egon Zehnder International, I'd be able to use real data from their organization to help provide solutions that are customized to their needs. On top of KPI analyses, I'm very willing and open to using any other unique tools of the trade that the team here at Egon Zehnder International uses."

In the business consulting world, an organization like Egon Zehnder International is contracted to come in and help a business where they have usually failed in the past. With past failures comes the need for critical analysis of a business and/or process and your job will be to help facilitate this process. Prior to your interview, think about your experiences in data analysis you've had so far up to this point in your career and translate those experiences to helping the clients of Egon Zehnder International. Be sure to talk about the importance of different programs you have used to assist in data analysis and talk about the importance of communication in the data collection process.

"Coming from a software background, being analytical about implementing new systems and processes was vital to receive buy-in from other department that I worked with and my analytical skills in my current world would translate nicely into the consulting world. I have always had a creative mind in demonstrating how new and improved systems can impact workflow and production. I am very proficient in creating and presenting wireframing models, which are extremely analytical and important in this world here at Egon Zehnder International."

"________ is an extremely data-driven company and I have been able to be successful in my 11 years there by using my analytical skills to identify opportunities to deliver break-through results. Examples of this include my current role as Global Allocation GM for _____ Devices where I managed the planning and distribution of consumer electronic devices to over 20 countries, utilizing data and analytics to optimize supply chain efficiency and reduce costs. I doubled down on my experience here by also building the supply chain requirements for the tech development and implementation of a new forecasting and ordering technology which highlights how I was able to turn analytical insights into strategic planning and development. Previous to this role, I designed the 'Ships-In-Own-Container' initiative that improved sustainability, reduced customer frustration, and saved over $200M annually - I was able to do this by finding subsets of products that drove significant cost savings while having limited downside risk in a pool of more than 10M SKUs. Overall, I believe that my extensive experience in utilizing analytical data to drive business decisions will be a valuable asset to potential clients at Egon Zehnder International."

Do you have any experience in 1:1 coaching of business leaders? If given the opportunity to coach leaders as a consultant here at Egon Zehnder International, what skills would you bring to the table?

"After obtaining my MBA, I embarked on a career path that involved organizational development and corporate training in the healthcare and manufacturing fields. During my time in the healthcare industry, I was an integral part in coaching high level leaders and did get the opportunity to do so on an individual basis. In my training and experience, I believe that the key component of individualized leadership training is that it is customized to each individual to suit their needs. I have extensive experience in evaluating skill sets and developing individualized training to work on critical leadership skills. Last year, I developed an individualized training for my organization's new Chief Nursing Officer that was centered around having difficult conversations with staff. The new leader was highly equipped with all of the great skills for the position, but lacked the ability and confidence in this necessary aspect of the job."

In looking to hire staff to work with the leaders of their clients, Egon Zehnder International may be considering candidates from many different backgrounds. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear if you have experience in working with and possibly coaching high level leaders in the business world. Talk openly about any experience that you have and, most importantly, talk about the unique skills that you would bring to the table if hired for this role at Egon Zehnder International.

"During my experience working with and training leaders in the manufacturing industry, I think I have a great knack for working with Type A personalities and really reaching them and their needs. I am skilled at creating desired challenges for them to help develop and hone their skills like I did a few years ago with a newly hired Chief Operating Officer that struggled with interpersonal skills. My key with him was setting challenging goals in between our meetings and the plan worked to perfection. If hired for this role here at Egon Zehnder International, this ability would be key with the leaders I would be working 1:1 with."

Let's say you were working with a client that was facing a decision of cutting production to limit risk in their market. What would be some of the steps you would take to help them analyze their situation?

"From a 10,000 foot overview, I would first seek to understand if the client has done their homework in market research to find out the supply and demand for their product. Knowing that production is based on demand, I'd offer a helping hand as their consultant wherever I could. If it was determined that production would need to be cut, the next step would be to help them walk through the process of determining labor needs in their production facility at that point and what future projections would look like. I feel that my role would be coordinating all of the key decisions makers in the organization during this process."

The sole purpose of a question like this is to make you as the interviewer think on your feet. You may or may not have direct experience with the situation that is proposed and that is where the interviewer is looking for your ability to stay calm, cool and collected as you would have to with a potential client. In the best way you can, take a logical approach to walking your interviewer how you approach this situation with a potential client. Point out the resources that you would use to highlight your ability to solve a problem.

"At a high level, I would first seek to understand if the client has really done their market research homework to find out potential supply and demand changes for their product. If that was the case, I'd offer to help as their consultant wherever I could - whether that's walking through the process of determining labor needs in their production facilities or modeling future projections, or anything else. If I think there is a need for more detailed market research prior to making any decisions, I would offer to help find the right resources to make an optimal decision and any follow-up on decisions needed. I would view my role to be coordinating all key decision-makers in the organization during this process."

Being successful in the consulting industry requires adaptability and the ability to learn a business fast. What would be your approach to help you learn the ins and outs of a new client?

"As you can see from my resume, I've been in corporate training and education for over ten years. In my current role, I have to use similar techniques working with different departments to try and tailor programs that meet their specific needs. I feel that my current approach of hosting an intake meeting with leaders would be effective in a consulting role with external customers. The current intake meetings that I lead are an opportunity for me to ask questions and learn as much as I can about my customers. In turn, it is an opportunity for me to lay the groundwork for the project and set expectations. Do you see this as an effective approach for this role?"

Egon Zehnder International contracts with businesses in different industries for their services and it is likely that your job would require you to learn the fine details of each business that you would work with. Demonstrate your ability to be flexible by giving examples of times you've had to do this during your career. As well, describe the approach that you would take to get the know the businesses you would be working with so you can apply your knowledge and expertise toward helping them.

"Having worked in quality roles for most of my career in both the private and public sectors, I think my career experiences have shaped me well for this role. Transitioning to a consultative role would definitely be a transition for me and the biggest transition will be this need to work in many different industries. For me, researching clients, their business and their industry will be the first step to my approach in learning about them. I want to make a great first impression when I am face to face with a new client and that first impression starts with my knowledge. Then, my openness and ability to communicate would take over when I am working directly with clients. I know the right questions to ask for laying out quality initiative projects and I know the right things to educate clients on."

"In my experience, the key to quickly learning the ins and outs of a new client's business is to approach each new engagement with a curious and open mind. I start by doing research on the client's industry and competitors, reading any relevant publications or reports, and gathering as much information as possible about the company's history, products or services, and key stakeholders. I also prioritize building relationships with key stakeholders within the client organization, including senior executives, department heads, and employees on the front lines. By getting to know these individuals and understanding their perspectives, I can gain valuable insights into the company's culture, values, and operational practices. In addition, I believe in leveraging data and analytics to gain a deeper understanding of a client's business. By conducting thorough analyses of the client's financial performance, market trends, and other relevant metrics, I can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven recommendations to help the client achieve their goals. Overall, I believe that success in the consulting industry requires a flexible and adaptable approach to learning new businesses. By combining a rigorous analytical mindset with a curiosity about the client's business and a commitment to building strong relationships, I am confident that I can quickly learn the ins and outs of any new client and help them achieve their goals."

In what ways would our clients here at Egon Zehnder International benefit from your knowledge and services?

"As you can see from my resume, I have extensive experience in risk management in the healthcare industry. Having worked with some major players in the industry, your healthcare clients would benefit the most from the experience and solutions I could help provide them. Not to leave other industries out, I think my experience in the healthcare realm will also translate nicely to your clients in other areas of the private sector."

This question is your chance to talk about the unique skills and knowledge that you would bring to Egon Zehnder International and that is exactly what your interviewer is looking to hear. In your answer, keep your focus centered on how clients of the organization will benefit from the things that you bring to their table because Egon Zehnder International is client focused in all that they do. To be effective with this answer, be sure to do your research on the clients at Egon Zehnder International and think about how your experience will be beneficial for them.

"Having worked in accounting and tax law in a few different industries during my career to this point, I also have the unique experience of creating new organizational policies and procedures in my current role. In hearing more about this role, I think this experience would be very beneficial for your clients as I would be helping advise them in their practices and creating new policy would be crucial in that process."

"With my extensive experience in strategic roles across retail business planning, logistics, and supply chain management at _______, I believe I can bring a unique perspective and set of skills to help our clients at Egon Zehnder International. In the fast-paced and constantly evolving world of business, having a solid understanding of supply chain management and logistics is crucial for any organization's success. I can leverage my expertise in these areas to help our clients optimize their operations, reduce costs, and increase efficiency. Furthermore, having worked at a company known for its customer-centric approach, I have learned how to prioritize the customer's needs while keeping a keen eye on the bottom line. I can use this experience to help our clients develop customer-focused strategies that not only meet but exceed customer expectations, leading to increased customer loyalty and profitability. Overall, I believe my knowledge and experience in retail business planning, logistics, and supply chain management, coupled with my customer-centric approach, can help our clients achieve their goals and succeed in today's competitive business landscape."

A key component to success here at Egon Zehnder International is building solid relationships with new clients. How do you effectively get to know new people and lay the groundwork for a long lasting relationship?

"I am a firm believer that success in any role I've played in my career was due in part to the relationships that I've built in those roles. Whenever I have the chance to work with a new colleague or a new customer, my approach is to create an initial connection with them to build trust. After that point, my interpersonal skills take over through active listening. I use my listening skills to learn about the motivating factors and needs of the person that I will be working with and this helps mold that respect and trust between us even more. I think this approach would be very critical in working with new clients on a regular basis here at Egon Zehnder International and I'd love the opportunity to bring these skills to the table for you."

The fast paced world of business consulting requires the ability to build relationship after relationship with all of the clients that you will potentially be working with. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to gain insight into how you build relationships with new people from the first time you interact with them. In your answer, talk about how you gain and build trust with new people and explain how the little things in your initial interactions go a long way toward building long lasting working relationships.

"Building relationships is essential to any successful consulting engagement, and I believe the key to doing this effectively is through active listening and communication. When meeting new clients, I first try to understand their goals, priorities, and challenges by asking open-ended questions and actively listening to their responses. By doing so, I can tailor our approach and recommendations to meet their specific needs. I also make a point to be transparent and honest about what we can and cannot do for them. This helps to establish trust and credibility, which is critical in building a long-lasting relationship. Finally, I believe in keeping open lines of communication throughout the engagement, which includes regular check-ins and follow-up meetings to ensure that our work continues to meet their expectations."

Do you have any experience in succession planning? If so, in what areas do you have specific experience?

"With my current organization, I was directly involved in the creation of the succession planning processes for many of our key positions and this process really opened my eyes for how to be successful in the future planning. The first key item to undertake was identifying the key positions that we wanted to have succession plans for. We identified these roles by determining which roles were vital to the success of the organization and which roles would deter future growth if left unfilled. Once key roles were identified, I worked with leaders of and incumbents in those roles to build the key competencies for those positions. With these inventories of competencies now in hand, I worked with our HR staff to build plans for internal succession of selected employees and I helped build succession training programs for specific individuals. With this role at Egon Zehnder International, I think my experience would work well with your clients in many different industries."

A key component to consulting services for leadership development is succession planning and for this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear what experience you have in this area and that you understand the key components to the succession planning process. If you have experience, be sure to highlight some examples and what role you played. If you don't have any direct experience in succession planning, be sure to research and be able to speak about the key components of the process.

"My experience in succession planning falls in working with specific roles that I supervised and helping to identify great candidates to begin working with Human Resources staff on training and planning for future roles. During these processes, I used both quantitatvie performance data and personal experiences with my employees in identifying the best candidates. In planning to prepare for a leadership consulting role, I feel like I would bring great experience and ability to other key aspects of the succession planning process for your clients because I have extensive knowledge of different management roles adn their importance in the overall success of businesses."

"Yes, I do have experience in succession planning. In my previous role with the retail team, I was responsible for leading the talent review and succession planning process for our North American team. This involved identifying critical roles, assessing talent readiness, and developing individualized development plans to prepare high-potential employees for future leadership positions. I also worked closely with business leaders to align on succession priorities and ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities during leadership changes. This involved working with the HR team to identify key competencies for various leadership roles, assessing the current talent pipeline, and identifying gaps and development needs. We also developed a clear communication strategy to engage leaders and employees in the process and ensure succession decisions were made in a fair and equitable manner."

If you are hired for this position here at Egon Zehnder International, what do you think the biggest hurdle for you would be from the start?

"As you can see from my resume, most of my career experience is in the food industry. If fortunate enough to be hired for this position, the biggest area for learning for me would be the finance side of other industries like technology, telecommunications and healthcare. From day one, I would begin by thoroughly research the clients here at Egon Zehnder International and speaking with as many industry experts that I know through business networking. While learning the ins and outs of other industries is the biggest learning curve for me, I see it as a great opportunity for me to become more proficient and effective in the work that I'd be doing for you."

For this question, you can showcase your research that you've done on both Egon Zehnder International and the role you are interviewing for by being upfront and honest about what you feel would be the biggest learning curve for you if hired for the position and giving your plan for how you would approach this hurdle. In your answer, make sure that you highlight your skills and abilities in making a molehill out of a mountain on your way to success in this role.

"While this may sound funny to you at first, I think the biggest challenge for me from the start will be adapting to the great corporate lifestyle and culture here at Egon Zehnder International. When I saw this position being open for applicants and I did my research, I was extremely excited to hear about the flexibility and openness to the ideas of your staff members. I've been working for six years in an environment that is very opposite of an open culture for new ideas and for me personally, it will feel foreign for me to bring new ideas to the team here and have them be accepted."

"During my time at _______, I've had a great deal of experience working through conflict - whether internal in my team or when working cross-organizationally. I have been successful in navigating these situations by approaching them in a calm and professional manner, listening to the perspectives of all parties, and using the company's leadership principles or project-specific tenets to help find common ground and resolve disagreements. I think this would be similar to starting an engagement with a client when we would talk through their goals, priorities, and challenges - I would use these as the touch points to go back to when resolving conflict. I believe that it's important to engage in difficult conversations to ensure that all parties are heard, and their concerns addressed. Conflict resolution is an imperative skill in any professional environment and, if done correctly, will ultimately strengthen relationships and lead to better outcomes for everyone involved."

Working with our clients here at Egon Zehnder International often involves some initial conflict with our clients. How would you rate your ability to handle conflict or disagreements in the workplace?

"In my role as a Project Manager with a large private organization, one of my first steps on any new project is setting a budget. Last year, I was leading the effort on a project focused on waste reduction in our manufacturing facilities. In the initial meetings for new projects, our CFO is always involved so she has a high-level overview of what the project will entail. In the meeting, she immediately berated me for the initial budget that I was proposing and vehemently insisted that the amount just wasn't correct or feasible. Rather than taking offense to her thoughts, I wanted to make sure that she, and the rest of the group, had a solid understanding of all that was taken into consideration for setting the budget. After I explained and showed line by line what the proposed budget broke down to, she was very thankful and didn't realize that team member labor was part of that equation. I think that my ability to understand why she was conflicted and my ability to keep a calm, cool head in that situation was vital and a perfect reason for me rating myself high on my conflict resolution skills."

When a consultant comes into an organization to help better an aspect of their business, there are many factors that can lead to initial conflicts with the consultant and their firm. Big egos not wanting a fresh new face and the fear of change are inevitable in this business and your interviewer wants to hear that you have the experience and ability to handle inevitable conflict that will come your way if hired for the position. While obviously rating yourself highly in this area, try to talk about a time where you handled difficult conflict on the job with ease.

"From my call center days, I think I developed great conflict resolution skills where I would rate myself an 8 out of 10. Handling customers who were upset about a product or service they received required a calm tone, an educational approach and the ability to not take things too personally. If hired for this position, I would be able to bring this same approach to the client of Egon Zehnder International."

At Egon Zehnder International, you will have the opportunity to work with high level executives and leaders from the companies we contract with. What experience do you have in working with people at these levels?

"In my current role, I work directly under our Chief Financial Officer and sit on a couple of different committees that our Chief Executive Officer is on. Under the direction of my CFO, we have a great working relationship. I am comfortable approaching him at any moment with questions or to bring forward new ideas. He is aware of my strengths and respects my opinions on matters in my wheelhouse, so he never hesitates to come to me with important things. I think the keys to our strong relationship are the respect we show for each other and our open lines of communication."

As a business advisory and consulting firm, Egon Zehnder International works with Managers, Directors, CEO's, CFO's, CAO's and leaders with other titles on all of our projects. Your role will likely involve working closely with these leaders. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you are comfortable in working with the leadership team of the organization's clients by having you talk about your experience. Make sure that the examples you provide include some details on how you worked effectively to get the job done with the leaders you worked with.

"Throughout my career, I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with employees at all levels of the organizations that I've worked with. To me, working effectively with anyone requires a personal touch and a respectful approach. Whether I work with front line sales staff or members of the C-Suite, I take the time to get to know the person, their job and how I can best be of help to them in my role. This approach really helped me build a relationship with a Sales Executive that a few of my colleagues had struck out with in recent interactions."

"I have had the opportunity to work with high-level executives and leaders in my current and previous roles during my time at ______. I regularly collaborated with members of the Senior Team (SVPs) from various departments and levels within the company, providing strategic recommendations and insights to help drive business decisions. In addition, I have also worked closely with clients in consulting roles, which required me to build strong relationships and establish trust with key decision-makers. I am confident that my experience working with high-level executives and leaders, combined with my ability to understand their needs and communicate effectively with them, would be valuable in my role at Egon Zehnder International."

How do you stay organized and on track when working on a long-term project?

"I really pride myself on my ability to multitask and my ability to stay organized in key in multitasking. For me personally, organization starts with using technology to my advantage and I do this through the use of my Outlook calendar and tasks functions. I take time each day to update my tasks and project work and use my ability to prioritize tasks to ensure that the right things are being worked on. In looking to bring these skills to long-term project work with your clients, staying organized and on task will be extremely important for the success of both Egon Zehnder International and your clients."

Working for Egon Zehnder International in the role you are interviewing for will require an innate ability to manage projects from conception to final implementation. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you have the ability to maintain organization to meet deadlines and customer expectations. Talk about your personal methods for organizing project work and give any examples that you have of your methods being successful. In the consulting and advisory industry, customer satisfaction and word of mouth are integral to success and growth of a business and effective project management is key in satisfaction.

"In my work, the ability to stay organized and on track comes down to having a plan of attack for each project and keeping track of the plan as milestones are hit. If you are familiar with the program Trello, it really helps me organize all of the components of the projects that I work on and give me the ability to track who is doing what, what deadlines are coming and what milestones have been hit. But even with a great program like this, I always have the ability to re-prioritize due dates and new tasks as needed with any project."

"I believe in creating a clear plan with specific milestones and deadlines for any long-term project. I start by breaking down the project into smaller tasks and assign each task a deadline. Then, I prioritize the tasks based on their level of importance and urgency. I also use various tools such as project management software, calendars, and to-do lists to help me stay organized and track my progress. I also find it helpful to communicate regularly with my team members or colleagues who are involved in the project. This helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that we are working towards our common goals. I always encourage open communication, so that any issues or challenges can be addressed promptly and we can adjust our plan accordingly. Lastly, I am not afraid to reassess my plan and make adjustments as needed. Sometimes unexpected events or changes in circumstances can occur, and it's important to be flexible and adaptable to keep the project on track."

Talk about a time you had to use conflict resolution skills in a business setting. What was the situation and the outcome and how did you positively influence that outcome?

"In my current role, I was asked to work with two sales managers that were not seeing eye to eye in future planning processes and I was asked to step in and intervene on the situation. My approach to this situation was to first meet individually with each manager to get their perspective on the situation and, lo and behold, both managers felt disrespected by the other. With that in mind, my approach to coaching their relationship focused on empathy and the ability to see things from each other's chair. I held an open forum where each could talk about times they felt disrespected by the other and I think it was really eye opening for each. At the end of that single conversation, both realized that they were in competition with each other and both agreed to work hand in hand for the betterment of the organization in the future."

In this role with Egon Zehnder International, chances are great that you would be working with employees at clients who don't see eye to eye on things and you will quickly become the mediator between them with your expertise. Prior to interview, think about the conflict resolution skills that you possess and highlight those with an example of a time that you used them. At the end of the day, ensure that your interviewer walks away from your conversation knowing that you can be trusted with their clients in this respect.

"To me, conflict in the workplace is best settled when both parties understand and acknowledge the perspective of others and come to a mutual agreement to plan for differences. It is foolish to think that every relationsihp within a business setting is going to be 100% perfect, so these agreements are necessary. I did this recently with two nurses that were working side by side in an Emergency Department setting. From the start of them working on the same shift together, conflic began immediately and hard feeling only festered from there. As a facilitator between them, I promoted open dand respectful ialogue abetween them about what bothered each person in their relationship. It became clear that each had their own unique upbringing in the healthcare world and differing perspectives on ideal care for patients, even when each of their philosophies fell under the expectations of the department. By promotiing this, I was amazed to hear the two nurses work out a plan for handling each others differences without being prompted by me."

Would you say that you are a goal oriented person on the job? Why would you say that?

"If hired for this position, one of the first things that you'll learn about me is that I am very driven to succeed in all that I do on the job. For me, personal drive definitely centers around goals and my desire to achieve them. I have the focus to set goals myself and to work towards goals that are set by my organization, my leaders or my customers and I would bring this ability with each client that I work with here at Egon Zehnder International."

Success in business consulting is most often measured in the achievement of goals for clients and for this question, your interviewer will ideally be looking to hear that you are driven by goals and that you have the ability to set them as well. In your answer, give your interviewer the sense that you are goal oriented by giving an example or two of a time where you set and worked towards a goal as part of a team effort. Explain your part in the achievement of the goals and your ability to stay focused on the end result.

"I would definitely say that I am goal oriented in the work that I do on a daily basis. In project management, I work off of both time related goals and production related goals and these really drive my daily tasks and my delegation of responsibilities to other team members. If given the opportunity to come work for Egon Zehnder International, my clients would greatly benefit from my ability to both set and achieve goals with them."

"I would very much consider myself a goal-oriented person. In my 11 years at ________, almost everything that I worked on was directly tied to an organizational goal or a company-wide goal. I find myself most comfortable in an environment with clear goals and deliverables that need to be met while having the space to use my individual drive and creativity to deliver the expected result. This is exemplified by my work creating the "Ships In Own Container" program - This was a program that started by encouraging manufacturers to ship inventory to _______ in e-commerce ready packaging instead of the image-focused shelf-ready boxes that were used for most other customers. As we built out this program, I realized that there was an opportunity to transfer the cost of not providing this type of packaging to the manufacturers (the costs were increased labor and material costs within our fulfillment centers and increased shipping costs). I worked across retail, supplier experience, sustainability, and chargeback teams to create a plan to recover $100M in operating expenses through this initiative. After creating a short-term compliance incentive, I was able to launch global chargeback to manufacturers that did not comply with this initiative. I'm proud to say that we saved more than $200M in our first year, more than double our goal and we were able to recoup another $70M through chargeback payments that offset the elevated ship costs for products that were out of compliance. Furthermore, this packaging has become an industry standard (ISTA-6) for e-commerce packaging and has been adopted by our largest competitors."

Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

"In my current role, I have a customer that flies off the handle very easily if things don't happen just right and I learned this from my first interactions with him. In seeing this happen from the start, I have always maintained a calm demeanor when he was upset and showed empathy by asking questions about his expectations and how to fix situations for him. To this day, I expect difficulty from him when we work together and the years we've had a working relationship together have better prepared me for more clients like him in the future."

At some point in any person's career, they have to work with a colleague or customer who is extremely difficult. Rather than looking to hear the fine details as to why this person was difficult, your interviewer will be looking to gain insight into how you personally handled the situation and others like it to ensure that a sound relationship was fostered even when you faced difficult circumstances. In your answer, some key things to focus on are your ability to be tolerant, understanding and a great communicator in these situations.

"A couple of years ago, a close colleague of mine had a very abrupt turnaround in her attitude and performance on the job. She was very curt and abrasive in conversations when she was normally very talkative and friendly on the job. After noticing some concerns in her work, I approached her with an open mind and asked her what was going on to cause these things to change. I showed concern and approached her as a friend and this approach prompted her to tell me about some issues happening in her personal life. By taking this approach, rather than getting upset or even made with her, I showed her that I cared and valued her as a person and my approach helped her open up and turn her life at work back around to the positive side."

"In a previous role, I had a colleague who was known for being extremely difficult to work with as he had a tendency to be confrontational, dismissive of other people's opinions, and would often take credit for others' work. I found myself in a situation where I had to collaborate with this colleague on our rapid-response medical mask-sourcing project. To handle this situation, I made a conscious effort to listen to his ideas and suggestions and to try to find common ground where we could work together effectively. I also made sure to communicate clearly and frequently, so there were no misunderstandings or surprises along the way. Although it wasn't always easy, I remained professional and focused on the task at hand, always keeping the project's guiding tenets in mind and using them to help defuse conflicts that would arise. In the end, we were able to successfully complete the project, and I believe that my approach helped to drive this success. While I would not say I look forward to working with him again, I would definitely say I am confident that I will be able to be successful working with him in the future."

We value diversity at Egon Zehnder International. When have you worked amongst a diverse group of people?

"I have worked with diverse groups of people most of my career, including my time in University. I am most comfortable, and happy, in this type of environment because it offers a great learning opportunity."

Are you accustomed to working with a very large or diverse team of individuals? Assure the interviewer that you can handle an environment that offers diversity.

"In my current role, I work alongside cross-functional teams regularly. Together, we manage our business and effectiveness. I enjoy the diversity component."

"I value diversity and have had the opportunity to work with people from a wide range of backgrounds. One example that comes to mind is in my current role as GM of Global Allocation for ______ Devices and our goal of reducing air shipments. The teams I collaborate with consist of members from different countries, cultures, and academic disciplines working across multiple time zones. Despite our differences in points of view, we were able to come together and successfully reduce air shipments by leveraging each other's unique perspectives and strengths. Through this experience, the importance of meeting people on their schedule, and of listening, respecting, and valuing diverse viewpoints has been reinforced. I look forward to working with diverse teams at Egon Zehnder and its clients."

This role will put you face to face with leaders of our clients and have you coaching them on how to coach performance related issues. What insight will you bring to the area of performance evaluation and development?

"During my career, I have been involved in the creation of two different performance management system creations and both have provided a ton of insight to me looking to move into this role. I have been a part of creating effective evaluation tools that are used to drill down to the KSA's required for a particular job. This process entailed detailed job evaluations to help in identifying key performance measures for each job. The tool creating process also offered me the chance to design and create soem great feedback guidelines that hiring managers were trained on. I think this experience will pay off very well for your clients that are in need of creating or revamping their current performance management systems."

In this role with Egon Zehnder International, part of your role would be working with clients on performance management and optimizing the performance of their staff. Be prepared to talk about any aspects of perfomance management that you have been a part of during your career as well as speaking about hte importance of the bigger picture of performance manageemnt in respect to teh performance of an organization. Another important thing to discuss is anything pertaining to coaching those that will be coaching others.

"In my current role, I have worked with our management and leadership staff on education and training for a new performance management system that my organization began using two years ago. While the technical side of learning the electronic evaluation program was very important, our leaders found the background knowledge around the evaluation process even more helpful. During that training, we talked about the importance that effective performance management played in reducing turnover and boosting employee satisfaction and gave our leaders great tips and tricks to use with their staff. I'd love to bring these things here to work with teh clients of Egon Zehnder International."

"As someone with eight years of experience in strategic planning and people management, I believe that my experience with performance evaluation and development can be of great value to our clients at Egon Zehnder. In my current and previous roles, I have worked closely with teams to identify key performance metrics and goals, and have implemented strategies to measure and improve employee performance. I have also worked with individuals to develop personalized development plans, identifying areas of strengths and opportunities, and creating actionable steps to enhance their skills and grow in their roles. With this experience, I am confident in my ability to coach and guide leaders in effectively evaluating and developing their teams' performance, ultimately leading to greater success for their organizations."

HR is a continually changing field in every industry. If hired here at Egon Zehnder International, how would you ensure that you stay up on new trends in the field to best help our clients that span across multiple industries?

"As you can see from my resume, my career in HR has been centered around the customer service and retails industries and I fully realize that this opportunity will have me working with clients in a wide plethora of industries. As an active member of SHRM and a regular attendee of local and national HR conferences, I have built a great network of colleagues across many industries that I could use as a resource to get me up to speed on a new industry like manufacturing. I also subscribe and also have been a contributor to HR Magazine and I know that will be a great resource as well as I look to learn and grow in new industries in this role."

Human Resources job duties and functions can have different nuances based on the industry that HR professionals work in. As you look to transition into a role on the consulting side of the business, you will need to be adaptive and up to speed on trends for each particular industry. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you are able to use different resources to ensure that you can just as effective in your consulting to the healthcare field as you can be to the manufacturing industry. As well, your interviewer will be paying close attention to your openness to learning the HR side of industries that you haven't worked with in the past.

"With my experience in the healthcare and mining industries on the east coast, I feel like I would come to Egon Zehnder International with a very well-rounded knowledge and experience base to succeed in this role from the start. Knowing I would have to be a continual learner in this role, I would jump at any opportunity for continuing education to help me stay on top of new happenings in the HR field. Up to this point in my career, continuing ed credits have been vital to helping me gain more knowledge that I've used on the job."

Due to the nature of Egon Zehnder International business and services we may ask that you complete a full background check. Are you willing to comply?

"I can fully understand why Egon Zehnder International would need to conduct background checks on all potential employees. I have a squeaky clean record and am happy to comply with any of your requests."

Many companies will ask for a background check before employing you. This due diligence could include a criminal record check, a credit check, a drivers' abstract, and education verification. The request will vary from company to company so you should always be prepared to comply with all requests. If there is a mark on your record, this is the best time to disclose that information. If you have a clean record: "I can fully understand why Egon Zehnder International would need to conduct background checks on all potential employees. I have a squeaky clean record and am happy to comply with any of your requests."

"If you have a mark on your record: "I can fully understand why Egon Zehnder International would need to conduct background checks on all potential employees. I did have a charge against me approximately six years ago for a DUI. I have gained my drivers' license back since then, but I thought I should disclose that to you ahead of time."

"I can fully understand why Egon Zehnder International would need to conduct background checks on all potential employees. I have previously held an OP Secret clearance and can assure you that I have a squeaky clean record and I would be happy to comply with any of your requests."

What knowledge do you have of differing leadership styles and how would you work effectively with each in this role?

"I have received training on working with the most common leadership styles in the sales industry: transformational leadership, transactional leadership, autocratic leadership, bureaucratic leadership and democratic leadership. I also fully understand the important characteristics and personality traits that leaders in each style display. I have some personal experience training an autocratic leader very closely on promoting teamwork within his department due to low morale. For this leader, it was important for me to personalize my approach by teaching him about his leadership style and what the pro's and con's both were. From there, my focus remained outward towards his team and their performance and how his approach could help impact that positively. Moving forward from our training, his team definitely felt a positive uptick in their morale and production."

People that work their way through the ranks of the business world and find themselves in high level positions can lead with many different styles. For this question, be sure to do your research on the differing leadership styles and be able to speak about specific times you have worked with leaders with that style or how you would effectively work with each style. Make sure to speak to the importance of differing leadership styles equating to the need for an individualized approach to training leaders.

"Having worked with leaders all across my current organization, I quickly came to realize that every leader works in and is motivated by their own unique set of circumstances. And because of those facts, it is important for me to take a personalized approach to training. I've worked with leaders that had a hard time delegating work and ruled with more of an iron fist than most others. For these leaders, a direct approach from myself as the trainer was required and a focus on the importance of teamwork and recognition were important. I've also worked with leaders on the opposite end of that spectrum that approached leadership from a very hands off perspective and were successful more on the administrative side of their roles. With these leaders, I had success in approaching training with an emphasis on establishing standards and procedures for their department and promoting their involvement with their team. I think my versatility in working with every leadership style would be an advantage here at Egon Zehnder International."

"As someone who has worked in various industries and roles, I have had the opportunity to observe and work with leaders who employ different styles. I have found that each leadership style has its strengths and weaknesses, and understanding those can help in working effectively with each type.For example, in my military time, leaders tended to be more autocratic in their approach, preferring to make decisions on their own and direct their teams accordingly. In this case, I would prioritize clear communication and ensuring that I have a thorough understanding of their expectations.At my previous employment, I've found leaders seemed to take a more democratic approach, involving their teams in decision-making and valuing collaboration. In these situations, I have been successful in building strong relationships with team members and facilitating open communication to ensure that everyone feels heard and valued.Finally, some leaders, I know, have taken a more transformational approach, inspiring their teams to be innovative and creative while challenging them to reach their full potential. For these leaders, I would emphasize my ability to think creatively and work collaboratively to drive positive change.Overall, I believe that adaptability, effective communication, and a willingness to learn and understand different leadership styles are key to working successfully with leaders from different backgrounds and industries."

If hired for this role, what team building skills and techniques would you be able to bring to our clients here at Egon Zehnder International?

"Throughout my career, I've always held the belief that more can be done in a team based atmosphere. Even when working with bull headed leaders that want to do things on their own versus working with others, I think I bring a great deal of experience in convincing these leaders to be part of a greater team. For me, great teams that I've been a part of knew each other well and knew each others strenghts and weaknesses well. Because of this, I like to use fun ice breakers and activities to promote laughter and conversation at the start of meetings about new projects. As well, I always promote and discuss the importance of open lines of communication and I always stress that team members pick up the phone or send an email to always be in communication on progress made or questions that need to be asked."

Egon Zehnder International consults with a wide array of clients that spans across different businesses and industries. One things that every industry has in common is the need for effective teamwork and consultants with Egon Zehnder International are expected to bring a team building atmosphere to their clients. For this question, talk about your experience and techniques for helping to promote a high functioning team. In your answer, keep in mind that you will most often be working with high level leaders of clients and speak to your ability to create cohesiveness in teams involving these leaders.

"If hired for this position here at Egon Zehnder International, my team building techniques that I would bring to the table for your clients would center around respect and trust as I've found these to be the biggest detriments of teams. Step one would be to promote an environment where every team member has a voice and the ability to be part of the decision making processes. Step two would be to create an environment where team members are honest and walk the talk towards a greater goals. Once these things are accomplished, a team can function to the highest of its ability."

An often difficult part about working for Egon Zehnder International and our clients is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. Why would you say that you'd be able to handle this aspect of the job with ease?

"During my career to this point, I've been very fortunate to say that I've worked for one employer for over ten years and the experience that I've gained with them is a huge asset to me personally. But even though all of my relevant work experience is with the same employer, I've worked under six different department managers during my time there and each person had their own unique management style and expectations of me. As well, my organization has undergone three mergers in my time there and each merger brought a new and bigger organization to light with new values and culture. Whether it was a manager change or an organization change, I always prioritized openness and asking questions to get to know new processes better. I would bring this approach with each and every new client that I would work with in this role."

In the business consulting world, organizations work with clients that all have different backgrounds, leadership styles, cultures, industries and motivating factors. Consultants hired to come in to these organizations have to possess a chameleon-like ability to ingrain themselves in a new company's culture. For you to be successful in the role that you are interviewing for, you must possess this same ability. In your answer to this question, be sure to point out your fluidity to adapt to new situation in your work by giving an example or two of a time you had to do this to give your interviewer a sense of your ability to be flexible with clients.

"I would liken this role as a Client Manager to working with my customers in my current job. I approach each new customer with an open slated mind while getting to know their motivations, their needs and their expectations of me to help me get a better understanding of how I can best suit them. If hired for this position working with your clients here at Egon Zehnder International, this approach would be vital because of the variety of businesses and industries that I would be working with."

"As a Naval Officer, I gained experience working with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. I have also deployed to many different countries throughout Central and South America, the Middle East, and the Eastern Pacific. These experiences have allowed me to be comfortable adapting to new environments and quickly building relationships with people from different cultural backgrounds. More recently at _______, I have led global planning and distribution, built inbound supply chain teams, and led cross-functional projects, all of which require a high degree of adaptability and cultural awareness. Lastly, I have recruited, hired, and developed teams throughout my career. This experience has allowed me to build relationships with individuals from different cultural backgrounds and to create an inclusive work environment.Overall, my diverse career experience, military background, and leadership skills have prepared me to be adaptable and culturally aware in any work environment, including at Egon Zehnder International and with its clients."

What do you think is the key quality for a great business leader and how would you promote and educate this quality with our clients here at Egon Zehnder International?

"Through my years of working with high level executives and CEO's and through all of the great publications I have read, I truly believe that vision is one of the key components of any great leader. Where many great managers know what it takes to get the job done and do a excellent job of conveying that message, a true leader has a vision for the future to drive business to new levels while also having the foresight to put that vision into action. While being a believer that having true business vision comes naturally to the right people, I have worked with leaders on reflecting on their visions and giving them the tools to help project their vision into words with their staff. I'd love to bring these ideas to the leadership development programs here at Egon Zehnder International."

Business research and leadership development research has shown that there are many qualities that great leaders possess. Rather than having you rattle off all of the great qualities, your interviewer is looking to hear you speak passionately about what you feel is an important quality of a great leaders. Prior to your interview, put some thought to this question to be able to speak about why you feel this quality is important in leadership and how you would promote this quality with your clients if hired for the position.

"In my experience working closely with high level leaders at the organization I've worked with during my career, I'm a believer that the promotion of teamwork and cohesiveness is one of the key qualities of successful leaders. I've witnessed to many teams and businesses fail because a leader was too stubborn to delegate work and trust others around them to help get a job done. For me, I've always stressed the importance of teamwork by promoting a trusting environment for my leaders and showing them the importance of not being the watch over your shoulder types of leaders. I have many great examples of great leaders who delegated work and entrusted their staff around them to work cohesively as a team."

If you were to join Egon Zehnder International in this role, you will be counted on to lead projects. Talk about a time you had to lead a team of individuals. What leadership skills do you have that you will bring to the table here?

"In my current role, I've been asked on numerous occasions to lead finance projects for my organization and I always do so with open arms and an open mind. On a recent project, I pulled together a team that included members of sales, production and upper management. to make this project successful, it was up to me to know each team member's area of expertise and delegate tasks based on their knowledge. A great part of the teams success was due to my ability to lead in a manner that promoted communication among individuals who never had the chance to work together and I accomplished this through fun ice breaking activities with the team and regular email communications outside of our in-person meetings."

The ability to lead others in project work or any other aspect of a business comes down to the fine details and traits of being a great leader. The experience you have can come from many different areas and can include project management, supervising/managing or even mentoring others. When you answer this question, be sure to demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively, bring unity, lead by example and empower/teach others and talk about how you will use these skills if hired at Egon Zehnder International.

"As you can see from my background, I have extensive experience as a Sales Manager and Director and I know that the skills I honed in these roles will transfer nicely to this position. I have always found that leading teams is best accomplished by leading by example and walking the talk that I put out to my staff. I feel that I've also developed great skills in mentoring and coaching my staff and I've been commended on these skills by both sales leadership peers and my team. In this role, I would bring this same approach when working with clients."

When have you contributed to an effort to obtain a corporate goal?

"My most recent employer had an extreme interest in giving back to the community. So much so that we, as a group, logged our volunteer hours and it was treated as another KPI. We would review our community contributions on a quarterly basis. Our goal was always to hit a minimum 500 volunteer hours per quarter which meant that everyone would volunteer one day per month. It was a great initiative and one that I happily participated in."

Engaged employees are always the most productive. Assure the interviewer that you are capable of being an involved team member by assisting, in some way, to the end goal of the corporation.

"Everyday! The corporate goal is always my primary driver, in my current position. To be successful in my position I need to always be in tune with what my employer is trying to achieve, and be an active participant."

Egon Zehnder International Interview Questions

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1. Change management is an important aspect of consulting our clients here at Egon Zehnder International. Have you participated in a change management process during your career?
2. What potential challenges or obstacles do you anticipate encountering when working with groups of high-level leaders for our clients on their team development?
3. Being successful in consulting and working here at Egon Zehnder International requires the ability to work effectively with Type A personalities. What are your experiences in working with this personality and how did you make the relationships a success?
4. In our world here at Egon Zehnder International, our clients rely on real world analytical data versus assumptions and guesswork. What analytical skills would you bring to the table here for our clients?
5. Do you have any experience in 1:1 coaching of business leaders? If given the opportunity to coach leaders as a consultant here at Egon Zehnder International, what skills would you bring to the table?
6. Let's say you were working with a client that was facing a decision of cutting production to limit risk in their market. What would be some of the steps you would take to help them analyze their situation?
7. Being successful in the consulting industry requires adaptability and the ability to learn a business fast. What would be your approach to help you learn the ins and outs of a new client?
8. In what ways would our clients here at Egon Zehnder International benefit from your knowledge and services?
9. A key component to success here at Egon Zehnder International is building solid relationships with new clients. How do you effectively get to know new people and lay the groundwork for a long lasting relationship?
10. Do you have any experience in succession planning? If so, in what areas do you have specific experience?
11. If you are hired for this position here at Egon Zehnder International, what do you think the biggest hurdle for you would be from the start?
12. Working with our clients here at Egon Zehnder International often involves some initial conflict with our clients. How would you rate your ability to handle conflict or disagreements in the workplace?
13. At Egon Zehnder International, you will have the opportunity to work with high level executives and leaders from the companies we contract with. What experience do you have in working with people at these levels?
14. How do you stay organized and on track when working on a long-term project?
15. Talk about a time you had to use conflict resolution skills in a business setting. What was the situation and the outcome and how did you positively influence that outcome?
16. Would you say that you are a goal oriented person on the job? Why would you say that?
17. Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?
18. We value diversity at Egon Zehnder International. When have you worked amongst a diverse group of people?
19. This role will put you face to face with leaders of our clients and have you coaching them on how to coach performance related issues. What insight will you bring to the area of performance evaluation and development?
20. HR is a continually changing field in every industry. If hired here at Egon Zehnder International, how would you ensure that you stay up on new trends in the field to best help our clients that span across multiple industries?
21. Due to the nature of Egon Zehnder International business and services we may ask that you complete a full background check. Are you willing to comply?
22. What knowledge do you have of differing leadership styles and how would you work effectively with each in this role?
23. If hired for this role, what team building skills and techniques would you be able to bring to our clients here at Egon Zehnder International?
24. An often difficult part about working for Egon Zehnder International and our clients is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. Why would you say that you'd be able to handle this aspect of the job with ease?
25. What do you think is the key quality for a great business leader and how would you promote and educate this quality with our clients here at Egon Zehnder International?
26. If you were to join Egon Zehnder International in this role, you will be counted on to lead projects. Talk about a time you had to lead a team of individuals. What leadership skills do you have that you will bring to the table here?
27. When have you contributed to an effort to obtain a corporate goal?

Egon Zehnder International Interview Questions

1. Change management is an important aspect of consulting our clients here at Egon Zehnder International. Have you participated in a change management process during your career?

2. What potential challenges or obstacles do you anticipate encountering when working with groups of high-level leaders for our clients on their team development?

3. Being successful in consulting and working here at Egon Zehnder International requires the ability to work effectively with Type A personalities. What are your experiences in working with this personality and how did you make the relationships a success?

4. In our world here at Egon Zehnder International, our clients rely on real world analytical data versus assumptions and guesswork. What analytical skills would you bring to the table here for our clients?

5. Do you have any experience in 1:1 coaching of business leaders? If given the opportunity to coach leaders as a consultant here at Egon Zehnder International, what skills would you bring to the table?

6. Let's say you were working with a client that was facing a decision of cutting production to limit risk in their market. What would be some of the steps you would take to help them analyze their situation?

7. Being successful in the consulting industry requires adaptability and the ability to learn a business fast. What would be your approach to help you learn the ins and outs of a new client?

8. In what ways would our clients here at Egon Zehnder International benefit from your knowledge and services?

9. A key component to success here at Egon Zehnder International is building solid relationships with new clients. How do you effectively get to know new people and lay the groundwork for a long lasting relationship?

10. Do you have any experience in succession planning? If so, in what areas do you have specific experience?

11. If you are hired for this position here at Egon Zehnder International, what do you think the biggest hurdle for you would be from the start?

12. Working with our clients here at Egon Zehnder International often involves some initial conflict with our clients. How would you rate your ability to handle conflict or disagreements in the workplace?

13. At Egon Zehnder International, you will have the opportunity to work with high level executives and leaders from the companies we contract with. What experience do you have in working with people at these levels?

14. How do you stay organized and on track when working on a long-term project?

15. Talk about a time you had to use conflict resolution skills in a business setting. What was the situation and the outcome and how did you positively influence that outcome?

16. Would you say that you are a goal oriented person on the job? Why would you say that?

17. Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

18. We value diversity at Egon Zehnder International. When have you worked amongst a diverse group of people?

19. This role will put you face to face with leaders of our clients and have you coaching them on how to coach performance related issues. What insight will you bring to the area of performance evaluation and development?

20. HR is a continually changing field in every industry. If hired here at Egon Zehnder International, how would you ensure that you stay up on new trends in the field to best help our clients that span across multiple industries?

21. Due to the nature of Egon Zehnder International business and services we may ask that you complete a full background check. Are you willing to comply?

22. What knowledge do you have of differing leadership styles and how would you work effectively with each in this role?

23. If hired for this role, what team building skills and techniques would you be able to bring to our clients here at Egon Zehnder International?

24. An often difficult part about working for Egon Zehnder International and our clients is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. Why would you say that you'd be able to handle this aspect of the job with ease?

25. What do you think is the key quality for a great business leader and how would you promote and educate this quality with our clients here at Egon Zehnder International?

26. If you were to join Egon Zehnder International in this role, you will be counted on to lead projects. Talk about a time you had to lead a team of individuals. What leadership skills do you have that you will bring to the table here?

27. When have you contributed to an effort to obtain a corporate goal?