For our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, we are brought in as consultant project managers that are working with unfamiliar teams of people. What leadership style would you bring to our clients that would be effective and efficient with ou

"My leadership style in a team setting is a good mix between a democratic and a coaching style. I'm a believer that gaining consensus on team decisions helps boost morale and vision within a team and I love facilitating team meetings in that style. I want to make sure that all have their voices heard and have a chance to weigh in on important decisions. Then, when necessary, I use my experience and knowledge to help develop and coach members of the team."

Successful project managers are able to bring a leadership style to their teams that both inspires and motivates them to work cohesively and efficiently. In a consultant role with Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, the need to have an effective leadership style is compounded by the fact that you will be working with clients across many different businesses and industries. This elevates the need to have an effective leadership style. No matter how you answer this question, try to highlight your ability to inspire teams to work in a cohesive and efficient manner.

"As you can see from my resume, I've had extensive leadership training. Through my years of experience as a project manager, I have developed the ability to cater my leadership style to the individuals and teams that I work with. I can be the pacesetter on a team that needs motivation and I can easily switch to the harmonizing leader when needed to build a team based atmosphere. My ability to be flexible with those that I work with has certainly contributed to my successes as a project manager and I'd love to bring this ability to the clients of Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd"

Many organizations overlook some areas of their business that can benefit from a digital transformation. What is an overlooked area where you've seen a digital transformation make a huge impact during your career?

"In my current role, one unique thing that I accomplished was making our environmental services digital and online. This transformation had many moving pieces. One that I am proud of having a huge impact was automatic notification of supplies being low around restroom facilities. Not only did this save labor time of someone checking supplies, but it also kept both employees and customers extremely satisfied at our facilities."

Digital technology has the ability to impact any level of an organization, but oftentimes some levels get overlooked. For this question, your interviewer is looking to hear that you have the ability to look at these overlooked areas and find ways that a digital upgrade can impact them in a positive way. To be creative, don't leave any stone unturned in your answer.

"A couple of years ago, I was working with a large distributor on revolutionizing their technology usage all across the board. The one area that their management overlooked was with their delivery and fleet of trucks. With changes made to routing tracking/efficiency and vehicle maintenance diagnostics, this organization was able to save tens of thousands of dollars just in the first year of implementation."

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 Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd 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.

Do you have experience in engaging a corporate board during a change management process?

"Last year, I worked with a large manufacturer on implementing a change process to increase production for a couple of new lines of products. One part of that change management process included meeting with the company's board of directors. My role in meeting with them was discussing the resources that would be needed for successful implementation of the project. Resources included both financial and manpower, so they ultimately had to approve the details of the project for it to be a success. My approach was to focus on results of the project and they ultimately approved after one week of thought."

During change management processes for organizations, the board is often the biggest leverage point for making a difference in the success of a project. Ideally, your interviewer is looking to hear that you have experience in managing a change process while involving the board. If you have experience, talk in detail about the project and how you engaged the leaders on the board. If you don't have direct experience in this facet, speak hypothetically on how you would handle this situation using your experience in working with corporate governing boards.

"Involving the board of directors in a major corporate change is important for many reasons. They need to have buy-in into the end results and more often that not, they can provide some expert insight into the heart and soul of the organization that is useful. For more recent projects, presenting to and talking to the board is an initial step that I take now. A couple of months ago, I presented at a board meeting of a large healthcare organization and following my presentation, two members of the board volunteered their time to be on my project team. I considered this a huge win!"

A career move to a consultant with Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd may find you working on new challenges that you haven't faced during your career. What's been the most challenging project you've led up to this point in your career?

"Looking back at the 12 years of project management experience that I have, the most challenging project I led was about five years ago. The challenge started from the beginning when I was tasked with improving waste efficiency at one of my organizations warehouses. At the time, I was not very well versed in warehouse operations, so I took the time to research and talk to experts within my organization to start the brainstorming process. The high level leader that tasked me with the project didn't really do a great job of defining any end goals for me and those are really important in planning for a project. So I scheduled several follow up meetings with him to define more specific goals for the project. In the end, I assembled a great team of experts that ended up reducing costly waste by almost 80% in our operation."

No matter what challenge you choose to discuss during your answer to this question, keep in mind that your interviewer is mostly looking to hear how you handled yourself during a time when you were pushed to your limits. In your answer, discuss the importance of being resourceful and team oriented and talk about how these things helped lead to success in the project. Also, be sure that your interviewer walks away from the interview knowing that you are willing and able to tackle any challenge in front of you.

"I'd have to say that the most challenging project I have faced during my career was a project that assembled team members from different departments within a manufacturing plant operation. During the planning and kickoff process where we all met together, I got the sense that things would run smoothly and cohesively and was I ever wrong. As I monitored progress, I quickly noticed that we were getting off schedule on initial deadlines. In communicating out to team members, it became evident that internal communication at this plant was a struggle. As some team members told me in person that there was a lot of internal strife between some of the departments, I decided to call a project meeting to discuss my expectations for communications while also holding a team building exercise. I made it a priority to clear the air right away that bickering and childish behavior would not be tolerated and that we were all working toward a common goal that benefited everyone. Following that, the team building activity really helped make some eyes open up to who people were really working with. By taking the bull by the horns and putting people in an uncomfortable situation, a difficult situation turned into a team that accomplished a major task with ease and teamwork."

Working with our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd 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 Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd."

Do you have any experience handling a budget as part of a project?

"During my ten years of working as a project manager with a large manufacturer, I've definitely had to manage a budget for every project that I've led. The scope of my experience really spans the budgeting process from the research necessary to create a budget plan, tracking and updating through the process and meeting the requirements of the budget. At times when I realized that we may have under-budgeted a project, I approach whoever is necessary to ensure that proper funding is available, and if not, I take necessary measures to stay within budget."

As a consultant for Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd working as a project manager with clients, you will likely be relied upon to work around a budgeting process. Talk to your interviewer about your experience in working with budgets on large projects and give them some idea of your ability to plan for, monitor and stay within a budget for a project. If possible, give any details on your experience that you can and talk about how you would bring this experience to working with clients.

"As we've discussed already, a bulk of my experience as a project manager comes in the construction field where budgeting and meeting a budget are the key to success. I'd consider my expertise, and the biggest factor for budget success, to be my ability to plan for and create a budget during the planning phase of a project. With industry experience and research, a properly planned budget sets the tone for the project and what resources can be used up front. I think my ability in this area would be extremely beneficial to my potential clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd."

For many of our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, the ability to effectively negotiate executive compensation is key. What negotiating skills will you bring to our clients and what would you say your overall philosophy is regarding negotia

"As an HR professional that has sat at the negotiating table of offers to CEO's, Presidents and other high level executive position, I'd bring a strong working knowledge of executive compensation to your clients. My negotiating are most often predicated on the total rewards package. Many high levels executives get lost in the one number surrounding yearly salary when benefits like pension, travel expenses and healthcare coverage get overlooked. These benefits can also be deal breakers so I always include details on these benefits in compensation conversations and negotiations."

The process of handling the executive compensation process often involves negotiating. As Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd gets called upon to consult with their clients, the negotiation process is likely to be a key talking point for you with clients. Talk about the skills you have developed through your career and explain how these skills would be beneficial for the clients of Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd. As well, talk at a high level about your philosophy and practice regarding high level salary negotiation.

"The approach I've always taken with C-Suite executive offers is to make it a win-win situation for both the candidate and the organization. In the eyes of executive level candidates, the importance of fair compensation is important so market comp research is something I prioritize. Then, I know how to fairly negotiate for extra skills, abilities and duties that my candidate may be doing above and beyond others in a similar position. This enable me to paint the clear picture that an offer is fair and balanced for both the candidate and the organization."

What experience do you have working with corporate governing boards? What role have you seen them play?

"In my current role, I have consulted with boards of directors on business ethics training. The boards that I have worked with were all very diverse, spanning across many industries and of many different sizes. Many included elected community members, union representatives and C-level executives from within the organization. While all boards I have worked with had the best financial interest of the organization in mind, the ethics training was important in ensuring that their organization was conducting business in an ethical, safe and legal manner. I am comfortable in providing training and speaking with boards of directors and would look forward to doing so with Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd."

In this role with Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, you will have the opportunity to work with boards of directors with clients. As part of this duty, it is important for you to understand that boards have a unique perspective of representing shareholders or the general public in relation to the direction that the organization is moving. In some cases, board members are elected. For this question, talk about any experience that you do have in working with corporate boards and talk about your role in that interaction. Then, explain the importance that your role can play with the clients of Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd and ensuring that corporate governance is sound and running smoothly.

"My experience working with governing boards falls within self-assessments and action planning for the future. The assessments I have conducted have led to helping governing boards build on their strengths, identify areas for growth and prioritizing steps moving forward to increase the boards effectiveness. During these processes, I've sat in on board meetings, conducted group and 1:1 interviews and had difficult conversations with high level leaders of organizations. The great experience I have working across the healthcare and manufacturing industries would be a huge asses to your clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd."

Rate your communication skills from 1-10 with proper examples backing your given rating.

"I rate my communication skills as a 9/10 as I will, on occasion, have times when I am not as clear as I would like to be. My supervisor and co-workers will attest to my clear and concise communication skills. Because I am an open leader, my team will let me know if I need to clarify anything."

On a scale of 1-10, how skilled are you in communication? Why did you choose that particular rating for yourself?

"I will rate myself an 8.5 because I consider myself a strong communicator. It is the foundation of all success in business. I am always striving to be a better communicator, so I leave the rest of the scale as an aspirational measure."

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?"

Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd 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."

How would you go about conducting a compensation analysis for executive level positions with our clients at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd?

"My first step to conduct the compensation analysis for the position would be to speak with leaders from the client and learn more about the position and the goals for the position and the eventual hire. This would enable me to effectively compare this position to currently existing positions. Then, I'd use market research that I have access to or could find to have a comparable salary. Fully understanding that executive level positions can vary greatly from industry to industry, I would use every detail possible to get the best analysis and final salary number possible. This process, when detailed to clients, would pain a clear picture for them to gain belief in the process."

Due to the fact that a lot of organizations do not include executive level positions in their salary grades or ranges, this position with Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd may provide the need for you to conducts compensation analysis studies for clients. Talk to your interviewer about your experience in conducting compensation analyses during your career and walk through how you would do this executive level positions. In the end, reiterate the importance of how you would obtain buy-in on this process from the clients you would be working with.

Here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, you may be asked to work on the corporate governing structure and its effectiveness for a client. How would you measure the effectiveness of a board of directors?

"If I was asked by a client to measure the effectiveness of their board, I would first seek to find out if any predetermined measures for success had been developed. If there had, we could look at calculating success in those areas as a starting point. Then, whether they had already established measures or not, I would use my expertise to delve into measuring aspects managing operations of the business and the corporate structure of the organization. These measures are often overlooked by corporate boards and are imperative to the successes of any business."

As people have more and more access to knowledge and information, investors, regulators and other key stakeholders are demanding high level results from the boards of most organizations. Because of this fact, many clients at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd seek out their services to measure the effectiveness of their boards. If you have direct experience in evaluating and measuring the effectiveness of a board, talk about that experience. If you don't have direct experience, talk about the need for evaluation to go beyond measuring if the board performed their responsibilities and dive into further measures that truly impact the organization.

"I am a firm believer that measuring a corporate governing structure must ultimately be led from within, so I would see myself as a true consultant in giving board leaders the knowledge and tools to lead a successful evaluation of their work. In my experience and work in the past, corporate governance is best measured on the following three items: how they lead, how they manage and how they contribute to the organizations success. I have steadfast measuring techniques for these items that I'd love to bring to your clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd."

How do you get back on track when a schedule falls behind so you don't miss important milestone deadline

"As an experience professional in project management, I pride myself on my ability to consistently monitor the progress of the project and spot where we may be falling behind on items. At those times, I work closely with the person or individuals assigned to that task to ensure that the job gets back on track. At times, this has involved me intervening and taking care of things that I can or reaching out to other resources for help. Milestones and deadlines are the key to the successful completion of a project and one missed item can create a bad domino effect that pushes a project back. For me, not letting that first fallen domino touch the next is the key to staying on track."

In the world of project management, it is rare that a project goes from the planning stages through to implementation without a hiccup or two along the way. As the manager of the project, you are ultimately responsible for keeping the project on task and your interviewer is looking to hear how you will do that for the clients at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd. One important thing to consider highlighting is your ability to monitor and track progress regularly so the train doesn't get too derailed off the tracks. As well, you can talk about your ability to think on your feet, problem solve and coach others to bring tasks back up to date.

What types of challenges have you faced in your career with mangers/leaders when faced with a difficult recruitment effort? Do you see this experience helping you in a consulting role?

"In my current job, I work with large healthcare corporations recruiting C-Suite executives to join their operations. Last year, I was working with a large health system out west that had experienced some bad turnover of their CFO and COO position within weeks of each other. As always, my first order of business with a new client is to conduct an intake session where I interview key stakeholders that will work with the position I am recruiting for. Upon doing this, it became evidently clear that the culture among the group was shattered because of the actions of the CEO of the organization. Being an outside consultant, I began preparing necessary feedback from the stakeholders that I felt impacted the ability to be forthright with candidates that we would have for the position. I used this information to have a direct conversation with the CEO, who I would be working side by side with during the recruitment of both positions. While the initial conversations were difficult at first, she really opened up to me about her leadership style and we used a lot of her style to talk about during screening and interview processes. This ended up with the group making two great hires."

In this role with Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, you will be consulting directors, managers and high level leaders on recruiting new talent into their organization and at times, you will be working with difficult leaders. Dig back on your experience to talk about a time or two where you had to use your knowledge and expertise to convince someone of a process or procedure that would be beneficial and talk about the great results it achieved. Your interviewer will be looking to hear that you can pull from past experiences to work with their clients moving forward successfully.

"During my years doing executive recruitment, the biggest challenges that stuck with me throughout my career were the times that I had to play mediator during the job posting, pre-screening and interview times of recruitment efforts. Many times, when working with high level leaders, opinions can differ greatly and I took it as my responsibility for groups to remain focused on the job description and key qualities of candidates that were desired. I have a knack for mediating groups at that level and would look forward to doing so in consulting here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd."

What would you consider your strong suit in the digital transformation of organizations that you could bring to our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd?

"For your clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, my ability to project a vision into a transformational strategy will greatly benefit everyone that I work with. The key to any digital transformation is buy-in from senior level leadership as they impact how the rest of the organization accepts change and becomes a steward for change. Implementing technological changes cause disruption and chaos and leading projects with a clear vision and strategy is a key to success."

This question gives you the opportunity to showcase what you feel will be your best skills if hired for this position and your interviewer is ideally looking to hear what unique aspects you can bring to their clients. This question remains very open ended for you to talk about process items or industry specific items, so make sure that however you answer that you are able to speak knowledgeably and confidently. Again for this question, researching Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd and their clients can pay off big for this question.

"Through the projects that I've worked on in technological transformations for business, I've always prioritized the final customer and their journey and how digitalization will impact them. Many times with organizations that I've worked with, the end customer or user gets lost in the thought process and I would be there for the clients of Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd to ensure that their best needs are always taken care of."

We value diversity at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd. 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."

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

"To me, succession planning has so many positives with so little drawbacks that it makes total sense for an organization to implement succession planning. But high level leaders often do need some coaxing to buy into the philosophy. My selling point with an organization would be to use statistical data to point out that projected retirements over the next 10-15 are astronomical compared to the number looking to enter the workforce. Because of this face, it is more important than ever to begin planning and growing the next CEO, COO and CAO of organizations as early as possible. Shadowing opportunities and training opportunities that can take place over a time period of years versus months is very important in the business world today."

On top of the cost of conducting an external search for the next leaders of an organization, home growing talent to get the right people with the right talent in the right positions can begin earlier than most leaders think. In your answer for this question, talk about the importance of an organization always keeping an eye towards the future, cost savings and the ability to train people in the way the organization wants them to be trained and prepared for a high level role.

"In today's modern world, every business and industry is unique and carving out their own niche markets and ways of doing business. Because of this, succession planning and the need to grow leaders from within is extremely important. I would use this as a selling point to high level leaders like CEO's and point out the fact that they could begin training their potential replacements years ahead of time with the help of HR staff and Organizational Learning staff."

What interests you in joining the business consulting world here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd?

"At this point in my career, I feel like I have really maxed out my capabilities in my current role as the IT Director with my current organization. Over the past two or three years, I've found so much fulfillment in my work when I've been helping others and providing education to them that I've narrowed my job search down to the IT consulting field. The prospect of helping other IT departments grow and become more efficient under my consultation is an adventure that I would love to embark on here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd!"

Anytime the question regarding why you want to join the company is asked, it is very important to do your research on the organization and the position you are interviewing for so you can match your skills and desires to the job. In your answer here, be sure that you also speak to the potential move to a consultative type role if this will be the first time for you with a consulting organization. Be sure to highlight your qualities that make you an ideal fit for the job.

"As I've grown in my role in the Training & Education department with my current employer, I've gravitated toward leadership development and succession planning with my organization and I'd like to bring these skills to work here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd as this position fits right in that mold. Using my experience and knowledge, you'll quickly find that I have a great ability to work alongside and train the top level executives with your clients in a manner that is professional and effective at the same time. My experiences in both healthcare and manufacturing sound like they'd fit well with your client base as well."

What do you feel is the key to developing and/or operating a great succession planning program?

"While I consider myself an expert on the planning stages and identifying the positions that should have succession plans, I think the toughest and most crucial step for an organization in a succession planning process is identifying top talent to groom into new roles along their career journey. Understanding that my role as the consultant for your clients would be over, it would be my job to educated the clients on how to identify, train and measure successes down the road to make the program a true success."

The total succession planning process encompasses many different steps from planning to final implementation. Even then, once implemented, there are many keys to ensuring the program is successful into the future. However you answer this question, be sure to speak passionately and knowledgeably as to why you feel your key is one essential key to the process. Discuss how this will be an advantage for the clients that you would work with and how you would help implement the step for them.

"Every good project needs a solid plan to be successful and this is no different for implementing a succession planning process. A good succession plan starts with involving leadership to identify the future needs of the business and key positions that succession planning should occur for. Another key insight towards building a great succession planning program is taking into account future growth and development of the business. With these things in mind, I can help the clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd build solid succession planning programs."

Tell me why you are the right fit for Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, and this position.

"I feel that I am the right fit for this company because, from what you have described, my personality, skills, and drive are what you are looking for. The challenges that come with this position are all challenges that I welcome. I am confident that this is the right fit for both of us."

A successful hire needs to feel like the right fit by both parties. Express to the interviewer that you think this position is a stable fit for your experience and your career goals.

"I am great at what I do, motivated, and I am an avid lover of your product. This mix creates a great match, in my opinion! Happy employees are more productive and; trust me, I would be thrilled to work at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd."

Talk about a time that you used data to your advantage during the recruitment process. How did this data lead to success?

"A couple of years ago, I was working with large general contracting company that was having trouble recruiting project managers in their region. Knowing the industry quite well, I wanted to really delve into where past successful hires had been sourced from and use that to the companies advantage in where they'd spend advertising dollars. Unfortunately, they had an archaic system for applicants because paper applications were housed in the finance office back at their corporate office. I took time to dig through files to see where recent project manager hires had found out about the jobs. With that in mind, we focused recruitment efforts on college construction program career fairs and two industry specific publications. These efforts had never been looked into in the past and they helped lead to two great hires in a short amount of time."

Year after year, data is becoming more readily available to HR and recruiting professionals and your interviewer is looking to hear that you are resourceful in utilizing data to your advantage in recruitment efforts. Think of a time where you used data to help improve a recruitment campaign or effort and be sure to explain why the data was important to helping in the success of the recruitment effort. Make sure your interviewer walks away knowing that you are a resourceful consultant that can be unique and creative with their clients at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd.

"Based on my current organization's low acceptance rate of offers, I approached our senior leadership team on the main reasons why offers were being declined. Based on data, I was tasked with doing market research for competing jobs to help ensure that our offers were fair compared to our competition in the job market. As well, we wrote new recruitment procedures for both hiring managers and our recruitment staff to ensure clear communication to candidates on expectations for jobs. In the end, the senior leadership team ended up approving new pay scales for several positions and an increase in the total benefits package. To this day, we are seeing a much higher acceptance rate just due to becoming more competitive and more clear in our job expectations."

With a lot of our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, we introduce them to new and innovative sourcing strategies to help them hire and retain top talent in their industries. What sourcing strategies are you familiar with and most successful

"During my career, I've utilized many sourcing strategies. These have included email blasts to competitors, attending industry events and re-branding to help recruit. But to me, the importance of uniqueness in sourcing is what truly sets an organization apart to attracting top talent. My current organization was having trouble recruiting engineering staff for many years. We attended events, we discretely contacted high profile engineers from across the country and sent out recruitment postcards to members of one of the engineering societies and none of those strategies work. Basing off of past experience, we started a networking campaign among our current engineering staff by doing some recruitment training for them over the course of a couple team meetings. We also approached executive leadership about creating a referral bonus for the engineering staff. Based on the great job satisfaction of our staff, the networking campaign led to four hires within the first six months and truly showed me how powerful expert to expert networking could be."

In the business industry, consultants are often called upon when organizations have exhausted all internal options to get the job done. On the recruitment side of things, you as a consultant must be able to thing outside of the box to come up with new and creative ways to help clients hire new talent into their organization. To gauge how you will do this, your interviewer will be looking to hear about the sourcing strategies you have utilized that are creative and unique and have worked with success. This will allow them insight as to how you will work with potential clients if hired at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd.

"As you are probably aware, the use of different social media platforms as recruitment tools has sure become a game changer in recent years across every industry. Over the past five years, I've tried to really delve into this sourcing strategy and have seen some great successes utilizing sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Slack. With my experience, I really think I could help your clients tap into new passive candidates for their open jobs."

Talk about a time that you successfully educated another individual or group in your area of expertise. What made your educational experience effective?

"Probably the aspect that I love the most about my current job is being the lead for training new hires into our department. Because of my years of experience and my innate ability to effectively orientate new employees, my director asked me to take this duty about four years ago. My approach with any new hire is to customize their training based on their knowledge and experience so the training is effective for them. What works for one person may not work for another and I always need to be fluid with this. I also prioritize the need to make orientation and training a hands on experience for the new hire because classroom learning can only take a person so far in the learning process."

The role that you are interviewing for with Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd will likely involve providing education to clients in your area of expertise. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you are comfortable and effective in providing education by having you talk about a time that you have done so. In the example that you provide, try to point out some key items to making business education successful like developing a plan/goals, respecting differing viewpoints/opinions, making it hands on and making it fun.

"As you can see from my resume, I've spent the last seven years working in the corporate tax field. While in this job, I worked very independently for a private organization, so I've been out of the training and education side for a while now. During my first job out of college as a CPA though, I was very adept at providing education to the clients that I worked with on a daily basis. What I learned in that experience was the importance of putting material out there in a manner that the person being trained understood. As well, talking to clients and understanding my client's wants and needs were very important for me to be able to best educate them. I really believe that these skills would enable me to hit the ground running with Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd and your clients would benefit greatly."

In what ways would our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd 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 Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd 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 Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd is client focused in all that they do. To be effective with this answer, be sure to do your research on the clients at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd 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."

If hired for this position at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, what would be the ideal project for you to lead?

"If I'm fortunate enough to come consult with Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, my ideal project would be working with the leadership staff of a high profile employer on a corporate restructuring project that makes them more efficient and more profitable in a short amount of time. As you can see from my experience, I really thrive when working with high level leaders like CEO's and Presidents on what I would consider my greatest area of expertise."

To fully understand the reasoning behind this question, your interviewer is looking to get a sense for what type of work you prefer to do, what your strong points are and where to best position you with clients if hired for the position. Prior to your interview, be sure that you research the clients of Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd and the typical projects that are led with them. Make sure your desires align in some aspect of the business and speak openly and honestly about your most desirable project.

"Being passionate about manufacturing and technology, my ideal project would put me face to face working with a team of engineers and production staff to help implement the creation of a life changing product in the medical field. This area of manufacturing involves high cost materials and the need to produce items accurately and efficiently. My project management skills would thrive in this atmosphere."

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 Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, 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."

Russell Reynolds Associates Interview Questions

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1. For our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, we are brought in as consultant project managers that are working with unfamiliar teams of people. What leadership style would you bring to our clients that would be effective and efficient with ou
2. Many organizations overlook some areas of their business that can benefit from a digital transformation. What is an overlooked area where you've seen a digital transformation make a huge impact during your career?
3. What potential challenges or obstacles do you anticipate encountering when working with groups of high-level leaders for our clients on their team development?
4. Do you have experience in engaging a corporate board during a change management process?
5. A career move to a consultant with Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd may find you working on new challenges that you haven't faced during your career. What's been the most challenging project you've led up to this point in your career?
6. Working with our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd often involves some initial conflict with our clients. How would you rate your ability to handle conflict or disagreements in the workplace?
7. Do you have any experience handling a budget as part of a project?
8. For many of our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, the ability to effectively negotiate executive compensation is key. What negotiating skills will you bring to our clients and what would you say your overall philosophy is regarding negotia
9. What experience do you have working with corporate governing boards? What role have you seen them play?
10. Rate your communication skills from 1-10 with proper examples backing your given rating.
11. 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?
12. How would you go about conducting a compensation analysis for executive level positions with our clients at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd?
13. Here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, you may be asked to work on the corporate governing structure and its effectiveness for a client. How would you measure the effectiveness of a board of directors?
14. How do you get back on track when a schedule falls behind so you don't miss important milestone deadline
15. What types of challenges have you faced in your career with mangers/leaders when faced with a difficult recruitment effort? Do you see this experience helping you in a consulting role?
16. What would you consider your strong suit in the digital transformation of organizations that you could bring to our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd?
17. We value diversity at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd. When have you worked amongst a diverse group of people?
18. What potential challenges or obstacles do you anticipate encountering when working with groups of high-level leaders for our clients on their team development?
19. What interests you in joining the business consulting world here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd?
20. What do you feel is the key to developing and/or operating a great succession planning program?
21. Tell me why you are the right fit for Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, and this position.
22. Talk about a time that you used data to your advantage during the recruitment process. How did this data lead to success?
23. With a lot of our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, we introduce them to new and innovative sourcing strategies to help them hire and retain top talent in their industries. What sourcing strategies are you familiar with and most successful
24. Talk about a time that you successfully educated another individual or group in your area of expertise. What made your educational experience effective?
25. In what ways would our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd benefit from your knowledge and services?
26. If hired for this position at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, what would be the ideal project for you to lead?
27. Do you have any experience in succession planning? If so, in what areas do you have specific experience?

Russell Reynolds Associates Interview Questions

1. For our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, we are brought in as consultant project managers that are working with unfamiliar teams of people. What leadership style would you bring to our clients that would be effective and efficient with ou

2. Many organizations overlook some areas of their business that can benefit from a digital transformation. What is an overlooked area where you've seen a digital transformation make a huge impact during your career?

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

4. Do you have experience in engaging a corporate board during a change management process?

5. A career move to a consultant with Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd may find you working on new challenges that you haven't faced during your career. What's been the most challenging project you've led up to this point in your career?

6. Working with our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd often involves some initial conflict with our clients. How would you rate your ability to handle conflict or disagreements in the workplace?

7. Do you have any experience handling a budget as part of a project?

8. For many of our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, the ability to effectively negotiate executive compensation is key. What negotiating skills will you bring to our clients and what would you say your overall philosophy is regarding negotia

9. What experience do you have working with corporate governing boards? What role have you seen them play?

10. Rate your communication skills from 1-10 with proper examples backing your given rating.

11. 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?

12. How would you go about conducting a compensation analysis for executive level positions with our clients at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd?

13. Here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, you may be asked to work on the corporate governing structure and its effectiveness for a client. How would you measure the effectiveness of a board of directors?

14. How do you get back on track when a schedule falls behind so you don't miss important milestone deadline

15. What types of challenges have you faced in your career with mangers/leaders when faced with a difficult recruitment effort? Do you see this experience helping you in a consulting role?

16. What would you consider your strong suit in the digital transformation of organizations that you could bring to our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd?

17. We value diversity at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd. When have you worked amongst a diverse group of people?

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

19. What interests you in joining the business consulting world here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd?

20. What do you feel is the key to developing and/or operating a great succession planning program?

21. Tell me why you are the right fit for Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, and this position.

22. Talk about a time that you used data to your advantage during the recruitment process. How did this data lead to success?

23. With a lot of our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, we introduce them to new and innovative sourcing strategies to help them hire and retain top talent in their industries. What sourcing strategies are you familiar with and most successful

24. Talk about a time that you successfully educated another individual or group in your area of expertise. What made your educational experience effective?

25. In what ways would our clients here at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd benefit from your knowledge and services?

26. If hired for this position at Russell Reynolds Associates Ltd, what would be the ideal project for you to lead?

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