The CTO wants to know how much it would cost to bring in five more people on your team. They give you very vague requirements for the job they are looking for you to do. How would you react?
"It is fairly typical for senior management to make vague and general inquiries about a topic. Normally they do this in the early stages of exploring a new initiative. When responding to this type of inquiry, I like to have an idea of what level of detail the manager would like in my response. I've discovered that by asking them a limited number of clarifying questions, I can better understand exactly what they're looking for and then provide them with the information they need. Most senior managers appreciate this approach."
looking to understand how you work with senior management. This is another behavioral question, which you can answer by using past experience to project your behavior in this specific situation. Your answer should reflect the difficulty of making decisions or providing information when you lack critical data, and how you overcome this.
"I've had similar experiences like this when senior management is considering a new initiative but doesn't have a lot of details. Sometimes they are looking for general information or rough estimates. Other times they expect exact details and specific solutions to the issue. The trick is knowing with which of these you are dealing. When presented with this type of question, I will put together a short list of clarifying questions that I will present to the CTO in writing. I will then ask for a meeting to discuss my questions and explore some of the details. This typically results in me being provided additional information about what the decision-makers are looking for and the type of response they expect from me. Once I have this information, I can reply to their inquiry appropriately."
