Tell me about a time you were required to give an executive-level presentation.

Avoid stories about presentations that you did not lead or played a minor role in. Additionally, avoid examples in which your communication was received poorly or confused your target audience.

It is possible that a potential candidate will not have had the opportunity to personally present to executives. If this is the case, be honest about your experience. Explain that you understand that executive presentations are high-level and communicate items such as business impact, budgetary needs, and trends. Provide examples of other important presentations you have given to demonstrate you are comfortable speaking under pressure.

"I was hired as a consultant to review all of the scheduling and payroll procedures for an organization experiencing inefficiencies. I identified the workflows that had the most impact on the business goals I was provided, and put together an executive summary with my recommendations for tactical and strategic changes.

The senior vice president of the organization was surprised to learn that many of the issues I highlighted were caused by improper use of technology they already had. Her staff had previously convinced her that their issues were a result of them not having access to the latest technology. I showed her how several major pain points could be easily resolved through minor workflow and setup changes. She thanked me for my direct and easy-to-understand language and invited me to work with her team to assist them in developing an implementation strategy."