Recently, I’ve been coaching one of my clients on how to prepare for a series of interviews with the Chicago-based, private equity owners of a Philadelphia services company.   This client is now one of two finalists for the CEO role.  As I reflect on our conversations, I realize that a few, key tips from these prep sessions may be of assistance to many other job seekers.

First, some quick background. The services company, which is about $10 million in size, has very solid gross margins, but is suffering from anemic topline revenue growth. My client has a classic marketing and sales background, but has never before been the CEO of a freestanding company.

One suggestion I made to my client for the first set of Chicago interviews proved to be very effective. Before I mention what it is, I thought I would describe the environment of these interviews.

My client’s visit was “shoehorned” into a day where one of the private equity owners was heading out of town for a long vacation and was focused on tying up loose ends before leaving the office. The other private equity investor was preoccupied with a deal and was constantly interrupted during the interview by a subordinate reporting on negotiation progress. I mention this because it’s not uncommon to be placed into interview scenarios where you are clearly not the sole focus of the interviewer.  In these situations, you must be at the top of your game, on-point with your facts and message, and able to go with the flow – especially in the kind of  semi-chaotic environment that often characterizes small PE firms.

Tip #1

• Put together a list of potential contacts/customers – sales targets whom you could realistically approach from Day One at the new company
• Utilize this list both as a discussion piece and leave-behind

This is a simple, but effective step that helps set you apart from other candidates.  In my client’s case, it clearly addressed the issue of top line growth, as well as positioned him as someone who could personally drive it.

Tip #2

• To address the absence of direct CEO experience, dissect the CEO role into its major components and identify your experience with as many of these components as possible in previous roles
• Augment this identification with compact personal business stories that reinforce relevant experience.  Simultaneously, propose a development plan that can help close any experience gaps

This strategy works well with bottom-line-oriented interviewers who appreciate direct examples, candor regarding any experience gaps and the crafting of a self-initiated, personal development plan.

Although the outcome for my client is not final as of yet, he is a long way from the start of the process, where he was considered a definite “long shot.”  With one additional set of interviews with the PE investors in Chicago later this month, he clearly has an excellent chance of becoming the candidate of choice and receiving an offer for the role of CEO.  What a great way to start the New Year.