Chief of staff is a very involved role regarding operations and you’ll need to go through a vetting process that involve these interview questions. The Chief of Staff of an organization is responsible for overseeing all of the behind the scene business operations. This includes business operations, strategy, leadership, and execution.
Here are some Chief of Staff Interview Questions that you’ll need to be prepared for.
8 Chief of Staff Interview Questions
Chief of Staff is a very involved and intensive position regarding business operations.
As a result, you’ll need to be prepared for these interview questions.
- Tell me about your role in strategy and operations
- How significant was your role in the strategy planning process?
- How do you effectively hire people to ensure that company goals will be met?
- Tell me about how you’ve specifically executed to meet a company financial goal such as metrics/KPIs
- Tell me about a time you handle conflict with other senior leaders
- How do you maintain communications with key stakeholders such as board members, senior staff, etc.
- Tell me about a time that involved planning and execution which challenged you from an ethical standpoint and what happened as a result
- How do you plan to execute goals set by CEO/Executive Leadership?
These are all general chief of staff interview questions which give you the opportunity to demonstrate your competence, leadership, and accomplishments.
How to answer interview questions for chief of staff positions
The answers for the interview will need to be clear and concise, along with specifying specific results and accomplishments.
Be prepared for a very involved interview that will test your aptitude as chief of staff.
1. Tell me about your role in strategy and operations
Answer: My role as a director of development strategy includes tasks such as overseeing growth plans, investor presentations, and direction of supply chain. Some of my key accomplishments include the creation of growth plans which led to the growth of 500+ store locations worldwide along with the closure of several $50M+ deals.
2. How significant was your role in the strategy planning process?
Answer: My role in the strategy planning process consisted of a huge portion of our product portfolio. With over 150+ stores, products, and locations, I was responsible for $50M+ in revenue from business operations.
3. How do you effectively hire people to ensure that company goals will be met?
Answer: Much of my day to day consists of strategy and operations planning and direction. As a result, I need to make sure that the team I am leading can execute at a high efficiency. When hiring individuals, I look for very specific technical competencies and their proven track record and accomplishments. I oversee multiple disciplines such as engineering, procurement, manfacturing, quality, and testing to provide customers a high quality experience. As a result of very challenging industry demands, I make sure each discipline undergoes a rigorous interviewing process and have been successful in hiring a team of 25+. We’ve been very successful in high efficiency operations and met goals such as revenue generation and cost reduction.
4. Tell me about how you’ve specifically executed to meet a company financial goal such as a metric or KPIs
Answer: I was responsible for the implementation of an executive dashboard for a pharmaceutical company. The capabilities of this dashboard involved metrics, technology, and to meet specific organizational initiatives. The development and rollout of this dash board succeeded in streamlining business operations, resulting in product releases of $1M+ in profit. This dashboard became a huge component and several SOPs were rolled out to promote efficient use by 100+ employees. As a result, we were able to meet company financial goals such as profit and revenue.
5. Tell me about a time you handled conflict with other senior leaders
Answer: We had a strategy planning meeting which involved how store operations were to be carried in 1000 locations and over $100M in revenue. There was disagreement all across the board which led to the senior team achieving nothing. I stepped up and proposed the creation and implementation of a business growth plan. The business growth plan I had developed include a 3 year strategic plan which led to turning around a long term revenue decline. As a result, this led to a successful acquisition of a billion dollar company. To execute the strategy I had proposed, I had to be pragmatic and keep my foot down. I was ready for every objection the leadership had, and because of that, was successful in the rollout of my strategy.
6. Tell me about how you maintain communications with key stakeholders such as board members, senior staff, and other executives.
Answer: I take a very hands off approach with my direct reports. My direct reports consist of managers and directors that oversee functions such as engineering, manufacturing, design, testing, quality, and supply chain. I hold each of my direct reports very accountable for some of the metrics that we’ve set. As a function of really driving accountability and ownership within individual group functions, we’ve been successful in the day to day business operations consisting of $100M+ in annual revenue.
7. Tell me about a time that involved planning and execution which challenged you from an ethical standpoint and what happened as a result
Answer: I was responsible for planning and execution which determined which key suppliers of our supply chain were to be on-board with the manufacturing of our product. Economic conditions were harsh given conditions such as interest rates, COVID, and high inflation. I had to make the tough decision of choosing which key suppliers we would choose business with. As a result, we were able to continue operating at a high efficiency, but discontinuing to work with some suppliers caused their eventual shutdown. Hundreds of jobs were lost in the span of a few weeks. Although this was a tough decision to make, it was very necessary.
8. How do you plan to execute goals set by CEO/Executive Leadership?
Answer: Execution is one of my greatest strengths. I understand what each metric means whenever a goal is placed on for me to achieve and I break it down step by step of how we get there. I’d like to highlight my capabilities of this through my accomplishments in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and consulting sector and have supported millions of dollars in transactions and growth.
Chief of Staff Salary
According to salary.com, the average salary for Chief of Staff is $318,789 in 2023.
Chief of staff is a very demanding position to support business operations, and as a result, they are compensated well.
Chief of Staff Interview Question Tips
Generally, for chief of staff interview questions, you need to be answering in a results based format. You will need to be able to clearly explain what you did along with strategy and implementation that you led. You will also need to show that you can think quick on your feet and that you’re well versed.
As chief of staff, you will need to have a heavy understanding of macroeconomic factors in business operations.
This includes:
- Specific industry knowledge
- Technical competencies
- The ability to build and develop business relationships
It is also advised to answer questions using the STAR framework.
As a result, make sure you specify – situation, task, action, and result in your interview answers. This will be critical as executives and directors that will be interviewing you for this position will want a clear picture of what you did.
Closing Thoughts of Chief of Staff Interviews
The chief of staff to an organization or administration is responsible for a large part of business operations. As a result, it is important that the Chief of Staff is competent and capable to maintain said operations. Because it can be a demanding job, the interview process will be challenging.
Make sure you’re prepared for these interview questions and are able to answer them tailored to your experience.
About the author
Kazuyoshi Fujimoto, PE
Founder | Engineering Career Coach | Principal Mechanical Engineer
Kazu oversees all of ultmeche’s engineering services. He provides consulting such as resume reviews, rewrites, mock interviews, and all services career related. Additionally, Kazu performs consulting work regarding Oil & Gas, Automotive, and Aerospace & Defense. Kazu is licensed as a professional engineer in the state of California and has 9+ years of experience in Oil & Gas, Automotive, and Aerospace & Defense.