Front-Office Leadership Interviews: The Questions That Separate Leaders from the Rest
Many front-office investment leaders, ranging from CIOs to heads of research & portfolio management, have ended up in their current seats due to strong track records as PMs, or simply because someone left and created an opening. While some are natural leaders and were destined for these seats, the majority seem to struggle when interviewing for leadership roles outside of their current business.
The success that got them promoted internally won’t always translate into securing a leadership role elsewhere, or being an effective leader in general.
At Laz Partners, we’ve coached countless front-office executives through interview processes. Below are some questions that our clients have used to separate leaders from the rest.
Real Questions Asked in Leadership Interviews:
These are actual questions from the last 12 months that clients have asked our candidates during interviews:
1?? "Are you comfortable stepping away from risk-taking to focus on leading an entire business?"
2?? "How do you measure success as a Head of Credit Research?"
3?? "What is your team's investment performance vs peer group since you took over as CIO three years ago? What did performance look like before you joined? What changes have you implemented?"
4?? "What are your thoughts on viewing technology as an enabler?"
5?? "What has been your approach to hiring, retaining, developing top talent?" (Correct answer: Use Laz Partners! Joking, but yes, we’ve had candidates say this.)
The Questions That Set Leaders Apart:
Even though at this level you’re assessing the firm as much as they’re assessing you, it is critical that you can speak the language of a leader with questions like these:
1?? "How would you measure success in this role? What key metrics & deliverables are you expecting and over what time periods?"
2?? "Why have you decided to hire someone external vs looking internally?"
3?? "Would I have the buy-in and support to drive and implement the changes needed without too much red tape?"
4?? "What is your distribution strategy for High Yield Credit? Can you tell me about the people in distribution covering High Yield & their track records in the business?"
To nail a leadership interview, have a clear 90-day plan on how you would lead from day one.
Bring quantifiable examples of how you’ve driven transformation.
Be ready to articulate investment performance with confidence, knowing key metrics inside & out over varying time horizons.
