
Ask HN: How should I interview candidates to be my new boss? - xarr
I work for a Cyber Security Company, slightly less than 100 employees. We have no clear successor in the company for the CEO position, and we are going to start interviewing candidates for the position in the Washington DC area.
This seems like a rare opportunity, and I wonder what we should look for, how to interview them, what questions to ask. Any advice, tips or help would be great.
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PeOe
A CEO should love the company and the products or services which you offer, so
ask questions to find out about his opinion and his passion. You could ask
directly or with some indirect questions to get a glimpse. I also would
recommend talking about not job-related topics to build a friendly connection
between the potential CEO and employees. A good CEO is also interested in his
employees and should be on good terms with them, not a real friendship maybe
but a respectful connection.

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phaus
Get all of your technical leadership to talk about what the future of the
company should be. Talk to candidates about where they think the industry is
headed. Find a good fit.

I'm not sure what you should ask to determine competence at that level, but
they should at least share a common strategy.

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matt_the_bass
As long as the current strategy is working. If not, then hopefully new blood
can help turn things around.

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phaus
True, but I didn't say hold a meeting to discuss what they've done in the
past. I said hold a meeting to determine a strategy for the future.

If their goal is to bring someone in to pursue a vision that the technical
directors of the company don't give a shit about, they might as well all go
get jobs in a more stable environment.

