Page 92 - How To Answer Interview Questions (II)

Job Interview Question 45

If you were running a company that produces X and the market
was tanking for that product, what would you do?

This question probes for how you think—are you strategic? How do you approach problems and
come up with solutions?

This is like any other behavioral interview question, only it’s more realistic than “If an airplane
landed in the parking lot, what would you do?”

In this case, you are pretending to run the company.
A good CEO:

thinks through problems
gathers and develops resources
looks at the data
makes thoughtful, strategic decisions
works to position her company to succeed now and in the future
So a good answer might be:
“I would look at why the market was tanking—is it a temporary situation or does it look
permanent? Is it the economy? Is it a change in social trends?I might try to conduct a survey of my
customers to see what they’re thinking. Based on all the information I gathered, I would look at my
product to see if it could be improved or modified to fit the new paradigm, or if maybe it just needed
to be marketed with a fresh approach. In addition, I would look at other potential markets for my
product that we hadn’t yet explored.”
If you have questions, ask them.
It’s perfectly acceptable to gather more information before you decide on a plan of action. Walk