May 2023

First Interview

You’re about to have your first interview at your dream company, and you’re feeling unsure about how to prepare. All you have is the names of the recruiter and the technology exec who will be interviewing you; not much else. So, how can you make sure you’re ready?

Start by conducting thorough research on the company. Google their name and carefully review any news articles relevant to their activities. If you know the specific organization or department you’re interviewing for, try to gather information about them as well. Apply the same investigative approach to learn about the recruiter and tech executive you’ll be meeting. Utilize LinkedIn to study the tech executive’s profile and background. It’s worth mentioning that almost everyone in the business world today has a LinkedIn presence, and you should too (it’s free!). Remember, knowledge is power!

To ensure success in your interview, carefully examine the job description to fully comprehend the position’s requirements. If a job description is unavailable, reach out to the recruiter via text or email to kindly request a copy. The more you grasp the expectations of the role, the more effectively you can prepare yourself.

Anticipating the interviewing style of the person across the table can be quite challenging since it varies greatly. Some tech executives take a casual approach, treating the interview as a conversation, while others adhere to a more formal structure with a set list of questions. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to remain calm and at ease throughout the process. Present yourself as a professional, demonstrating confidence and competence. Remember, you are conversing with an experienced technology executive, yet their expectations for someone in their first job are not exceedingly high. Hence, by maintaining composure and posing thoughtful inquiries, you have the opportunity to pleasantly surprise them.

Do not let intimidation deter you, for the person before you holds no power over you. The worst outcome is them not granting you the job, but fear not, it is far from a catastrophic event. Remember, throughout your career, there will be numerous other interviews awaiting you.

Generally, interviews tend to be concise, particularly if the interviewer recognizes your limited industry expertise. However, you can prolong the interview by actively engaging and inquiring. This will not only impress the tech executive but also demonstrate your research and genuine interest in the position. Consider asking relevant questions, such as:

What was it like when they joined the company; how did they get integrated?
Is there a program for new hires, especially those out of college?
If you reviewed their LinkedIn profile, ask about their college and how it prepared them for transitioning into their first job. They will be impressed you did the research.
What’s the career path look like; what are the next steps after this role?
How is the mentoring program for new hires?

There is a lot more you could ask. Be creative and Google all the information on the Internet for ideas. Indeed has a pretty good guide with sample questions and responses.

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Retain Your Staff

As a tech exec, one of the key priorities is to retain your staff. Think about how difficult it was finding just the right people for your organization. You have a team that’s jibing and delivering the level of work you expect. However, you don’t talk to your team. You are not aware of the stress they are under. You just keep loading them with work expecting that because they are not complaining they are okay.

Most employees won’t complain about being overworked. They believe they’re doing well by keeping up the pace, expecting recognition. However, tech execs often interpret the lack of complaints as a green light to pile on more work. This leads to a gradual staff exodus, starting with one person and snowballing from there. As the workload shifts to those remaining, pressure builds and more people leave, despite efforts to hire replacements who aren’t as experienced or capable. The cycle continues, exacerbating the problem.

That’s a sad scenario. However, it happens. It could have been alleviated if the technology exec had only shown some empathy for the pressure being placed on the staff. But, in order to show empathy, you need to truly understand the strain that you are putting on your team. There may also be personal and family issues that are impacting team members. But in order to understand your organization you need to regularly talk to your folks.

Here are some thoughts on how to retain your team:

As you bring people into the organization, get to know them and their aspirations.
Align your people with what they do well and what they enjoy.
When you need to give a staff member the “grunt” work, be empathetic and thank them for taking it on.
Talk to your team frequently. Not just in large staff meetings, but also one on one. It takes time but pays dividends.
Reward your team regularly. It does not need to be monetary. Just being recognized a lot of times makes a person feel important.

It’ll go a long way to speak individually to staff members so that they get to know you and how you operate. Don’t be intimidating. Break down the barriers by getting to know about their family and interests. Having a more interactive style of communication with your team/s will show that you are a caring leader.

What is a Tech Exec

We’ve discussed acting as a tech exec, but let’s define the role and its appeal. It may seem high-flying, but it’s important to understand that the authority and responsibilities vary based on the organization, industry, and business type.

The titles are diverse: Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, Chief Architect, Chief Transformation Officer, Managing Director, SVP/ VP of Technology, and more. To understand the responsibilities of these roles, refer to the job description. Each company’s technology needs differ, so you won’t find a common JD.

We’ll try to make sense of one of these roles. CIO is the top technology executive of most organizations and reports to the CEO, CFO, COO, or Chief Transformation Officer. Reporting structure usually depends on company size and the presence of strict IT controls – where IT would report to the CFO.

Ideally, the CIO would have a strategic role reporting to or influencing policy makers within the organization. In today’s technology-driven world, forward-thinking organizations seek CIOs with a broad technical background, capable of collaborating with and influencing the business. Most CIOs are not experts in a specific technology area but hire specialists. The ideal CIO is open-minded and skilled at identifying the right people and technologies for an organization’s business and tech strategy.

A CIO needs strong IT operations experience to effectively reduce costs, collaborate with business constituents, and implement strategic plans. Keeping ego in check is also crucial for leading the charge in championing the business.

As a modern leader, the CIO must excel in marketing IT achievements and demonstrating how it drives business goals. Establishing a reputation for customer service excellence, success, and transformative change will position IT as a leader. Business teams are gaining control over solution enablement through platforms like low code no code.

We’ll talk more about the role of the CIO in future posts.

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Working with the Business

Tech execs and business analysts collaborate with the business leadership and their team. The business team’s tech maturity has grown, especially with the advent of cloud. Thus, the technology team must work harder to maintain their skills. Ensuring the Business sees value in the interactions with the Technology team is vital.

As a tech professional, gaining trust and respect from business colleagues is crucial. Involve them early on in the requirements process for any solution being developed. Don’t assume you fully grasp the business needs when building or implementing a tech solution.

Often, the technology team takes the lead and involves the Business later in the process. This can result in the Business feeling left out, asking, “Why wasn’t I included earlier?” Whether you have expertise or not, consensus and buy-in are crucial for designing a solution that meets business needs. Including your business team early is the key to gaining that buy-in.

In Agile design, “moving left” involves involving the business team earlier in the process. This collaborative approach is becoming more prevalent and essential. With no/low code solutions on the horizon, end-users may even develop their own applications. It’s crucial to keep the business on board and provide value.

No room for ego. Business leaders urge tech execs to step down from ivory towers. Sooner the better.

Technology Strategy Maintenance

In order for your technology strategy to survive over time, it’s important for a tech exec to put processes in place for technology strategy maintenance, such as regularly reviewing and updating the strategy as appropriate. This ensures that your company stays ahead of the curve and is able to adapt to changing market conditions.

One key aspect of a successful tech strategy is understanding the needs and goals of your customers.

As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, customer demands and expectations are also evolving. It’s crucial for tech executives to stay in tune with these changes and adjust their strategy accordingly.

Another important factor is staying aware of emerging technologies and how they may impact your industry. Being proactive in identifying potential disruptions or opportunities can give your company a competitive edge. This requires constantly keeping up with industry trends, attending conferences and events, and networking with other tech leaders.

The following are examples of some good recurring activities for tech strategy maintenance:

A. Communicate the Plan – consistently.

Communication is one of the responsibilities of IT Strategy Governance. The governance structure will need to communicate both the planning (while developing the Strategy) and the plan (the final deliverables and the execution approach).

B. Monitor Performance – regularly.

Goals and initiatives will have metrics to reflect progress towards the goals. This step will be another tool used by the governance structure to monitor performance against targets. It will be depicted using dashboards and key performance indicators.

C. Review Strategy – regularly and incrementally.

On a predefined schedule, the whole strategy needs to be reviewed. The governance structure will utilize this review for course correction. There is also another important benefit of this review cycles: incremental development of the strategy.

To uphold an effective and relevant technology strategy, tech executives need to prioritize staying informed and adaptable. By understanding the needs of customers and keeping a pulse on emerging technologies, companies can stay ahead of the curve and drive success in today’s fast-paced digital landscape.