Board Interview Best Practices and Sample Questions

How to use this tool: As part of the director recruitment process, boards can apply interview best practices and use sample questions to structure conversations and assess candidates’ strategic capabilities, governance experience, and cultural alignment. Typically, the nominating and governance committee conducts the initial interviews, followed by deeper discussions with the board chair and CEO, before the final candidates meet with the full board. The following best practices which are applicable across sectors, along with sample questions that are tailored by board type, can help guide those conversations. 

Interview Best Practices

A working group of seasoned directors and governance professionals contributed their insights to the Director Essentials report on Director Recruitment, and this associated tool. Based on Working-Group input, the following practices are recommended for interviews during the recruitment process: 

Before interviews:

• Align on interview plan: Confirm the interview sequence, participants, and key competencies to be assessed, ensuring a consistent process across all candidates. 
• Prepare interviewers: Provide directors with the candidate’s résumé, the board-approved spec, and any relevant evaluation criteria to guide effective questioning. 
• Develop question sets: Create structured interview questions tied to the board’s strategic priorities, committee needs, and desired attributes. 
• Develop a candidate shortlist: Narrow candidates to a shortlist for interviews and additional informal conversations by evaluating candidate availability, interest, and cultural compatibility. 
• Establish scoring metrics: Determine a rating system to promote consistent evaluation.