The rise of social media, podcasts and long form interviews it has never been more important for your next CEO or executive team member to be ready to face the media. Many top companies now include an element of media skills testing as part of executive recruitment and it is not hard to understand why.
Executive Recruitment and Media Skills
The team at Hawkeye Media can support you in creating a real-world approach to including media tests as part of executive recruitment and then can go on to ensure the successful applicant has the best training going forward to represent the right image for your organisation.
How to Include Media Skills in Executive Recruitment
Media tests for CEO recruitment may be less common than for roles that involve specific technical or creative skills. CEO positions typically require leadership, strategic thinking, decision-making, and management abilities, which are challenging to assess through traditional media tests.
However, you can incorporate certain evaluations and exercises into the CEO recruitment process to gauge their media and communication-related skills. Here are some ideas:
Media Interview Simulation: Simulate a media interview scenario, where the CEO candidate must respond to a fictional crisis or opportunity. This exercise assesses their ability to communicate effectively with the media, manage public perception, and maintain a consistent message.
Strategic Communication Plan: Ask the candidate to develop a strategic communication plan for your company. This should include an analysis of your current media presence, a plan for strengthening your media image, and strategies for crisis communication.
Presentation and Public Speaking: Request a presentation from the CEO candidate on a topic of their choice, followed by a Q&A session. This assesses their public speaking skills, ability to convey complex ideas, and handle challenging questions.
Media Literacy Test: While not a media test per se, you can assess the candidate’s knowledge of the media landscape, trends, and the role of media in the industry. This can demonstrate their awareness of the media’s impact on your business.
Content Analysis: Ask the candidate to review and analyse your company’s current media content. This could include press releases, articles, social media posts, or videos. Their analysis can provide insights into their strategic thinking and attention to detail.
Crisis Management Scenario: Present the candidate with a hypothetical media crisis related to your industry and ask them to outline how they would address it. This reveals their crisis management and communication skills.
Case Studies: Present real-world media cases from your industry or company’s history and ask the candidate to analyse and provide recommendations for handling similar situations.
Media Engagement Plan: Request that the CEO candidate develop a plan for increasing media engagement and visibility for your company. This could include ideas for partnerships, guest articles, or media events.
Media Mock Board Meeting: Include a media-focused discussion in a mock board meeting scenario. This can test the candidate’s ability to convey media strategies to stakeholders and align them with the company’s goals.
Stakeholder Communication: Assess the candidate’s approach to stakeholder communication, including the board, employees, customers, and investors, in the context of media engagement.
Hawkeye Media Can Help
Remember that while media-related skills are essential for a CEO, other qualities such as leadership, strategic vision, and decision-making ability are paramount. It’s essential to balance media-related assessments with a holistic evaluation of their qualifications, experience, and fit with your organisation’s culture and strategic objectives.