Performing Well in Executive Job Interviews Virtually

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered executive search processes by abruptly halting face-to-face candidate interviews and requiring all or most to be conducted virtually.

Out of necessity came some startling benefits — major savings in travel costs and much easier scheduling — as well as challenges to an effective superintendent interview process.

Anyone who might become a candidate in a future superintendent search needs to be aware of some key differences between in-person and virtual interviews with boards of education and adjust accordingly. This practical guidance for candidates comes from my handling of more than a dozen searches over the past seven years, including three since the start of the pandemic.