Yes, I interview candidates from marketing to supply chain operations and from finance to food. I do not typically interview from a discipline perspective, so I am not going to sit down with a prospective vice president of marketing and talk about the Big 5. I interview to assess general leadership and cultural issues, not to assess whether they know their discipline. I am going to talk to that person to evaluate how he or she will fit culturally, whether I will be able to work with him or her, whether this person will work with vice presidents in IT, how I see him or her acclimating to the culture, and whether they're geared for a turnaround and transformation.

What the three interview questions do you always ask?

1. Why are you interested in the job? What do you bring to the role?

2. If I was to talk to your current direct reports, what would they tell me about you, including what areas you need to improve on?

3. Tell me one of the most difficult things you have had to do in your career--e.g., have you inherited a failed project? Have you inherited a dysfunctional team? Have you had to terminate or reduce a significant size of a department? Have you had to hire quickly? Tell me how you have faced adversity in your career and overcome it.