By Gary Richards, Expert Headhunter at allpoints
After over 11 years in headhunting for the creative and experiential industries, one thing’s become clear to me: some of the best candidates give the worst interviews.
And I don’t mean underqualified people, I’m talking about brilliant senior talent. The people who lead award-winning campaigns, run teams of 30+, or pull off complex builds with 72-hour turnarounds. But ask them to talk about themselves in a formal interview and… it falls flat.
Why? Because they haven’t needed to. Many have spent years in long-term roles, progressed organically, or been promoted through relationships and results, not presentations. Often you will find that they are modest, not flashy. Solution-focused, not self-promotional. And that’s exactly why how you structure and lead an interview matters more than ever.
If you’re hiring a senior leader, especially in events, brand experience, or production, here’s how to run a better interview. One that gets past the polish and uncovers the person.
1. Open Well: Set the Stage & Put Them at Ease
You want honesty, not performance. That starts with tone and structure.
- Be human first. “Thanks for making the time, this isn’t a test, it’s a conversation.” That simple line often helps people exhale.
- Tell them how it’s going to go. I always let people know the format upfront, career story, some real-life examples, cultural questions, and space for them to ask questions.
- Start with something disarming. Instead of “tell me about yourself,” I’ll often ask:
“What’s a project you’re proud of that never made it to a case study?”
It gets them talking about something real, not something rehearsed.
2. Go Beyond the Job Titles: Unpack the Why
People’s decisions say more than their CVs. Use this part of the interview to uncover their journey and mindset.
Ask:
- “What made you say yes to that role?”
- “Why did you stay as long as you did?”
- “What would have made you leave sooner?”
I’ve spoken to candidates with near-identical CVs, but completely different motivations. One left roles to chase creative ambition. Another stayed to build teams from scratch. Knowing the why helps you understand what really drives them, and if it aligns with your business.
3. Use STAR to Get Specific, Even If They Don’t Know It
STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is gold for pulling out the real detail, especially with modest interviewees.
They may start with:
“We delivered a great activation at Glastonbury…”
Don’t stop there. Ask:
- “What was your role specifically?”
- “What changed because of your input?”
- “How did you handle the unexpected?”
You’re listening for their contribution, not just the team’s. In this industry, we all say “we”, but hiring managers need to hear the “me” too.
4. Cultural Fit: Don’t Just Hire the Work, Hire the Person
Cultural alignment isn’t about hiring people you’d go for a drink with, it’s about values, communication style, and emotional intelligence.
Ask questions like:
- “What does good leadership look like to you?”
- “How do you keep your team motivated under pressure?”
- “What’s your default response when something goes wrong?”
These questions reveal how they show up when it counts, which is everything in a deadline-driven, people-heavy environment.
5. Let Them Ask Questions and Watch What Closely About They Care About
The questions a candidate asks tell you more than their answers sometimes. Are they asking about team structure, creative ambition, progression, process, or just holiday allowance and perks?
Smart candidates ask smart follow-ups. One of the best I ever placed barely spoke in the first 10 minutes. But their questions at the end were so sharp, strategic, and human that the client hired them the next day.
Final Thought: You’re Not Hiring an Interviewer, You’re Hiring a Leader
Not every brilliant candidate is a brilliant talker. That’s especially true in experiential, where actions often speak louder than words.
Your job in an interview isn’t to trip someone up. It’s to create space for them to show you what they’re truly capable of, especially if they’re not used to shouting about it.
Be structured. Be curious. Ask better questions. And remember: the person who delivers under pressure might not deliver the perfect interview, and that’s okay.