Possible Interview Questions Flashcards
Why is SASB an important third-party framework to align with?
SASB focuses on financial materiality of environmental, social and governance matters; however, in my experience, companies view financial, regulatory and strategic risks separately from ESG risks. By aligning disclosures to SASB, ESG disclosures will be measured in a way that hints at the financial and operational implications to the business, and hopefully once this gets measured it will be managed, and therefore ESG risks will be see integrated across financial and strategic risk management rather than separately.
Tell me about yourself.
Present
(Sustainable hospitality professional looking to transition from consulting to in-house sustainability management.)
Past
(Purpose-driven – e.g. SOAS; Laundry Room Attendant; CSR in Tour Operations; Greenview Consulting; Started own business)
Future
(Long-term: Attain a leadership role focused on sustainability in an organization that leads the hospitality industry towards a sustainable and low carbon future.)
(Short-term: Work on network relationships; Master sustainability data and reporting, strategic planning and benchmarking)
What motivates you?
Results-oriented, purpose-driven person
Example: PEB single-use plastics
Result: 60% of portfolio is single-use plastic free
What are your interests outside of work?
Cooking – planning, cooking and hosting large dinner parties
Reading – Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Travel – 50+ countries
How can you contribute to our organization?
Already possess the skills to excel E.G. I was part of a 5-member reporting team that managed ESG data and information, produced a report, and responded to 10+ ESG ratings and rankings for another S&P 500 Global Hospitality Company.
I have a proven track record, which was clear in the examples I provided in my slide deck.
Level of experience is going to be beneficial since I can go beyond completeness and knowing what to collect but also the analyzing the quality of information.
Why did you leave Greenview to start your own business?
I am an expert-oriented person with big ideas, and I wanted to give entrepreneurship a shot.
Why do you no longer want to run your own business?
Better understanding of operationalized sustainability
Consulting vs. in-house sustainability management
What do you hope to accomplish within the next year?
Build relationships with key stakeholders
Demonstrate my ability to lead the reporting functions of the team
Would you quit your job if you won the lottery, even if you loved your current position?
No, but I would probably invest it in a social enterprise that regenerates biodiversity, and run that initiative while I continued working toward a sustainability leadership role.
Tell me about an accomplishment that shaped your career.
Marriott example
Tell me about a project that forced you to be innovative and creative.
Owners with no operational control.
How would your boss from your last job describe you?
Team-oriented: First to celebrate the successes of others e.g. company announcements
Dependable: Ready to serve when needed e.g. Marriott
Humble: e.g. complex corporate consulting projects, and Greenview Portal support email
What do you value most about our culture and vision?
Build and sustain the communities in which we work and live.
I am a firm believer in all companies must earn their social license to operate because the pursuit of value can impact stakeholders in different ways, and no stakeholder should have to sacrifice their well-being for a goal to be met by another. I would love to work for a company that recognizes this and is driven by the idea of stakeholder capitalism.
What makes you excited about Mondays?
Confucius: “Choose a job you live and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
Why are you working in this industry?
Hospitality is in my DNA, grew up around it and my family are in hospitality.
I’m driven by overcoming challenges and I believe the hospitality sector has some of the largest barriers to a low carbon and sustainable future:
Complex business model
Large supply chains
Labor-intensive
