How to Hire a President

Why hire a president?

A strong president can create a long-term strategy for company-wide success, bring the company together and take on difficult markets and environments. A great president hire can:

• Run your corporate structure
• Manage employees
• Increase the overall revenue of your business

What are the types of presidents?

There are various roles in the corporate world that can take on the responsibilities of the president. These positions include:

• Chief executive officer: In small companies, the CEO often takes on the role of the president as well. They’re responsible for making major decisions for the business and communicating with the board of directors. 
• Immediate past president: In some businesses, a president moves to the position of immediate past president for a time after stepping down from their role. This can be to counsel the new president on their daily responsibilities. 
• President: A president of a company is often considered to be the second in command after the CEO. They’re responsible for organizing and presiding over meetings, hiring staff and making fiscal decisions. 
• President-elect: After a new president has been elected, they become a president-elect until the current president steps down. This role is primarily just a title. 
• Chief operations officer: A COO and a president fill similar roles. COOs tend to focus more on the production and service side of the company. 

Where to find presidents

To find the right president for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Hold a vote with the board of directors. The position of president is almost always voted on by the board of directors. Candidates, however, can be found in different ways, including:
  • Within the company: High-level executives within the company may be considered as candidates for the position. Some common choices include regional managers, CFOs and COOs.
  • Outside the company: The board of directors may consider candidates from outside the company. This can include current and past executives from other companies.
  • The board of directors: Members of the board of directors can be considered for the position of president. 
• Post your job online. Try posting your president job on Indeed to find and attract quality president candidates.

What are the types of presidents?

There are various roles in the corporate world that can take on the responsibilities of the president. These positions include:

• Chief executive officer: In small companies, the CEO often takes on the role of the president as well. They’re responsible for making major decisions for the business and communicating with the board of directors. 
• Immediate past president: In some businesses, a president moves to the position of immediate past president for a time after stepping down from their role. This can be to counsel the new president on their daily responsibilities. 
• President: A president of a company is often considered to be the second in command after the CEO. They’re responsible for organizing and presiding over meetings, hiring staff and making fiscal decisions. 
• President-elect: After a new president has been elected, they become a president-elect until the current president steps down. This role is primarily just a title. 
• Chief operations officer: A COO and a president fill similar roles. COOs tend to focus more on the production and service side of the company. 

Writing a president job description

A thoughtful description is important to finding qualified president candidates. A president job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your president job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on president jobs, according to Indeed data:

• President 
• Management
• Executive
• Real estate
• President CEO
• Campus president
• College president
• Education
• Banking
• Higher education

Interviewing president candidates

Strong candidates for president positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Business strategy
• Long-term view of the company
• How to position the business

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of president interview questions for examples (with sample answers).