5 interview questions IBM’s CSO asks candidates

The opinions expressed here by Trellis expert contributors are their own, not those of Trellis.​

When I sit down with a candidate, I’m not necessarily looking for an environmentalist. I’m looking for leaders who’re comfortable handling data, communicating complexity across business functions, and helping embed sustainability as the foundation of long-term growth.

To understand if candidates have those skills, I use the following questions, which are meant to reveal which candidates are the most determined to go beyond “checking the box” and instead use our mission to minimize risk and maximize competitive edge.

What do you think sustainability should mean to an organization?

This may sound simple, but I’m looking for a very specific response. Sustainability work extends across the public, private and nonprofit sectors, so it’s common for job candidates in this space to have varied experiences.

With this question I’m looking to see if candidates proactively connect sustainability to business value. Depending on a business, that might involve energy costs, insurability, bond ratings or supply chain resilience. What’s important is that the candidate is prepared to discuss sustainability not just with like-minded advocates, but with finance-driven CFOs and deadline-driven product managers. I applaud all types of sustainability professionals, but naturally I’m looking for those primed to thrive in a private, growth-minded technology company.

What technology are you most excited about and why?  

It should go without saying that at a technology company the sustainability team isn’t just focused on the rules or regulations of today—we’re on the frontlines of what’s next.

I want to see candidates show that they’re reading and thinking about the future, whether that concerns AI, quantum or innovative applications of technology. Electric grids have been around for more than a century, but modern electrification of vehicles (even industrial ones), HVAC and more is poised to change our world — and the business of sustainability. Similarly, the proliferation of sensors and high-fidelity data are allowing industry efficiencies at an unprecedented level.

How do you think about the intersection of AI and sustainability?

This may be among the most important questions for today’s sustainability professionals. Anyone applying to IBM should have a point of view, and I’m confident that’s true in most other sectors.

A good response should consider both the “top” and “bottom” lines — what can be done to minimize AI’s energy needs, but also how can AI help improve sustainability outcomes? The IEA has estimated that by 2035 AI will be enabling energy reductions almost 3 times as much as its own energy consumption, so a well-rounded candidate should have some ideas for applying AI, as well as limiting its environmental footprint. Increasingly, smart use of AI is also simply a day-to-day part of the job, so I love to hear candidates’ personal experiences, too.

What aspects of the job are you most excited or challenged by?

I ask this to get a genuine sense of whether the candidate’s passions and perspectives align with our needs, but I also want to hear about creative and surprising opportunities or new ideas for supposedly intractable challenges.

In terms of opportunities, I’m quite excited by advances in geospatial AI, which isn’t discussed nearly as often as large language models. There’s a huge amount of geospatial data available, and AI provides a new opportunity to unlock insights at scale, helping scientists and others better understand our earth. Materials science is another exciting area, and I’ve written here previously about emerging capabilities to detect and develop substitutes for concerning materials.

There are also plenty of challenges to pick from, but I like to hear which one a candidate gravitates to and why. If a candidate is focused on external factors like policy, they’re likely missing opportunities to make change in places where we have more control. One excellent response I received was about getting buy-in from the business; that can indeed be a challenge, but it’s great to approach it with enthusiasm and fresh ideas.

Be creative and walk me through how a sustainability initiative could open up a new revenue stream.

I admit this is a hard one, but it gets to the very core of what I’m looking for. Effective corporate sustainability teams today aren’t just focused on reducing waste; they’re part of the same mission to drive business value as their colleagues. Their jobs can even be harder, requiring that they push the boundaries of how we measure, understand and communicate that value.

Most candidates can respond to this question by connecting sustainability to reduced risk and lower costs, but it takes an additional level of thinking to get to revenue and growth. One in-house example we’ve had is with an AI assistant that doesn’t just help my team, but enables our sales colleagues to do their job better as well. I expect many candidates have their own examples, or hope that with this nudge they can begin envisioning the possibility.

For me, these five questions give candidates the chance to show they understand both the issues and — crucially — how to get things done. The sustainability field is an ever-changing one, but there is no question that its future involves more data, technology, and clearly crafted business cases.