Former Dot-Com Execs: Villains or Victims?

• Position: Brief Article

Interviewing candidates for a high level position? With many former dot-com executives now in the job market, one big question faces companies looking to fill top positions: Are the individuals the victims -- having been in the wrong place at the wrong time -- or are they the villains who helped drive their former companies to failure by poor leadership?

"It's difficult to assess many of the companies from which these ousted execs emerged, and it will take time for the market to deliver a real assessment of what happened," says Jeffrey E. Christian, chair man and CEO of Christian & Timbers, a leading executive search firm. For the present, Christian recommends that interviewers focus on the...