10 Essential Marketing Interview

Questions and Answers

With some basic interview preparation, we can get you prepared to impress
your interviewer with your confidence and knowledge! Here are 10
essential marketing interview questions to get you started on your path to
interview success:

1. What inspired you to pursue a career in marketing?

This is a very open-ended question that you can use to tell a story about
how you became passionate about a career in marketing. You can talk
about something you learned in school, a previous job you had, or even
something that inspired you in day-to-day life:

“I have always had a strong creative side and an interest in visual arts. I
started my own business while in school creating simple websites and
promotional materials for local businesses. I think that experience
combined with my education really solidified marketing as my career of
choice, and I’m really excited to be interviewing for this opportunity.”

2. What social media channels are you familiar with?

As a social media marketing manager, interviewers will expect you to be

familiar with all major social media channels. If you have experience with
more obscure platforms, this is the time to highlight those as well.
Here’s an example:

“I have experience using in my personal life and have also set up my

professional profile online. I also have experience with social media
advertising and its functionality.”

A good follow-up question you can ask is: “Are there any other social media
platforms your company is using?” This can be a great way to get the
interviewer engaged in a discussion about how the company uses social
media.

3. What do you think are the three essential skills for a career in
marketing?

This is your opportunity to demonstrate to your interviewer that you

understand what skills and abilities they’re looking for in a candidate. Your
answer to this question should reference some of the skills that were
outlined in the job ad like this:

“First of all, I think great communication skills are essential. A marketer

needs to understand the requirements of the client and be able to present
ideas and concepts. Being able to stay organized and work in a fast-paced
environment is also an essential skill. I think being proactive and trying to
anticipate client needs is also very valuable.”

4. What kind of management style do you prefer?

To answer this question, you should be honest about what you think makes
a great manager. Do you prefer a manager who checks in regularly with
you? Or do you prefer a hands-off management style? An honest answer to
this question is important because you don’t want to end up working for a
manager who you can’t work well with:
“I prefer to work for a manager who is available for assistance when I need
it but is otherwise pretty hands-off. I understand that, at first, a more hands-
on approach is probably necessary until my manager has a sense of my
capabilities and a level of trust is established.”

5. Where do you see yourself in five years?

With this question, your interviewer is hoping to get an idea for your career
ambitions. They want to know whether you’re looking for a fast track up the
corporate ladder or whether there might be other training or schooling
you’re interested in pursuing.

Try to craft an answer something like this:

“This would be my first professional marketing position, and I want to work

hard and learn everything I can. In five years, I hope to have had one or
two more senior marketing positions and determine what area of marketing
I would like to specialize in.”

6. If we conducted a client survey and the vast majority of clients said

they don’t use social media, would you recommend we keep investing
in our social media channels?

This is a great question that the interviewer is using to understand your

process of making real business decisions. Consider what you know about
their current social media strategy and their customer base when
answering this question:

“Even though your customers may not be using social media, you should
still continue using it because your customers may be there in the future.
As well, it’s important to maintain a social media presence because it
impacts your organic search presence.”

7. How familiar are you with our target market?

This is a question where the research you’ve done in advance of your

interview will really pay off. You should be able to get a good idea of the
company’s products, services, and target market from looking at their
website, social media feeds, and recent news releases.

Your research should give you all you need for an answer along these lines:

“From my research, I understand that your target market is primarily young

females. I can tell from your social media feeds and website that you’re
really focused on offering them a unique shopping experience and that you
have some great influencers on Instagram.”

8. How would you manage a new product launch?

Your interviewer is trying to figure out how you like to lead and involve
other team members and departments. Product launches are very process
driven and usually involve a lot of people and departments. Here’s how you
might answer this question:

“To start off, I would determine the launch date and work backward to
establish a schedule and timeline. I would look at what resources and
people the launch needs to be successful and establish a project team that
would meet regularly throughout the launch process.”

9. How do you stay up-to-date on general marketing knowledge and

trends?
Have you done any self-guided training? Do you read industry publications?
Or do you attend conferences? The interviewer wants to know whether
you’re self-motivated and driven enough to keep your knowledge and skills
up-to-date outside of your regular job.

This is one sample answer:

“There are some great marketing blogs and newsletters that I subscribe to
that make staying up-to-date really easy. One example is . I try to review it
regularly and also use it as a reference sometimes when I’m learning a new
skill.”

10. What sets you apart from other candidates that we’re interviewing
for this position?

This is a great time to tell your interviewer why you’re so excited about
marketing and specifically why you’re excited about working for them! If you
haven’t had the chance to mention any special marketing skills on your
resume, now’s the time:

“Something that sets me apart from other candidates is my presentation

skills. I was previously a volunteer coordinator for a large non-profit
organization and often had to give presentations to groups of more than
100 people. I am very comfortable being in front of any group of people, no
matter the size, so you can feel comfortable putting me in front of clients
right away.”

When choosing what skills and experience to highlight, look to the job
advertisement for cues on what’s most important to the company.
Prepare your answers to these 10 interview questions in advance, then
walk into your interview with the confidence you need to land your dream
job!

Source: Download 14 Best Job Interview Questions and Answers PDF

Files