Four Marketing Job Interview Questions You Must Ask Every Candidate

When you are interviewing candidates for marketing positions in your company, you want to know if they have the capability to do the work well, if they can fit in with your company’s work environment, and if they intend to work with you long-term. It can be tricky, however, to get an accurate estimation of the candidates through just the interview process.

Some people have excellent self-presentation skills that may not always translate to actual work skills of the same level. This means, you can’t depend only on a candidate’s personality and articulateness but must also check if their educational credentials and work experience add up to the total picture.

Try these four marketing job interview questions to make the right decision when hiring for a marketing position:

How did you hear this marketing job was available?

The most common answer to this is general job boards, which is fine. You advertise on such job boards for the very purpose of receiving job applications from potential candidates. That said, you also want to know if the marketing candidates found the job from your website, which would indicate a familiarity with your company. Alternatively, if they heard of the position through contacts within the industry, which indicates they have networking skills and people skills to create meaningful professional relationships. Past relationships that are on the look out for them and inform them of available jobs that can advance their career prospects is a good sign.

Why are you applying for this marketing position?

‘Because it was available’ is not really the right answer. You want people who have carefully considered the job requirements and matched these with their own skills. They should be able to explain why exactly they are suitable for the marketing position and what skills, talents, and experience they will bring to the table. You want people who can convey this with self-assurance, not arrogance. They must have confidence that they have what it takes to shoulder all necessary responsibilities and get the work done, without any extensive hand-holding on the part of their new employers.

What kind of marketing work experience do you have?

The answer to this will, of course, differ for entry-level and experienced marketing candidates. With entry-level candidates, consider their educational qualifications and any personal projects they might have completed. The latter indicates they have initiative and the capacity to plan and get the work done.

With experienced candidates, you want to know how creative and capable they are, if they have a strong work ethic if they work well in a team environment, and if they can accept feedback and criticism.

Ask them about their previous job and how they fared there. What made them leave that position and seek employment elsewhere? It is normal for people to change jobs to seek a better salary, to gain more experience, to move to another place, and so on, but any excessive criticism or negative talk about previous employers is not a good sign.

Frequent fulltime job changes, within a few months, may also be a red flag. It may indicate that the candidate is either indecisive about the type of work he or she wants to do or is incapable of committing to a position for a long duration. If you are looking to hire someone on a long-term fulltime basis, you may want to look for someone with a bit more staying power.

What do you enjoy the most about marketing?

You want to find out if the candidates view their marketing career with enthusiasm and interest, not just as something that they need to do to earn money. A good deal of creativity and intuitiveness is essential to make a marketing campaign successful, and you cannot have these if there is a complete lack of enjoyment in the work.

While interviewing candidates, it is important to have a two-way conversation. Along with getting to know the candidates, you also want them to know how rewarding it will be for them to work with your company. With that in mind, stay open and accessible and emphasize the various benefits, in addition to the monetary ones, that your company can offer them.