There are many different functions under the broad term “marketing.” Each requires specific skills and each interview is so different. I’ve come across a huge range of questions – some companies are more about the culture fit, and some are more about your experience.
But IMHO, all marketers share a love of observation and strategy. There are definitely some common interview questions to prep for and think critically about. Below are a few example questions. I provided sample answers because these questions can be tough if you can haven’t seen real world examples , but make sure you come up with your own original answers that you can have real conversations about!
Leave a comment below if you’ve come across other common or tough marketing interview questions 😀
Q: Is there any brand campaign or content strategy that has really inspired you lately?
A1: I love Burrow’s Instagram presence. For context, Burrow is a Direct-to-Consumer furniture startup that focuses on simple, functional furniture. Their content is a really smart mix of product education and relevant pop culture, and the followers are very engaged. Burrow takes their audience feedback, comments, and questions really seriously, and that shines through on the Instagram account. I’ve seen them screenshot followers’ questions and post them in their stories with an answer. That’s a great example of working with user generated content. Instead of just answering one-on-one, they turned that into an opportunity to educate a lot more of their viewers.
A2: I really like Zitsticka’s marketing emails because they’re so focused on delivering value beyond what they sell. They sell an acne product, but instead of just pushing sales, they also write a lot of valuable pieces on other free or low-cost acne remedies that the community might want to try. They understand that a lot of skincare issues are all about the holistic lifestyle, not solely what we put on our faces. It feels like they really empathize with the user.
Q: Can you describe your previous marketing experience?
A1: Yes, happy to share! I was a content marketer at a street style brand, where I conducted research on the community’s interests, brainstormed topic ideas, and published content. I recorded metrics and sent reports to the team so we could see what worked and what didn’t.
A2: Not in a formal job setting, but I led marketing for my choir club throughout college. We worked on branding and events marketing, so I learned a lot about outreach and graphic design.
A3: I haven’t been in marketing, but I have worked for 3 years as a retail sales rep. On the sales floor, I learned a lot about customers and how they like to engage with brands, and also learned how to be incredibly detail-oriented and proactive of people’s needs. Talking to people, making them feel comfortable, and learning about how I can help them are my strengths.
Q: We’re about to launch our newest product, a clean, non-toxic sunscreen. At a high level, how would you go about strategizing the go-to-market?
A1: I’d first spend time with the product development team and look at the customer feedback we used to create this new sunscreen. I’d want to understand what problems we are solving for customers and center our message around how much better our their lives will be, immediately and in the future, because of our non-toxic, clean product. After coming up with that key message, I’d work with the creative teams to plan our assets and content.
A2: I’d definitely want to understand a few key pieces: (1) Will this new product serve existing customers, or are we expanding to a new market? (2) Which sales channels will we be in? (3) What is the key value proposition that should be the champion of our messaging? I’d want to jot down these pieces of information in partnership with teams across the company, digest the data around what we think customers will respond to, and then come up with a few concepts for art direction and marketing channels.
Q: What do you think are the most important skills for a marketer to have?
A1: Emotional intelligence – particularly the ’empathy’ piece. My first role in social media support helped me hone that skill because I would interact with so many customers per day. All of those comments, DMs, and mentions showed me exactly what our community was thinking, and it gave me the empathy to put myself in their shoes and solve their problems. And sometimes you need to read between the lines or ask more questions to really get to the root of customers’ issues. Once you show them that you’re on their side, they open up. I think emotional intelligence is so key because brands need to be sensitive and aware of their people’s needs in order to properly serve them and create something sustainable.
A2: Synthesizing information in a digestible way. Because in marketing, you get so much data from so many different sources. You have Instagram and Facebook analytics, metrics from your website, metrics from competitors, emails coming in to customer support, etc. You have to be able to pull all of that information together and cut out the irrelevant pieces in order to make decisions and forge ahead. I’ve found that being able to turn lots of information into a few takeaways for the executive team is crucial. And of course, those takeaways are backed by real data that we can pull up as needed.
A3: Being excited about experimentation. Testing concepts publicly can be really scary – for example, putting out a few versions of a Facebook ad in order to see what works. It’s really important for the team to get past the discomfort of experimenting because being scientific about trying a few versions, collecting data, and iterating gives you so much valuable information. And in general, just being willing to try new things and not just resort to tradition is what helps a team innovate.
More on interviews:
- How to prep for ANY interview – checklist of crucial action items
- Guide: Informational Interviews
- Common interview questions for social media marketing jobs
- Common interview questions for email marketing jobs
- Common interview questions for content marketing jobs
