Common Marketing Interview Questions and Answers
Adaptative, communicative, tech-savvy, and creative are some of the qualities of a good marketer that employers look for. You may have the desired skills but cracking a marketing interview is not a child’s play. Especially with the ever-growing competition, aspirants must have some tenacity to stay ahead of others.
The advent of digital marketing has given a boom to the marketing industry. It has led to an influx of opportunities for both employees and employers. Therefore, many millennials are foreseeing a career in marketing today. So, to stay ahead of your competition, you need to be more prepared and diligent. Therefore, here are some common marketing interview questions that will help in preparing for and cracking a marketing interview question.
Marketing Interview Questions and Answers
1. Why did you pursue a career in marketing?
In your marketing interview, with this question, the interviewer wants to test your industry knowledge and understand what persuaded you to join the marketing industry. So, while answering this question, present your ideas succinctly. Talk about the following things in the answer:
- Previous job/internship that exposed you to marketing
- Marketing subjects that piqued your interest in college
- Specialized marketing certification courses undertaken
- Mentors or industry leaders who inspire you
- How marketing has affected your day-to-day life
2. Which social media platforms are you familiar with?
Millennials have the advantage of growing up in an era where social media is prevalent. However, fewer people are aware of social media intricacies. If you are also one of them, then you must undertake learning programmes to understand the phenomenon because your employer would expect you to be familiar with all social media platforms.
You must showcase your social media skills while answering this question in your marketing interview. It will create a positive impact on the interviewer. Furthermore, if you are familiar with niche social media platforms, talk about them to give you an edge over others.
3. Tell us about a marketing campaign you loved?
The interviewer desires to gauge if your marketing sensibilities align with the company with this question. So, research the company beforehand. It will help you in understanding their marketing sensibilities. Keep that in mind while answering this question.
Furthermore, you can talk about a campaign that had a positive impact on you as a customer and marketer. This will help the interviewer understand your capabilities as a marketer.
4. What are the three most important skills required for a marketing career?
In this question, discuss the marketing skills you possess. This is your opportunity to talk about your problem-solving and marketing-related skills. Furthermore, you can correlate your skills with some of the most common marketing functions like SEO, storytelling, leadership, etc. Also, present it in a way that will impress the interviewer instantly.
5. Are you familiar with the company’s target market?
With this question, the employer tries to understand whether a candidate possesses the passion and skills to reach their target audience.
Therefore, research about the company beforehand, read about the mission and vision, glance through its website, and scroll through its social media pages. It will help you in gauging the target audience and market of the company.
6. How would you respond to a negative customer review?
You can use this marketing interview question to demonstrate your problem-solving and analytical skills in customer management and engagement. Furthermore, state a real life example of how you turned a negative customer service experience into a positive one.
You can use the STAR technique to answer this question. Elaborate about the situation you were in and the tasks you completed to be successful. Evaluate and discuss the action you took and describe the results of your efforts.
7. How will you manage the launch of a new product?
You can use this question to describe your leadership qualities. Talk about a successful marketing campaign that you spear-headed or were a part of, and discuss how you planned, tested, implemented, and successfully launched the campaign. Include these points while answering the question:
- Target audience
- Reaching the target audience
- Understanding the product and the problems
- The buying processes
- Strategic plans adopted
- Timeline of the project
- Product launch
8. How do you stay up to date on marketing trends and techniques?
Learning is a continuous process, and some of the greatest leaders are active learners- highlight this philosophy in your answer. Moreover, you can discuss the latest marketing trends that caught your attention, and also elaborate on the resources you use to keep yourself up to date about the industry.
9. What makes you stand out from the other candidates applying for this job?
This is one of the most common marketing interview questions. In this, talk about the unique marketing and extra-curricular skills you possess. You can elaborate on your special personality traits that can benefit the company at large. Here are some personality traits that will help you stand out in the interview.
- Creativity
- Leadership qualities
- Negotiation
- Persuasion skills
- Presentation skills
- Self-motivation
- Patient and calm in a turmoil
10. Do you have any questions?
This is also a popular marketing interview question. While answering the question, think about your goals, correlate them with the job prospects, and frame the answer accordingly.
How to Prepare for a Marketing Interview
Preparing yourself for a marketing interview requires more work than other positions. Here’s how you can prepare for a marketing interview. These marketing interview tips will surely make a long-lasting impression in the minds of the interviewers.
- Research: From its inception to its mission vision, research everything about the company before attending the interview.
- Creative: Showcase your creative side in the interview. For instance, if you are applying for the post of copywriter, take some work samples with you to demonstrate your skills.
- Brand yourself: With the advent of social media, recruiters are actively tracking down aspirants’ social media presence. So, create a brand out of your social media profile to stay ahead of the competition.
- Dress appropriately: For the interview, dress as if you are ready to join work from the word go. Furthermore, carry yourself with confidence. You can also practice some self-esteem strategies before the interview to boost your confidence.
- Express gratitude: Within 24 hours of the interview, send a note of gratitude to the recruiter appreciating the opportunity. This gesture will surely be appreciated by the interviewers.
Besides these marketing interview tips, pursuing an extensive course in marketing, including digital marketing can largely help in expanding your marketing knowledge and gaining some practical experience. We, at Emeritus India have partnered with leading educational institutes like the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, and the Indian School of Business (ISB) to provide world-class courses to help you upskill.