5 key interview questions for your marketing interview

Interview preparation might be stressful, but it’s hugely important if you want to land your dream job in marketing.

As leaders in the job industry, we’ve asked experts to share insights and tips to help you apply for a marketing job, no matter your level of experience.

As well as the opportunity to show passion and interest in the role, a marketing interview is the chance to share your abilities and skillsets with employers. As such, we asked the managing consultant for Search Marketing, Laura Mallinson, the five most frequently asked competency-based interview questions in marketing.

Top 5 Marketing Competency-based Interview Questions

Here’s what Laura had to say and what you can expect from your marketing interview when it comes to the competency aspect.

Question One

Can you identify a recent marketing/TV/PR/ social campaign that you would rate a success? If so, why was it successful and what could you learn from it?

Question Two

Can you tell me about a time when you developed an innovative solution to a marketing problem?

Question Three

Give an example of a time you had to deal with difficult clients to fulfil a deadline on a project.

(This question applies more to agency roles than in-house.)

Question Four

Give an example of a time you were able to successfully influence a difficult stakeholder such as a business owner or managing director.

(This question applies more to in-house roles.)

Question Five

Tell us about the most successful marketing campaign that you have delivered.

How did you put it together and how did you assess its impact?

Additional Questions to Prepare For

While the above are the top five competency-based questions, you might also be expected to give an example of a marketing campaign you’ve implemented that wasn’t successful.

Questions about failure can be difficult to answer, but in marketing, there’s always an element of trial and error which is why interviewers are likely to ask about your previous failures.

Answering honestly means you’ve learned from your mistakes and have developed your learning within a previous role where targets or objectives were missed. This shows you have humility and you can also spin the answer in your favour and turn a negative into a positive.

“When answering this question, you want to reassure the interviewer that, should a situation arise that doesn’t go to plan, you can overcome it. You can reflect and react appropriately.” Laura Mallinson, Marketing Managing Consultant.

How to Answer Competency-based Interview Questions

When tackling questions around your competency, we recommend that you follow the 4-step STAR technique, which helps you structure your answers and detail how you’ve previously overcome challenges.

Star consists of four key steps for constructing your answer:

S – Situation
Describe the situation.

T – Task
What was your task and what were you responsible for?

A – Action
What action(s) did you take?

R – Results
What were the results?

Pretty simple, but incredibly effective in organising your thoughts and putting you in the best light in the eyes of your potential employers.

Looking for further advice on how to prepare for your next marketing job interview?

With the competency-based marketing interview questions out the way, download a free copy of our 2023 Career Toolkit to prepare for your next job interview.

Finding Your Next Marketing Position

If you’re ready to put your newly polished interview skills to the test, take a look at our latest marketing jobs.

About the Expert

Laura has ten years of experience in marketing recruitment and a background in marketing and PR. Based in our Leeds office, she recruits for a wide range of PR, digital, and marketing roles in-house and with agencies across England. These roles are all-encompassing and include graduate to director-level opportunities for small boutique agencies and national and international players.

If you’d like to speak to Laura about jobs in Marketing please get in touch.