Preparing for interviews can be daunting, especially as you start your professional journey.
But with some guidance and practice, preparing for the interview process can be a positive and satisfying experience.
When interviewing for Marketing roles (or any roles), investing time to prepare yourself can make a real difference to get your desired job. This typically involves researching the company, understanding the job requirements, showcasing your skills and experience, and being ready to discuss Marketing and business-related topics.
As you prepare for interviews, focus on 3 key areas:
1 – Your motivations
2 – Your skills and experience
3 – Going the extra mile
1 – Your motivations
When applying for your first Marketing role or subsequent roles, being clear on your motivations is essential.
a) Marketing
More often than none, interviewers will ask why you have chosen to work in Marketing, especially when you start your career in this field.
By understanding your motivations for Marketing, you can demonstrate your genuine interest in this discipline during interviews and, also make sure you are applying for roles that help you achieve your professional goals.
b) The role
Take the time to review and fully understand the job description.
To understand your motivations for a specific role, ask yourself the following questions:
o What is grabbing your attention within the job description and why is this of interest to you?
o How can this job help you progress towards your long-term career goal?
o How can you add value to the organisation / brand?
Be aware that job descriptions can vary when it comes to the amount and quality of information provided.
Take the time to discuss the role with the recruitment agency or reach out to the company recruitment team for more information.
Understanding what motivates you about a specific role is important for you, as well as the company recruiting.
Interviewing is a time intensive process for all parties involved so be selective and genuinely motivated about the roles you apply for.
c) The industry, company and brand
Being motivated about a specific Marketing role is one thing. Being motivated about a specific industry, company and brand is another.
You might find the perfect role for you but if you don’t like the industry and/or the company recruiting, your enjoyment of that role might be short lived.
Take the time to research the company advertising Marketing vacancies and the industry it operates in.
o What are the company purpose, values, products / services, recent news and achievements?
o What are the current trends, challenges and opportunities in the industry the company operates in?
o Who are the major players in that industry / who is the company competing against?
Being able to articulate in an interview why you want to work in a specific industry and for a specific company / brand, can help setting you apart from other candidates applying for the role.
2 – Your skills and experience
Once you are clear on your motivations, you need to demonstrate that you are right for the role.
a) Your CV
Tailor your CV content to showcase the skills, experience and qualifications that are relevant to the role you are applying for.
Use the job description to help you with this task as it describes the desired candidate profile the employer is looking for.
o Notice the keywords used in the job description and include those in your CV, without looking like a forced exercise. Although companies are increasingly using software for CV’s selection, your document will be read by a real person if you are selected for the candidates short list.
o When creating your CV, highlight your achievements and show your impact in your previous and current roles, whenever possible. Aim to demonstrate your ability to drive results, in a quantitative and/or qualitative way.
o Keep your CV concise. You can’t fit everything you know and have done in a CV document so focus on the essential, taking into consideration the role you are applying for. You will be able to expand on your skills and experience at the interview stage.
b) Competencies questions
The interview process usually involve questions from the recruitment team, to assess your skills and experience as well as your cultural fit for the organisation.
Candidates are typically asked to use the STAR framework (Situation, Task, Action, Result), to structure their responses to competencies questions. Take the time to familiarise yourself with this communication framework and practice ahead of your interview, using actual examples from current or previous job experiences.
Although you won’t know in advance what questions will come up during the interview process, you can anticipate some of them:
o Look at the job description requirements and keep in mind the overall skills needed in Marketing.
o Expect questions related to data analysis and metrics. Be prepared to discuss how you’ve used data to make informed Marketing decisions.
o Be ready to answer behavioural questions that assess your problem-solving skills, teamwork, leadership, and communication abilities.
c) Practice
An important part of your preparation work is to practice your communication delivery. How you communicate in an interview is as important as what you communicate on the day.
Strong communication skills are required when working in Marketing, so practice yours ahead of interviews.
Work on your choice of words, articulation, tone and non-verbal cues (eye contact, hand gestures, facial expressions, body posture).
You won’t know for sure what interviewers will ask on the day, but you can practice some interview basics:
o Going through your CV: Develop a concise and compelling story that introduces yourself and your Marketing experience to date, emphasizing your skills, experience and key achievements (keeping in mind the role you are applying for).
o Answering competencies questions: Anticipate a few questions the interviewer might ask and practice your answers to those, using the STAR framework.
o Handling unexpected questions: Some topics you didn’t expect might come up during your interview so think ahead how you could address those on the spot.
To help you practice, conduct mock interviews with a friend, mentor or coach to get feedback on your answers and communication delivery.
3 – Going the extra mile
As you prepare for interviews, invest some time in developing a personal strategy to differentiate yourself from other job applicants.
In a competitive marketplace, employers are not short of great candidates to fill vacancies within their Marketing teams. You will be up against many candidates equally qualified for the roles you are applying for.
So, think of ways to differentiate yourself from your competition, ahead of and during the interview process.
a) Project yourself into the role
Come prepared to the interview with some observations, challenges and thoughts that show that you are already thinking about the role and how you could add value to the organisation you wish to join.
o Have a point of view but avoid coming across as critical of the work done by the broad organisation and/or the existing Marketing team. Offer constructive comments, in a positive manner, that demonstrate that you understand the challenges and opportunities that the company / brand is currently facing in the market (and probably keep your future line manager awake at night).
o Creating a one pager SWOT, done at company and/or brand level can help you with this preparation work.
o Reflecting on how you would approach your first 90 days, if you were to get the job, is also a useful proactive exercise that demonstrates you are genuinely interested in the role and you drive your own personal accountability.
b) Prepare questions
No matter if this is the first round or final round of the interview process, have a list of questions to ask interviewers.
Questions are a great way to show what matters to you, what motivates you and is one way to demonstrate how you can add value to the organisation.
o Researching the industry, company and brand ahead of interviews enables you to ask more thoughtful and specific questions, setting you apart from other candidates.
o Effective questioning can create a healthy debate, resulting in having a Marketing and business discussion with your interviewer instead of a generic exchange.
o Skilful questioning needs to be matched with careful listening. Work on adjusting your questions based on the information you gained prior and during interviews.
A watch out: Make sure the questions you ask are not all about the job and what’s in it for you.
For sure, use questions to assess if the role and organisation are right for you. But also use questions to demonstrate your genuine interest in the role and your desire to add value to the organisation / brand you want to join.
Questions are also a way for interviewers to assess if a candidate is right for the role and for their organisation. So, be mindful with the questions you ask, taking into consideration the recruitment stage you are at and who your interviewers are (i.e. functions and seniority levels)
c) Build a 360 profile
Technology today is helping candidates to be more than a paper CV and someone you meet for a 60-minute interview.
As creativity is a key skill when working in Marketing, think how you can build your candidate profile and create a positive lasting impression with the organisation you want to join.
o Curate your Linkedin profile: Make sure that the information you have on your Linked-in profile matches what is on your CV (or vice versa). Demonstrate your interest and point of view on Marketing and business-related topics, through your own posts and your engagement with content on this professional platform.
o Online portfolio: If applicable, create a portfolio showcasing your past Marketing campaigns, strategies and results. This is a great way to bring to life some of your core Marketing experience and visually complement your CV.
o Online blog: If you want to demonstrate a curious mindset and that you are up to speed with the latest trends and hot topics in Marketing, consider creating a blog and invite prospective employers to view your content.
Conclusion
Preparing for interviews is a time intensive process but as Jeanette Jenkins said “You get out what you put in. If you want more, give more.”
Remember that interviewing is a two-way process. Make sure the company and role are right for you and equally demonstrate you can meet the needs of your desired employer.
Show professionalism, enthusiasm and a positive attitude throughout the interview process.
And don’t forget to thank your interviewers, no matter the outcome.