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​5 Competency Based Interview Questions To Prepare For Your Next Marketing Interview

Written by: Search Consultancy
Published on: 2 Dec 2020

Advice in partnership with Search Consultancy

Search and sales

​Preparing for an interview is key to its success, that is why our experts are sharing their insights, tips and expertise to help you.

When you’re applying for any marketing job, no matter what level you’re at, you’re bound to be asked some competency-based interview questions.

Like with any question you answer at interview, how you respond can be telling of how you are going to perform in your future role, so it is important that you are prepared for any that come your way.

For marketing candidates, employers want to use interviews as an opportunity for you to demonstrate a genuine passion and awareness for the industry, as well as showcasing your ability and skills

We asked Managing Consultant for Search Marketing, Laura Mallinson, what the most frequently asked competency based interview questions in Marketing were to help set you up for success in your next marketing interview.​

 

Top 5 marketing competency based interview questions

  1. "Can you identify a recent marketing/TV/PR/ Social campaign that you would rate a success? And what you could learn from it? "

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

  3. "Give an example of a time where you had to deal with difficult clients in order to fulfil a deadline on a project (for agency roles)? "

  4. "Give an example of a time where you were able to successfully influence a difficult stakeholder such as a business owner or Managing Director (for client side roles)? "

  5. "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:

"Can you give me an example of a marketing campaign that you used which did not succeed? "

Questions about failure may be difficult to answer, however in marketing, there is always an element of trial and error. That’s how we are able to learn and understand the best channels for every campaign.

“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, reflect and react, in an appropriate way.” Laura Mallinson, Marketing Managing Consultant.

How to answer competency based interview questions

We recommend that you follow the 4 step STAR technique to ensure your answer is easy to follow and includes a clear challenge and resolution.

STAR is used to structure your answers into 4 core steps.

S - Situation – Describe the situation.

T - Task – What was your task? What were YOU responsible for?

A – Action – What action(s) did YOU take.

R- What were the results?

For further information on the STAR technique and an in-depth guide on how to answer general competency based interview questions, check out our blog.​

 

Are you looking for further advice on how to prepare for your next marketing job interview?

We have helped you brush up on nailing your competency based interview questions but check out our further resources to achieve success and stand out from the crowd in your next marketing interview.

Check out our blogs and resources to help you land your next marketing job;

Download our comprehensive guide to preparing for your next job interview.

Is your next interview via video? Find out how to prepare for a video interview .

Struggling with what to ask your interviewer? Check out our top 5 questions to ask at interview.