For the majority of companies, marketing recruiting is one the most difficult human resources activities. Subject complexity has made it nearly impossible for HR representatives to determine job applicant aptitude based on their technical abilities.
What they do know is their desired end-goal. With limited knowledge, hiring managers and recruiters do their best to determine who can and cannot deliver those results.
Above all else, recruiting divisions judge job seekers based upon the applicant’s ability to connect with them on an interpersonal level. Additionally, assertiveness, ability to command the room and body language are all key judgment factors.
Teaching Quantum Physics to a 3rd Grade Class
Try to teach quantum physics to a 3rd grade class the same way you would to a college student and you’re going to get an unresponsive, confused and bored audience. Interviewing for a marketing job is no different. Knowing your audience’s level of knowledge is crucial.
The trick to successful marketing interviewing lay in one’s ability to take the complex and make it simple.
Examples of simplistic explanations that still impress and engage an interviewer:
- Messages resonate to the consumer only if they are concise and sensible.
- Successful marketing hits pain points and solves a problem.
- You would come into the company and through wording, content, social media interaction and pictures make sure that product became known to the public and target market through word of mouth (i.e. branding).
- You would approach recruiting future employees using the same message, thus creating a marketing team who lives and breathes the company’s core message and branding.
- Successful marketing executives understand customer-buying triggers. They are passionate about digging deeper to understand how the users feel.
- User sentiment must be leveraged to motivate the target market to engage with the organization.
In essence, the effective marketing executive can put themselves in the shoes of the buyer and write a story from their point of view.
Marketing interviewees often attempt to convince a hiring manager of their competency by describing complex marketing theories beyond the understanding of the interviewer.
When marketing interviewers discuss in-depth marketing tactics such as landing pages or diminishing bounce rate to increase search engine rankings, they lose their audience and the attempt to be perceived as an expert backfires.
If the interviewer lacks the knowledge to agree with your claims, they write you off.
Preparation for the Interview
Pinpoint the overarching goals of the client marketing campaign. Often, the job description states the hiring company’s desired end goals.
Define how you achieved those results at past jobs.
If a company says they want social media improvement, don’t tell them that they need video marketing. Withhold voicing your disagreement.
Go with the flow and describe your past experience implementing Facebook and Instagram interaction. Touch upon the results that were seen.
The entire basis of marketing interviewing lay in simplicity. Basic explanations of complex theories raise your ability to connect and persuade. Hiring managers invest in those who get to the point and who are concerned about achieving the goals of the organization instead of coming in and changing the entire plan.
