Marketing Interview Questions & Answers

After emailing my CV and a covering letter explaining why I would be suitable for the Marketing and Sales Assistant role, I was invited by the company's Finance manager to attend an interview the following week. Upon arriving at the company HQ, I was greeted by one of my interviewers and invited into one of the conference rooms. After a brief and friendly chat about the weather and how my journey to the office was the second member of the interview team arrived, the company CEO. Initially I was given a brief about the company, how successful they have been, what areas of business they work in, and all of the general information about the firm. After this, numerous questions were raised by my two interviewers asking me to describe myself, why I want to work for the company, and what my career aspirations are. The interview was conducted in a friendly manner which helped to lower my nerves and improve my confidence and lasted around 30 minutes in total. After the questioning it was illustrated that the business would contact me again within 4 days as to whether I progressed to the final stage of the interview process, a verbal presentation in front of the CEO, Personnel manager, and Managing Director.

The most difficult question I had to answer was based on my knowledge and expertise on the company's competitors. This was tough to answer because the business has a lot of competition and I had only researched one of the main competitors. I was able to give a detailed answer on one company, however when asked if I knew of any other competition I had to admit I did not. However my interviewers did not seem too off putt by this answer as they realise that this was an interview for their company, and not their competitors.

Be confident! Employers are not looking to employ timid, shy or nervous individuals. Also, have an interest in the area of business the company works in. It is much more interesting and appealing talking about an area of business that you personally enjoy.

The business does not operate using assessment centres when looking to recruit employees. I feel that this is a clever and appropriate decision as my opinion on assessment centres is that they do not accurately measure individuals' abilities, they merely measure who can shout the loudest. The face-to-face interview style that the company uses is much more effective at finding out how competent an individual is, as the organisation can spend 30 minutes asking detailed questions and receiving feedback from the employee. This is just not possible in an assessment centre where there are 15 people attempting to get their voice heard over everyone else.

The interview was held at their offices in London. I was asked basic questions about my past experience and motivation for working at the company.
Before the interview I was asked to prepare for a role-play scenario where I would have to use my sales skills to sell a gym membership to a member of the public. The end goal was to get the customer to sign up for a free day pass and promote the longer membership. The role-play lasted for 5-10 minutes.
I was then asked some competency questions and about my availability. The interview lasted 1 hour in total.

How do you like to be managed within the work place?

Make sure you show your enthusiasm during the interview, you will be the face of the company so it is important that you show an interest in what the company does and how their business operates. The team are really nice and chatty so just show that you are really interested in the roll.

No assessment centre

My initial telephone interview lasted 40 minutes,although it was supposed to take 20. It was a combination of an informal chat, competency and situational based questions.

The chat was just as much of a chance for them to understand my reasoning behind applying as for me to find out more about the role. This was then followed by 3 competency based questions and 2 situational questions, this is easily answered by using the STAR technique.

Afterwards they enquired whether I would be available for the assessment centre in a weeks time, but I wasn't as I would be away on holiday.

What was key on this phone interview was building rapport with the recruiter and showing personality that the brand desires.

A day later I got another phone call where they invited me to the assessment centre knowing that I would be on holiday, but I rearranged my flight to come home early.

Describe a time where you have learnt something in the past and applied it to a problem you encountered elsewhere.

With this I think the key was personality and confidence, its a big brand and a big role so they are looking for someone who can step into with ease and build rapport quickly.

Timing was also everything, they don't want people who take forever to make one simple point.

There were 10 of us candidates and about 10 assessors.

We were first given a presentation on the company which lasted 30 minutes. We were next given 15 minutes to prepare a 1 minute introduction followed by a 4 minute answer to two competency based questions. We then went round the room taking turns to present our answer, I personally kept it under 5 minutes but others went on for 10-15 and the assessors were getting quite annoyed by this. The key here was engagement with the room, some did not get a reaction at all out of the audience.

Next was a written case study where we were given an 1 hour and 15 mins to study a 20 page document and write two reports on it. I struggled here on the time, and didn't finish it.

Next was lunch where we had the chance to chat informally to the guys at Coke.

Afterwards was a 60 minute group discussion, watched by the assessors where we discussed our case study and come to a group agreement on what we thought the outcome and plan of action should be. Here they didn't want anyone to take the lead and dominate the group but give everyone a fair chance to talk which we were told we were the first group to ever do this successfully.

Lastly was a 5 minute presentation on the case study and we were given 30 minutes to prepare. My presentation was with the head assessor and the presentation was quick followed by questions on how the day went and how I thought I performed. I was honest and said I performed well but thought I failed at the case study, so she asked me what I would have done differently next time.

My telephone interview with Appetito was very relaxed which helped me feel comfortable. I was asked questions about my previous work experience, which allowed me to add more detail and divulge into my main responsibilities and what it had taught me. I was also asked a lot about the company including the history, current issues they are facing, location of each headquarters etc which I found challenging even though I had done extensive research beforehand.

I was asked: 'What de-motivates you?' - this definietly caught me off guard as did the question, 'What's your biggest mistake?'. I have undertaken numerous interviews for my placement year and a small number of graduate telephone interviews and have never been asked these two questions before so to think quickly on my feet.

My telephone interview lasted for a good 45-50 minutes so make sure you prepare answers based on your work experience as they follow your answers with further questions.
Also, I was asked a lot about the company - some of which I didn't know even though I had spent time preparing. Don't just use their website, try to delve deeper into the company by looking at the news and current issues they are facing in their environment.

I have only undertaken the telephone interview, numerical and verbal reasoning testing and further application questionning about my personality.

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Describe a time where you worked with someone difficult and how you overcame it.

Make sure you voice your opinion in the group task, don't be quiet!

Only two rounds, first stage application form second stage assessment centre.

The centre was held at their Wimbledon head office and started with a brief introduction to the group and the 9 members of senior management who were assessing us.

We then had a 40 minute verbal reasoning test.

Next was a group task where we were divided into buyers and sellers and had to negotiate a deal across the board room.

Lunch was an opportunity to question those who are currently on the grad scheme.

We then had a numerical reasoning test and 1 to 1 competency interview with a series of about 8 questions lasting 40 minutes.

The last task was a presentation to the group where you were given a topic and 1 minute to prepare and 2 minutes to present.

Overall it was a great and very friendly experience.

After emailing the co-owner of Heald Ltd with my CV and Cover Letter I got a swift reply telling me that I'd been accepted to progress forward to the interview stage. A time and date was agreed upon that was mutually beneficial. Upon arriving at the destination, I was greeted by a secretary who granted me a seat and glass of water and told me my interviewer would be with me shortly. 5 minutes later I was invited into the interview room and met the co-owner of the business. We discussed at length Heald Ltd, the role I would play in the company, and what skills I would bring to the business. I was asked in a friendly manner any suggested changes I would personally make to the company leaflet and any marketing tips I had for the company. Finally I was asked if I had any questions about Heald Ltd, the Marketing position, or just general questions about the daily activities of the role. This made the interview friendly and relaxed. Once the interview was finished the co-owner explained that I would receive an email in a couple of days as to whether I had been successful or not. This was excellent as it is sometimes the case that if unsuccessful you do not receive a notification from the company which can leave you feeling in suspense for along period of time.

"What criticisms do you have of the current company brochure?"

Be confident, calm, relaxed and friendly. The organiser makes the interview process relaxed and fun with a light-hearted nature. Know the facts about the business and have ideas of where you could improve elements of their marketing.

No assessment centre. Which is useful because the days can often become a "who can shout the loudest" competition.

Without a doubt one of the hardest interviews I've had.

Aside from your usual competency questions, this interview was held by two senior employees and they grilled you on todays current events and economic climate. This was then followed by asking you to detail different methods of advertising and what you think is most suitable.
Finally they pressed you on salary and expected you to very much lower your expectations.

It was a tough interview.

Without using any social media or internet methods, how would you plan media coverage for a client?

Do plenty of research on current events before hand.

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The Interview consisted of a 2 - on - 1 sort of competency-based interview as well as a group assessment and concluding with some case study tasks which then led to individual presentations to be delivered to a group of assessors. It was highly challenging and pressurising, but is a good experience to really increase your level of confidence and business presentation skills.

What are your weaknesses? And what are you doing to combat that?

Be yourself, be humble and be passionate about the field in which you are applying for. Be ready and hungry and find a company that fits with your personality and culture fit. It becomes more of a relationship than a job

The assessment centre was fun but challenging. The Interview consisted of a 2 - on - 1 sort of competency-based interview as well as a group assessment and concluding with some case study tasks which then led to individual presentations to be delivered to a group of assessors. It was highly challenging and pressurising, but is a good experience to really increase your level of confidence and business presentation skills.

Following the initial application, online tests and video recording, I was invited to a telephone interview. This lasted around half an hour and consisted of a number of questions around education, motivations for the role, key competencies, previous work experience and background knowledge on the company. They also asked a couple of questions to determine your level of commercial awareness.

If we were to ask your previous manager what your main weakness is, what would they say?

- Read up on the latest industry news
- Be prepared to talk about yourself - motivations for the role, why you're suitable - research their key competencies
- Be yourself - you don't have to shout the loudest to be noticed
- Include quieter group members
- Keep an eye on the time in group exercise/analytical test
- Prepare your own questions during face to face interview - this is a great chance to display your interest in the role/company, besides just asking if you get a car!

The assessment day was based at the Nissan Head Office, and consisted of four separate tasks:

- Group exercise
- Analytical test
- Face to face interview
- Pre-prepared presentation.

There were 4 candidates invited to each AC.

The group task involved working in pairs to discuss our approach to a given task (related to Sales and Marketing), followed by a group discussion with all 4 candidates, and a group presentation to the management panel - followed by several questions.

The individual analytical test lasted an hour, where we were given a data sheet to analyse before writing a report with our recommendations/comments on the data.

The face to face interview was conducted by a member of HR and one of the hiring managers. This lasted an hour, and consisted of a number of competency questions, an in depth discussion of your CV, your motivations for the role and questions about the company/industry (think market share, recent industry news, best selling etc.). I found this part of the day quite enjoyable. They're not there to trip you up at all - it's a chance for them to get to know you, as well as an opportunity for you to get to know the company and where you'll fit in best.

Next we were taken to lunch, where we had a chance to meet the current graduates in a more relaxed environment. This gave us a chance to ask them any questions regarding the role, their personal experience and life outside of work.

A week before the assessment centre, we were tasked to create a 20 minute presentation in response to a brief Nissan had sent across. Here we were assessed on our ability to interpret research, analyse the topic given, alongside the ability to display a cross-functional business understanding. On the day, we presented to a panel of Nissan's management team who used the remaining time to ask questions regarding our presentations.

I first had to complete a proofreading and editing test which consisted of editing a news article of 400 words. You also had to re-write headlines and sub headings. After this, I had a face to face interview with two managers that I would be working closely with. We first talked through my CV and my experience up until now and then talked about how the skills I had acquired would help me with this job role. They then went on to ask me some competency based questions such as, " Can you give us a time when you had to deal with a difficult colleague." The overall interview lasted one hour.

"If you had longer to work on the test, would you have done anything differently?"

Come prepared with examples as they really back up your answers! It also encourages a conversation with your interviewers. It is also a warm and friendly firm, so go in with a smile and you'll fit in fine!

I had to do a proofreading and editing exercise before the initial interview. You has 30 mins to edit, re-write and proofread a 400 word article.