Marketing Interview Questions & Answers

I was immediately attracted to this role as it combined two areas I want to get into, events and marketing. I initially found the advert on reed.com, but since becoming suspicious, have found it on several websites, advertised as various things, such as Events and Sales Assistant. The salary offered varies on different job sites, from weekly earnings, OTE to £18,000 - £22,000. Please beware as all is not as it seems at CM3.....

I applied at the weekend and heard back on the Monday. I was invited in for an "interview" which actually turned out to be a 10/15 minute chat, of which cost me £5.80 in car parking! I was told they were "interviewing" 25 people that day for the position/s. That must be why they felt the need to email me about an hour before to casually check if I was still going, as the manager apparently has a very hectic schedule!

I then got phoned the same day about an hour later to say I'd been successful and they wanted me to work an event asap (unpaid) called an "observation day". All you are told is to show up at 8.30 with a notepad and pen and the day will end with a questionnaire at 4.30.

I was seduced by the "management scheme" of which they are "fast tracking" suitable candidates to complete within 6 - 9 months and the prospect of the company conquering America. I thought this was a fantastic opportunity, but did suspect it seemed too good to be true. I was right. They say they believe in direct marketing and all this means in simple terms is door to door and face to face sales. Not marketing (in my opinion, maybe I'm old fashioned)?!

On the day, you will be expected to pay to park (if you drive), pay for your own transport to event "sites" (bus/tram/train stops, shops, streets, doors) anywhere, where they describe as having "people"! It doesn't take a 'young entrepreneur' to work out there's foot fall at these places - but he should secure in his knowledge that these people are busy and do not want to be badgered on their day to day lives.

???With unemployment at an all time high for 16-24 years olds, I believe in challenging the stereotypical 9-5 in order to offer people the same opportunity I was given??? -Chris Mikkides (CM3, 2014).

The opportunity he must have been given then is false promises, ridiculously long hours and commission based pay. I'm relived I delved a bit deeper in to this "company" before I signed on the dotted line and I hope other people's cynical sides also prompt them to do the same!

"There's 24 other candidates out there, why should I pick you?" Textbook.

When they email you an hour before to confirm you are actually attending, (pretending you've not found this unfortunate review online) write back saying you are attending and then don't... see if you even get an email asking you why you didn't go. I'd be amazed if they even acknowledge your absence. Spend time applying for legitimate, reputable event and marketing companies.

Offices at Citibase Manchester - only saw the waiting room, playing very questionable music videos and surrounded by other "hopefuls" and the managers office. Very rushed, one in one out, obviously done intentionally to make it feel competitive (probably given same time slots). Plus points: The offices are right next to a Chinese, could become costly though! The chairs were comfy. They provide a clipboard and pen to complete your questionnaire upon arrival.

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.

Attracted to the job's immediate start and opportunity for career development, I applied for the job of marketing events assistant. I heard back that day, and was asked to go to their office the next day for an interview that was supposed to last 20-30 minutes and give me more detail about what the job (or the 'programme' as they refer to it) actually entailed.

I was disappointed to only have a 10 minute interview, where I wasn't really told an awful lot more than what you can get on the website or the job advert. I asked what the difference was between marketing events assistant and sale assistant (two different roles they are currently advertising) and found out that actually they were the same job advertised with different titles- everyone starts in sales and works their way up management. I was told that more detail would be given the next day, when I was to return for an intensive day shadowing a manager and completing several tasks throughout the day.

So the next day I turned up at 8.45am as requested, and ended up waiting in reception with several others for 45 minutes with no clue what was going on. No one came out to tell us how long we'd be waiting, or what was happening, which I thought was rather unprofessional.

Eventually we were taken into an office in pairs, where we were introduced to a manager who we would be shadowing all day. This manager turns out to also be training someone who was on their first day, and I was told that his attention and priority was with him- not with me. I was told not to ask questions until later on in the day, when there would be a question time. I thought it was strange to be training a person on their very first day and assessing a potential employee, but I went along with it.

Turns out we were actually travelling outside of Manchester- to Stoke on Trent, which I felt they should have let me know the previous day as I was expected to pay the fares myself.

The so-called intensive shadowing day was the most boring experience ever. From 9.30 until I left at 4pm I was given 4 fairly easy tasks to do (see question section). I did not shadow at all- in fact i was told to go away for 1 1/2 - 2 hours to complete 1 task at a time, and had to keep a distance from where they were selling when I came back. I tried to come back earlier than asked when I'd completed the tasks, but told to go away as he had nothing for me to do.

The answers to these tasks were to be written down on my notepad, which the manager quickly glanced at before sending me off with another task to do. I experienced more of the interior of the nearby McDonalds than of the job- especially as I finished these tasks in 10-20 minutes.

After completing the 4th task, I was told I'd made it to the final 6, and 5 minutes of the manager's time to tell me more about the programme, but first I was to have 30 minutes 'break'. So off I had to go again with nothing to do.

When I came back, the programme was again gone through too quickly and very briefly. I was then told for the first time that they expect employees to be at the office at the latest 7.45am and leave at the earliest 7.30pm- that's working about 12 hours 6 days a week. I was hesistant to commit to this, and at this point the manager turned nasty and plain rude. I said I would have to think about it since its a lot of hours, and he sarcastically replied he couldn't very well tell his manager that I was 'thinking about it'.

I tried to ask questions about the programme to see if it would be worth working them hours for it, and he had no interest in answering them. In fact, he had got up and was trying to walk away from me. I said to him that since I had an 1 hour commute to Manchester it was a lot of hours and I didn't think I could handle it. So I apologised and said I would have to turn it down. He snapped back at me 'This isn't a job offer' rather than just accepting my decision, so I explained that what I meant was that I was not going to carry on with the rest of the progress.

I was then told that he had to get back to the new employee- as he was his priority- and I was to find my own way back to Manchester (a good taxi journey to the train station and then half an hour train journey away from Manchester which again I had to pay for).
I tried to shake his hand and end on polite terms, but he wasn't having it.

All in all, the interview was a waste of my time and money. The company obviously has no care for the welfare of their employees, and the work doesn't seem hard. Just long boring hours selling and giving out flyers in shopping centres for a few months and then after that, training new people on how to do the same thing. The whole interview process was unprofessional, and they obviously had no care as to whether potential employees actually knew what they were getting into. The manager's rudeness and nastiness made me more than happy to turn down the job opportunity.

1. Think up of 3 different products (can be fictional, but must be physical i.e. no phone apps or games) that are for the mass market and up to £50.Think of how to market one of these products
2. Write down 10 weaknesses and 10 strengths
3. Think of as many different specific ways a product can be marketed/advertised (e.g. not just tv, instead more specifically 30 second tv ads)
4. imagine you run a marketing and sales company. write a) how you would make profit and how you would pay your employees, b) write 10 ways of how to motivate employees day-to-day, c) write 10 ways of what makes a good manager

then there was the usual 'why should we pick you?' 'what are your interests?' 'What do you want to do in 5 years time?' 'What is your main strength?'

Only apply for this role if you're prepared to work very long hours for not great money to get to a good role in marketing quickly and you're interested in doing sales.

Show that you are a people-person and that you've got a good work ethic.

Make sure you know a little about marketing- but the stuff they asked me to do was basic common sense

No assessment centre, just cover letter and CV application via email, followed by a 10 minute interview at their office and then a day 'shadowing' a manager.

The initial stage was a phone interview that lasted about 30 minutes with a member of Ochre House - the company responsible for the recruitment for Kimberly Clark (KC). The phone interview was really relaxed and was competency based. At the end we went through availability for the assessment centre which would be the following week.

Questions were generally easy and straightforward. I was asked, "What are your 3 main strengths?", "Describe a time when you had to deal with a difficult team member and how did you adapt to this?" and finally, "What makes you a suitable candidate for the Kimberly Clark graduate scheme?"

After my case study preparation I kind of had an inkling i wouldn't be offered the job. But i would advise anyone applying to be good with numbers (my weakness), research KC's core values, at the assessment centre really speak out and don't let others take control. Ensure everyone in your group is involved. I'd also say you need to be very confident and prepared for a long, intense day. I did loads of research on the company but to be honest, most of it wasn't required on the day. It was more about your skills.

The assessment centre was intense. We were put up in a hotel for the previous night and all expenses were paid for. The day began quite early, about 8.30am and we first had an icebreaker task. There was about 12 other candidates and around 20 members of staff from KC in the room which made it extra daunting. We had to describe ourself as a brand and say why we would be that brand. After we were split into groups. The first task was to prepare for a case study interview later on in the afternoon. We worked in silence for an hour and the case study was about launching a new product in Boots. After, we had the group presentation which was to make an advert for a KC product. This part was quite enjoyable, but as to be expected there were some people who were quite overbearing and took control. We had to present to the KC staff and after answer some questions. There was also a networking lunch where we got the chance to speak to some graduates currently on the scheme and other members of staff. Everyone was really nice and relaxed. The first task after lunch was the case study presentation. This was the scariest and most intense part of the day. I presented alone to two members of the sales team, and it was a role play where they were acting as members of the buying team from Boots. They really got into it and picked holes in my presentation and threw out random numbers to throw me off. It was really intense, but a glimpse of how buyers in the industry could be. The final part of the day was an interview with a member of HR, Marketing and Sales. I was asked 5 questions based on KC's core values and then asked about my CV. At the end of the day we were given a goody-bag which was a nice touch.

After online tests the initial interview was a 30 minute recorded video interview which was conducted one way. There were 10 questions and each question shown on screen we would have 1 minute to think about the answer and it would start recording for 2/3 minutes. After it stopped it would go straight to the next one until all 3 questions were answered.
I passed the interview and was then invited to the assessment centre at their head office.

The interview was competency based so most questions were expected. However some questions which I hadn't prepared for were ones like "Describe some TK Maxx stores you visited and tell us how they differed from each other". Because it was a merchandising and buying graduate scheme the question didn't come out of the blue but before the interview, we were advised to visit a store. Luckily I visited the store in Central London but had also previously visited one at The Bullring in Birmingham so was able to describe how a South East and Midlands store differed in their stock.

If you are applying for a Buying and Merchandising role, always think what the implications are. For TK Maxx, it's important that they buy for local customers. This means it's useful to have an idea from the consumers point of view why store are different in the stock sell, depending on location. That's why it's a good idea to visit stores in different locations before an interview.

There were about 6 candidates, group interview style and activities were based choosing items to stock in the TK Maxx stores. The first one was selling a product, we chose a product from the table and had to rate the product on whether it would be suitable to sell in store. We presented to the rest of our team and a panel of 4 interviewers and discussed among ourselves if we agreed with each others ratings.

However, what made the exercises difficult was that we were assessed as a group and how we interacted with each other, as opposed to our own isolated performances. Each of us had the chance to present our own opinions and reasoning behind our decisions but the interviews were always asking each of us if we agreed with what our team mates were saying. This makes it a bit harder than an individual interviewer because candidates need to feel and speak with confidence because they can be influenced by what other candidates are saying.

My initial video interview was recorded by myself to random questions accumulated by the computer. there was not a graduate recruitment team on the other side of the camera, rather they reviewed the video interview after it was submitted. The video interview lasted around 20 minutes and asked about previous work experience and your suitable to their competency skills as outlined on the job specification.

After this, I was invited to an assessment centre to complete various tasks. The day was 5 hours long and consisted of individual interviews, group work, presentation and a buddy system. This appeared to be the overall format for all the graduate assessment days Morrisons ran. On the day we had to perform a task to choose between two new products to be implemented, deciding which one to run with based on budget, profit, losses and Morrisons ethics and values. This was presented to the graduate recruitment team through a Pechi Kuca format of PowerPoint. where slides last for 20 seconds and then switch, this although sounded easy was probably the most challenging part of the day.

In addition, the individual face to face interview asked about previous work experience and degree qualifications in relation to key competencies such as teamwork, communication skills, ethical practice, literacy and numeracy, marketing and events experience. This was followed by questions which referred to different scenarios you may be in as an employer and how you would go about challenging these, Overall the interview was fairly relaxed in its format.

One question was to test how well you met the criteria of marketing and Morrisons and stated describe yourself in 10 nouns.

You must be confident, professional and meet there ethos. Do alto of research about the company before you go because this is one of the main standards they mark you against. Also be very confident in using complicated language and presentation. You need to act professional like you would in a meeting with seniors. Furthermore, always use he star technique of situation, task, action and result to show your competency to their chosen interview skills. This really helps you structure you answers and allows the interviewer to easily mark you against their criteria. The easier you make it for them the more likely they are to like you and most of all understand what you could bring to the company. Furthermore, body language in communication style is important. Make sure you dress smart for the interview, blazer and pencil skirt or a suit for boys. Smile, be confident but not too relaxed. This is something I got marked down for and I know others on the day would have been too. It is really important to stay professional throughout the whole interview process and day. In doing so you will be able to give off a good impression. Although, I wouldn't go overboard as the graduate recruitment team would probably see this as false impressions and behaviour, just act very outgoing, confident and interested in Morrisons.

As described above: We were split into four groups of three where we worked for most of the day planning our presentation on the subject of which product to introduce into Morrisons stores.

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 had an initial telephone interview, which was with their recruitment team and lasted about 15 mins and was just about my experience and CV. Then I was invited to an interview in one of their centres. It was two interviewees, with basic questions about my experience and also scenario based questions like what I would do if someone complained of a colleague being racist or what I would do if the director was away and the teams performance started slipping. I also had to do a role play selling a gym membership, which they email information about previous to your interview. They then give you feedback and then you repeat the role play. Be sure to take their feedback on board for the second role play. Then I was just asked to chat with some children and they watched from a distance- this was the nicest part. Overall lasted about two hours. Was called the next day to be told I was through to the assessment centre round.

The role play was the most nerve racking

Also the question about the performance of the team slipping whilst the director is on holiday and how I would combat it

Definitely do you research and prepare because you need to be able to sell the product assertively in the role plays. Put across your assertive manner and confidence because that is what they are looking for, you need to show you also love the product. I'd say this is more a marketing role than teaching so be sure you know this before going in.

Again I was sent an email prior to the assessment day saying I had to prepare a presentation about marketing the explore product , and a role play with a primary school teacher who is interested in partnering with her school. This was done with two people watching. There was also another interview, one to one and maths and English tests which was pretty easy. There was then a lunch at Zizzi's in which they were definitely still assessing us! Finally there was a group session, one where we had to put items in priority from a shipwreck and where we all put words into a hat and had to talk about it for a minute.

Uploaded my cv and application. After few days, I got the invitation to the test. After 2 days, I got the email told me that I failed the test. I still have absolutely no idea why I failed. The test includes almost 60 questions in a hour. Except technical jobs, other job applicants all got the same test.

A drawer has 10 red socks, 10 black socks. In dark, how many socks A should get out the drawer to make sure A will get the right pair of socks?

I don't actually have any practical advice since the questions in the test are quite tricky. some of them includes math calculation(but you can't use calculator) and some logic questions, like the socks one(the right answer is 3).

Quite empty and quiet but big company

I was received by two women who did say their names, but not their function.
One mainly asked the questions and the other took notes, although the other also had some clarifying questions. We had a small chat at the beginning and soon we moved on to discuss my CV.
What they wanted me to do was to describe my education. Since I'm not from the UK I couldn't talk about A levels or anything, so I basically started at the age of 4 explaining what I had done. They would ask me things about what modules I liked in high school, and why.

Because I have done lots of internships and projects, they wondered if I had any gap years and when I said no, they wondered how I combined it all. They were also interested in my Bachelor dissertation, what topic it was on and what the company did with my advice.

They asked me what I look for in a company, and where I would see myself in 5, 10 and 20 years from now. They also wanted to know what brands I favour and why and which I dislike. The same was asked about people/ leaders.

They asked me what kind of job I'm looking for and why I like marketing. They also wanted to know how I feel about moving to other countries.

The phone interview lasted for about 20 minutes and the face to face for about an hour.

Bot interviews so far were really nice, everyone was very kind to me and made me feel very comfortable.

I think this depends on how much you know yourself and your wishes and if you want to please the recruiter by giving perfect answers.
For me personally I though the questions about where do you see yourself in 5, 10 and 20 years. Can you say you see yourself in another profession? I want to do a PhD. in the future, which means I will possibly need to quit my Job. But I chose to tell them that I aspire a academic career and that I for now would like to experience how it is to work for a big company. I believe honesty in these questions is most important. If you want to make an impression anyway ;)

Practical advise is to not over prepare. I even went unprepared! Before I practiced questions and things I wanted to say, only to sound like a robot during my interview! Now I was completely relaxed, not stressing about what I was SUPPOSED to say, but really having a conversation rather than answering questions perfectly. I felt like I was more in the moment, paying more attention to what the women were saying and also enjoying it more, making me smile and look like a nice and confident candidate. They asked me what I knew about the company though, couldn't really answer that one, but I just turned it around and said thats why I'm here, to learn more about you.

No Tasks.