Basic Interview Tips:
- It’s okay to be overdressed. Showing up in a suit shows respect for the process. I’d give more weight to a candidate who took the time to put on a suit for an interview rather than show up in a t-shirt. This isn’t going to make or break the interview, but it might earn you a couple of extra points. You’re always better off overdressed than under-dressed.
- Always bring at least a pad and paper to an interview – preferably with some notes/questions jotted down and actually use it to take notes – so you can ask insightful questions later.
- Always have (insightful) questions to ask during an interview.
- A job interview is as much for you to interview your potential future employers as it is for them to interview you. Not asking questions can lead to a bad employment experience down the road.
There are a lot of general questions you can ask about company culture, etc… I won’t mention those, as I want this to be specifically targeted toward marketing. Most of these questions will be tailored primarily to small businesses and start-ups, but a lot of these questions can still apply to larger companies and teams.
General Questions:
- How is success measured, for this position?
- What are a couple of the bigger challenges the agency/company is currently facing?
- What would you like to see me accomplish in the first 30 days? 90 days?
- Can you briefly outline your sales cycle?
- What is your management style?
- What kind of content has been produced and which have you found to be the most effective?
- Which marketing channels are you currently using to promote the brand?
- What are some recent successes achieved by marketing?
- How many leads did your team generate this year?
- How is reporting done currently? Which tools are used for reporting?
- Which website platform are you using?
- Is marketing automation in place? Have you found success using it?
- What, if anything, would you like to see done differently with regard to the sales/marketing relationship?
And, of course, the closing questions:
- I feel that I may be a good fit for this position and am interested in pursuing this opportunity, what do you think?
If “no” or “we’ll give it some thought and get back to you”, I can ask “What about my experience gives you pause?” You can learn some important lessons for future interviews this way.
If “yes”, I can ask “Excellent, what are the next steps?”
Never forget this piece at the end. You want to make sure that you schedule a follow-up interview here, or at least prompt action on the interviewer’s part to do so in the near future.
Follow Up:
I always follow up an interview with an email and thank the person who interviewed me for their time and remind them that I am excited to continue the process.
Thanks for reading,
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