A strong marketing manager must know how to effectively lead and manage a team with varying knowledge and skill sets. Furthermore, a talented marketing professional should know how to ask the right questions and apply knowledge (both technical and interpersonal) to unfamiliar situations. Here are some key marketing manager interview questions for your potential candidates.
Top 6 Marketing Manager Interview Questions
How do you manage a new product launch?
This question will showcase the candidate’s knowledge regarding the inner-workings of the industry, as well as their ability to turn an idea into reality. Their knowledge should be detail-oriented and thorough, and their execution skills extraordinary. If they provide examples of past work, it’ll allow you to see specifically how they operate within an organization. A candidate should be able to effectively visualize the process – assembling the right teams to carrying out the work, crunching numbers, and figuring out next steps after a product launch.
How do you keep up with constantly evolving market trends?
A quality candidate’s answer can help indicate their long-term potential at your company. In order for the company to grow and evolve, a marketing candidate must adapt and innovate. It’s especially true in such a rapidly changing technological landscape. How up to speed is the interviewee on marketing trends? (Keep reading for a closer look at this tech topic to cover in the interview.) Their creativity and marketing sense is what can potentially make or break the longevity of a team. How thoroughly has the candidate researched your specific industry or niche? What do the numbers say?
You’re tasked with rebuilding the company brand. How do you go about doing it?
A strong marketing manager should have the foresight to see a company’s current trajectory. Does the candidate know how to take the business in the best possible direction? Ask the candidate to share one or two things they would change about your company (or even its online presence) based on prior research. They should have thoroughly looked into your company’s history, products or services, and teams. Can the candidate provide an example from a prior role in which their contribution to the brand garnered positive or negative reactions? Also, does the candidate demonstrate a history of working together with other team members — or simply solo — to complete a major project? (Be sure to conduct reference checks after the interview to confirm their claims).
How do you guide those who do not report to you?
First of all, a candidate should express a desire to collaborate and even perhaps mentor entry-level employees to encourage growth with the company. Second, it’s not enough to simply sit around waiting for others to pick up the slack on a marketing team. Rather, the marketing manager must be proactive and capable of developing relationships with people outside of their immediate team. Can the candidate demonstrate how they led their own team in addition to employees who didn’t directly report to them in the past? You’re looking to find whether or not the candidate can successfully collaborate with and be a voice of leadership for other departments outside of their team.
How do you stay up to date with the latest marketing technology?
A marketing manager must be able to keep up with the different forms of media and technology that surface. You might follow this question by asking the candidate to name specific industry publications they follow. What are their technical qualifications? Although it’s crucial to go beyond the resume, you don’t want to face a skills gap after hiring someone who’s not well-versed in the online sphere.
Describe a time when you had to deal with conflict within your team. How did you handle the situation?
In addition to having market foresight and being tech savvy, a potential candidate should possess strong interpersonal skills. The candidate’s answer will provide insight to how they deal with people. It also sheds light on what they have learned in their previous experiences with how to handle tricky situations. Was there a time where the candidate faced criticism for an idea they presented to the team? What happened? Ask the candidate specific tips that must be taken to get to the root of the issue. Was there a positive outcome? (Are they willing to terminate the employment of a team member if necessary?)
Using these marketing manager interview questions, you can determine whether a candidate vying for the role could be a good fit for your company.
What other marketing manager interview questions and answers would you add to this list? Let us know! Contact TruPath today for any hiring help you may need.
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