Marketing manager first-round interview questions

Marketing managers decide who to reach and how, measure what worked, and get projects out the door. These questions ask for campaigns the candidate ran, not their opinions on marketing.

The questions

1Tell me about a campaign you planned from the start. Who was it for, and why did you choose that approach?Scores: Strategy
2Describe a time you changed your marketing plan because of what you learned about your audience. What did you learn?Scores: Strategy
3Tell me about a campaign that didn't work. How did you know, and what did you do next?Scores: Measuring results
4Walk me through how you decided where to spend a limited budget. How did you judge whether it paid off?Scores: Measuring results
5Tell me about a project with a tight deadline and several people involved. How did you get it finished?Scores: Running projects

The rubric

Strategy: Chooses an audience and message for a clear reason tied to a business goal.; Listen for: A defined audience, a goal the business cared about, and a reason for the choices they made.
Measuring results: Sets out how success will be judged and changes course based on the results.; Listen for: Measures chosen in advance, honest reading of the results, and a real change in response.
Running projects: Brings people, budget and deadlines together to get work finished.; Listen for: Clear owners and priorities, problems raised early, and work delivered on time or an honest account of why not.

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