What Skills Are Employers Looking for in Digital Marketing Candidates?
There are six types of digital marketing, each requiring a similar set of skills:
Social media marketing Content marketing Search engine optimization (SEO) Search engine marketing Affiliate marketing Email marketing
For each area, the most suitable candidates have great analytical skills and are technologically savvy. The best candidates for careers in this field also have relevant degrees. If you have a background in IT or a mathematically based degree, you will suit a career in digital marketing. If you have experience working with SEO content or social media, make sure you highlight this in the interview, along with any other relevant work experience. You must also have a broad range of soft skills. Working in digital marketing requires great communications skills and the willingness to work in teams. Employers also look for cooperative candidates, as landing on the right marketing initiatives requires input from various colleagues. In short, during your interview, identify your skills in the following three areas:
Relevant education and work experience Direct and core skills: analytical abilities, SEO knowledge, design abilities Soft skills: communication, cooperation, flexibility
In this article, we will outline the top seven digital marketing interview questions you will face and offer advice on how to succeed in an interview.
Top 7 Digital Marketing Interview Questions
1. Tell Us About Your Digital Marketing Experience
This question is likely to be one of the first ones you are asked. It gives you the opportunity to outline your previous work experience. Ensure that you concentrate only on the relevant experience. A common mistake that candidates make is not thinking about their work experience beforehand and how it applies to the position on offer. Go through your resume and highlight what is most appropriate. If you have not held a position directly linked with digital marketing, try and talk about moments when you have used digital marketing skills. For example, you may have worked in retail for several years and been involved in a promotion campaign for a new brand. You can also talk about any relevant internships or volunteering positions you have held.
Sample Answer
I have also gone out of my own way to improve my social media marketing skills. I currently volunteer for a pet charity and run their social media page. Talk about where you would like to be in the next five years. You can also talk about what you intend on doing within that time. Frame your answer as a mission statement. State how a career in digital marketing matches your long-term goals. Highlight what you can bring to the world of digital marketing, including some of your previous achievements in the field. There may not be a specific moment when you realized you wanted to work in digital marketing. If this is the case, revert to your education and work experience. It is okay to discuss where you would like to be regarding education and learning opportunities. However, think about what you can specifically offer to the company. Do not be complacent. Try and describe yourself as someone who can bring value to employers.
Sample Answer
At the moment I am currently completing the final assessments of my undergraduate degree in digital marketing. This opportunity will enhance my prospects. A career in digital marketing is what I have been building towards for the past four years. They are also interested in seeing what tools you are aware of and how you use them. These do not have to be related to your work experience. For example, if you run a social media marketing campaign in your spare time, you can talk about how you use digital marketing tools for this. Do not hesitate to discuss the tools you use in detail. The more knowledge you can demonstrate, the more suitable you will come across for the role. You can also discuss how you use them to showcase your knowledge. If you have a favorite piece of software or use a Google tool like Lighthouse, spend time explaining how you use it. It is also worthwhile discussing what tools you want to learn more about. Since you are applying for a position in digital marketing, you will likely get opportunities to experiment with more tools or software packages. Relaying this information will show the interviewers your enthusiasm and willingness to learn.
Sample Answer
I also have great experience with softwares like lighthouse and ClickUp. In my current working position as an SEO assistant, I have been exposed to these tools and I use them on a daily basis. The point behind this question is to get the candidate to describe a working process. Increasing traffic to a website is an essential skill for any digital marketer. Without having this knowledge, it is unlikely that you will be able to increase a company’s profit or exposure. Identify the main procedures of driving traffic to a website and how you believe is the best way to do so, drawing on your experience. It is good to discuss alternative methods. Highlighting that you know more than one method shows your versatility. You could talk about how to keep on top of multiple social media marketing campaigns whilst outlining the best ways to create sharable content. Many processes increase activity on a website. The more you can discuss, the more impressive you will seem to the interviewer.
Sample Answer
Engaging with the public about how your business is run and how it looks gives you the best perception of the customer. You can also run online surveys and questionnaires to get quantifiable data on what is engaging and what is not worth keeping. You can answer this about a previous professional role or something you do in your spare time. The most important part of this description is the success. You must emphasize why the campaign was a success and what made it so. This may be the profit that resulted from the campaign or the increase of traffic to a certain post or URL. How you define success will be noted by the interviewer. If you are unsure why a campaign was successful, you will struggle to apply the same initiatives to the company you are hoping to join. Identify your specific input to the campaign. Highlight why it would not have been a success without your involvement. For example, talk about suggestions you made and the work you did. You can also talk about the conversations you had with team members if it was a campaign you completed at work. This will demonstrate how cooperative you are.
Sample Answer
I needed to find out what students needed to study effectively and how many hours of the day they needed to study. I ran online surveys and did empirical research to find this out. I advertised external study spaces for companies to the students and got commissions each time a student booked a study space. However, if you are specifically talking about when a campaign did not go to plan, ensure that you outline what you learned from the process. Outline exactly why the campaign was unsuccessful and what you have done since to improve, if applicable. You may have invested some time in training and revising your SEO skills, or you may have asked for extra training at work. Explain how you dealt with any criticism as well. A key skill in all positions of work is how you react to negative feedback. We all make mistakes, and we cannot get it right all the time. The important thing is that you show how you have improved since the criticism.
Sample Answer
Unfortunately, the advertising campaign did not take into consideration some fundamental elements such as the time it would take to complete commissions in comparison to the time it took to run an advertisement campaign. The exposure was good but companies would not invest in our designs because they were unsure if this was a one off design product or repetitive business. I learnt from this experience that advertising campaigns must be built more around the specifics of a product. If you are advertising to specialist companies, they want to know the specificities of a product. This is a key part of the advertisement campaign. Moving forward I have used this experience and have had success in other campaigns. It is also a question that tests your knowledge. Naming and describing some of the more popular trends will demonstrate your ability to learn and apply information. Highlight what sources you use to gather your information. You could use training courses, social media or a news outlet. Showing that you have a range of information sources will highlight your interests. When talking about a trend that is dominating the market, emphasize why it is doing so.
Sample Answer
I also keep up to date with online blogs like the MarketingDive and The Drum. I like to compare different sources of information to deduce the most innovative methods and best digital marketing software available.
Preparation
Have everything to hand before you go to the interview. Your resume, work experience and references should all be printed out. You will likely be asked to submit this information before the interview but having it on hand will allow you to quickly look over it before entering the room. Revise any key company details or digital marketing specifics that you want to bring up in the interview. Identify where you have direct digital marketing experience. Prioritize this over general experience. Put time aside in your schedule for the interview and make sure that you get plenty of rest beforehand. This will keep your mind focused and help you to think clearly about applying your digital marketing experience to the questions you are asked. Also, ensure that you are hydrated and focused. Arrive at least 10 minutes early for the interview. This will not only show your potential employer that you are punctual, but this 10-minute period is also a good time to settle any nerves.
During the Interview
Show an interest in those conducting the interview. They may not all be digital marketing experts (for example, one may be an HR representative), but you need to give a good general impression too. Maintain eye contact, express yourself clearly and be cooperative during the process. It also reflects well on you to ask questions in return. These will act as icebreakers but will allow you to find out more about the company, how they are currently using digital marketing, and how they plan to develop this area. Find an opportunity to discuss the specifics of the digital marketing position you are applying for. Ask the interviewer to outline exactly what you will be doing in the role. Try to use terms and language directly connected to digital marketing, to show your knowledge and eagerness to develop further. Always remain professional. You can be cordial and conversational, but do not become unprofessional or arrogant.
After the Interview
Firstly, give yourself an extrinsic reward for completing the interview. Get a coffee or phone a friend. Try to do something not related to digital marketing! You will likely have to wait for the results of the interview. Ensure that you have provided a contact number or email so the interviewers can reach you. Don’t be disheartened if it takes longer than you expect for them to get back to you. Digital marketing is a popular area and they may have a number of other candidates to interview. If you get the position, you can start to build your digital marketing career. However, if you are unsuccessful, try to remain positive. Ask the company about the areas where you could have shown more initiative and request constructive criticism. This will help you when applying to other digital marketing positions. Spend time on improving your skill set. This could be your technical knowledge of digital marketing or the way you present yourself during an interview. Even if you might want to forget the interview, do not be afraid to follow up with the company about research materials or relevant digital marketing courses that they may have been looking for in a candidate. An interview is an opportunity to learn and see the perspective of industry experts. Gather as much digital marketing information as you can. The next time you are in an interview, you will be better prepared and have an increased chance of landing your dream digital marketing job.
Final Thoughts
Careers in digital marketing are becoming more popular because SEO and online branding tools are key for a company’s exposure and increased profit. Getting to an interview is already a step to success, so be proud of your achievements and be confident in your abilities. Understanding what you need to say in response to these questions will help you get over the line and build a successful career.
