7 Questions To Ask Marketers During A Job Interview

Hiring for cultural fit

Before we dive into the seven questions, let’s talk about why you might want to hire for cultural fit. The biggest reason most companies do this is retention. Retaining talent is a challenge in today’s job market. Hiring someone for their skills alone doesn’t create a bond between company and employee. It’s easy for the employee to leave since they can hone their skills somewhere else. But your company’s culture? That’s quite unique. Once you’ve found a candidate that matches your culture, they’ll have an attachment to your company and will be much less likely to leave.

At NedWorks, we call this hiring for attitude and training for skill. Our T-shaped Factory initiative helps your team grow into the professionals you need them to be. Why don’t you take a look?

7 questions to find your match

A job interview is a little different when you’re hiring for cultural fit rather than skill set. You’ve already read about the potential employee’s experience in their resume, so you know that their basic knowledge is enough to start training. But in your conversation with the possible new hire, you’re going to want to dive a little deeper…  Let’s look at our seven questions to help you find your match.

1) Can you tell me about a marketing trend or campaign that you like?

This first question kills two birds with one stone. First, it tells you how in-depth the candidate’s marketing knowledge is and how interested they are in the area. And second, it tells you if their preferences (why they like the trend or campaign) match your culture. You can also look into the brand behind the campaign or trend they’re referring to, to see if your cultures are alike. 

2) What brands do you follow on social media and why?

This tells you a lot about the types of company cultures they like. If, for instance, they follow Ferrari and Aston Martin, that might suggest something  different than if they follow Dove and Campari. Don’t forget to ask the reason why they follow these brands. It could be that it has nothing to do with culture – you don’t want to make a choice based on an assumption!

3) What motivates you?

The answers to this question can be very diverse. But what you’re looking for is information like whether or not they’re a team player, whether they come from an environment where there are lots of meetings, what they need to perform well, and so on. 

4) What are your personal interests and hobbies?

There’s already a dynamic in your current team. Do the candidate and their interests fit the team? They don’t have to have the same interests as their potential teammates of course, but a person’s interests tell you a lot about their character.

5) Which team members do you cooperate best with?

You’re not looking for names, but you want to hear roles. If they work best with the data analyst, they’re probably a different kind of person than if they work best with the creative designer. It pays to have an idea about this before taking someone on.

6) How do you respond to negative feedback?

To find a good cultural fit, it’s important that the new hire matches your way of working. For instance – if you’re a company that evaluates every project and encourages team members to openly share their struggles and ways they want to improve, you’re going to want to find somebody who enjoys that way of working too. 

7) What is your greatest accomplishment outside of work?

This tells you more about why the candidate is proud of something they have achieved than the achievement itself. Maybe they’re proud of their endurance, perfectionism, passion for their project, or something else. The answer can be very useful in understanding what they find important and inspiring.

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