Communications Specialist

I believe that organization is key, so first and foremost I make sure to keep each account separate and all paperwork in order. Second, each day I evaluate my workload and order it according to overall priority. I also understand the importance of utilizing my team, and I delegate work out to different members. However, I am also careful not to put my work off on others, but I make sure they are completely prepared to complete the work and help out whenever possible.

This question illustrates the candidate's ability to handle crisis situations.

I have a few different skills that I utilize, but listening and communicating are the most critical. You not only need to be a good speaker, you also need to be able to listen to be able to fully understand an issue and to be able to properly articulate it to others. Problem solving is also an important skill I utilize in my efforts. I have found that when I am able to resolve smaller issues myself, it frees up the team to be able to focus on greater issues and ultimately helps to increase efficiency in completion of the project.

You’ve probably have asked and been asked this question as it is such a good way to understand a candidate. It zeros in on the S-T-A-R components: Situation, Task, Action and Result of what a person feels was their most productive achievement. Get a feeling of their performance level, what they consider to be significant and how active they were in actually achieving it.

This question illustrates the candidate’s ability to multitask and prioritize tasks. It also illustrates how the candidate works under pressure.

Without disclosing any confidential information, this question showcases the candidate’s expertise in pinpointing what data is valuable and how to come to those conclusions. Their role will be to predict how a product or service is going to perform in a marketplace, so it’s important that they understand what data to focus on and how to present those findings to less analytical counterparts.

This is a professional way of asking, ‘what happens when you don’t get what you want?’ and it’s exceptionally telling. Determine if this person is an emotional decision maker or a calculated one.See if they prefer to fix the mistake on their own or consult the team, and who they blame when things go wrong. This should be a go-to marketing interview question because things often don’t go to plan, and you want a strong group of people equipped to push through those challenges.

This question has been known to come up in as a brain-teaser. There’s no right or wrong answer per se, but pay attention to the motivations behind their answer. There's nothing inherently wrong with buying $10,000 worth of chocolate Easter bunnies, but there better be a good reason for it!

The first time I was asked this question, it really threw me off. For a split second, I wasn’t sure what angle to take or if the interviewer was expecting me to belt out my whole life story. That’s the point. This open-ended question automatically puts the candidate in defensive mode.

You’ll learn firsthand how your candidate reacts under pressure and how well they can articulate on their feet. Everything else you gain from this question is a bonus, and can range from what someone wants out of their career to how they explain their transitions between past roles. Ask follow up questions accordingly.

I am completely comfortable working with individuals with diverse backgrounds. Through my past positions I have worked with people of different cultures as well as different work experiences. Each individual is able to bring something unique to the table, which is a great help in creating new and dynamic campaigns. Also, people’s backgrounds help to develop their motives, and those motives help to drive the individual’s work performances. I have learned that when I understand and respect these factors, they can be used to advance the vision of the project.

☛ If you get hired, initially what will be your major focus areas?

☛ What would you do when there is a disagreement with a PR manager about a campaign?

☛ Say, during an event, a conflict creates between one of your executives and a visitor, how would you handle the situation?

☛ What types of challenges do you face when responding to the inquiries of reporters?

☛ How does your background make you a good fit for the role?

☛ What media outlets do you follow?

☛ What’s your experience organizing events?

☛ What are elements of interactive public relations?

☛ Describe how you use social media for corporate communications

☛ Are you familiar with our PR efforts? What would you change?

☛ What do you know about our products/firm? Why do you want to work here?

☛ How is content important for communications?

☛ What are things you should consider when planning a press conference?

☛ What methods can you use for effective internal communications?

☛ Why do you think you are a perfect candidate for the job role?

☛ Name the media outlets you follow and why?

☛ Share about your experience of organizing events.

☛ Name the key elements of interactive public relations.

☛ How do you use social media for corporate communications?

☛ Do you know about our PR efforts? Suggest a few changes.

☛ Describe our firm/products. Why do you want to work with our company?

☛ How important is content for communication

☛ What things do you keep in mind or consider when planning a press conference?

☛ What methods do you use to establish effective internal communication

☛ Tell me about a time when you successfully used your crisis management skills.

☛ What is the most challenging PR problem you have ever faced? How did you come out of it

☛ Tell me about a campaign you are most proud of. What made the campaign so successful?

☛ Tell me about a time a campaign failed very badly. What have you learnt from that experience

☛ Share about a time when you had to deal with a stubborn and egoistic external stakeholder. How did you manage the things?

☛ Recall a time you successfully used your crisis management skills

☛ Have you ever had to deal with a challenging PR problem? How did you do it?

☛ Describe a time you were successful in delivering the company message to a target audience. What was the key to its success?

☛ Tell me about a time a campaign didn’t perform as well as you expected. What should you have done differently?

☛ Recall a time you had to deal with a difficult external stakeholder. How did you manage?

This question illustrates the candidate's ability to identify previous weaknesses and how situations such as these may be used as an opportunity to improve.

☛ If you were hired tomorrow, what would you focus on?

☛ Imagine you’re having a disagreement with a PR manager on a campaign. How would you resolve this?

☛ If there was a conflict between a senior executive and an external party during an event, what could you do to diffuse the situation?

☛ What do you find challenging when responding to reporters’ inquiries?

Marketing is about building relationships and trust through promotion. What a candidate does in their free time can say a lot about how they’ll relate to clients and co-workers and how they’ll present information.

It also just goes to show that they’re passionate about something. One doesn't have to write a blog, do photography or be instafamous in their spare time to be a fantastic marketer. Your perfect candidate could love spending time baking at home or playing in a jazz band, what's important is that they show they’re dedicated and passionate.

This question illustrates the candidate’s ability to resolve conflict.