Campaign Manager

Baffling though it may seem, some interviewers still insist on asking silly questions, such as If you were a car, what type of car would you be and why? There are no right or wrong answers. The interviewer is simply testing your reactions under pressure to see how you will cope with the unexpected in an attempt to gain an insight into your personality and how you view yourself. Don't get hung up on the implications of what type of car you say you would be, just be mindful that you will be expected to explain your choice.

For example:

I would probably be a 1962 Alpha Romeo Spider -- classy, stylish, driven and fast off the mark

► How did that job influence your career?

► What criteria are you using to evaluate the company for which you hope to work?

► When you go on holiday, when do you pack your case?

► Describe the last time that you undertook a project that demanded a lot of initiative.

► How do you define teamwork?

► What are the major influences that encourage you to take a job?

► What's the most important thing you learned in school?

► Describe a difficult work situation and how you overcame it.

► Why did you apply for this Marketing Campaign Manager position?

► Example of a time you have placed yourself in a leadership position.

► What will you do if you don't get this position?

► What have you gained from your Marketing Campaign Manager work experiences?

► What techniques and tools do you use to keep yourself organized?

► How do you handle a heavy workload? How do you prioritize day to day tasks?

► What motivates you to do a good job?

► How do you establish good communication and information flow with others?

► What percentage of your time is spent doing each function?

► Situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise.

► Explain a time that you took initiative as Marketing Campaign Manager.

► How do you keep track of things you need to do?

► What are your expectations regarding promotions and salary increases?

► What are your most significant achievements?

► What can you do for us that someone else can't do?

► Why were you given these promotions at your present or last company?

► What new goals or objectives have you established recently?

► What did you do on your last job in order to help build teamwork?

► What were your expectations for the job and to what extent were they met?

► What type of salary are you worth and why?

► How much preparation on files for trial do you do?

► What negative thing would your last boss say about you?

► Has anything ever irritated you about people you've worked with?

► What do you see yourself doing within the first days as Campaign Manager?

► How do you feel about taking no for an answer?

► What do you like and dislike about Campaign Manager job we are discussing?

► Tell me a suggestion you have made that was implemented.

Focus on your planning and organizing skills to get the best return on the marketing budget. Detail what controls were put in place to track and stay on top of expenditure and how plans were adjusted when necessary. Discuss your ability to react quickly and accurately to meet new demands and constraints.

For interview questions about marketing failures there are several things to note about your answer:

► Do not get defensive. If you had an expectation that failed, admit it.

► Explain how you found out it failed using numerical, analytical measurements as examples.

► Describe the adjustments that you made in order to make the campaign more successful.

Interview questions about the future should be brought back to accomplishments of the past. In other words, when asked about how you would deal with possible future scenarios, refer to your past accomplishments. Your answers should focus on successful campaigns with statement such as, "While I was with company XYZ, I initiated both low cost lead generation strategies and several viral marketing campaigns, using an almost inexistent budget to boost profits by 200%."

It is important that you are able to recognize why a plan went wrong and to learn from the experience.

Your analytical and problem solving skills are under scrutiny. Campaigns often fail due to poor research and groundwork, inappropriate objectives, or ineffective communication.

Be open about why the campaign failed, avoid defensive explanations, take accountability and focus on the steps you took to prevent a repeat experience.

This is a sure sign that the interviewer likes you and is already thinking about contacting your previous employer for a reference. And this is the time when you realise how important it is to choose your referees carefully. So answer this question in the way that you would like to think your employer would respond.

For example:

I have an excellent working relationship with my manager and we have mutual respect for each other. He considers me to be hard working, dedicated, reliable and able to work well using my own initiative.

In answering this marketing manager interview question, focus on your skills in online marketing including search engine tactics and optimization, click-through advertising, writing for the Web using keywords, designing for customer usability, utilization of social media and tracking success of the online campaign.

Even if it's managing a legislative or municipal campaign, that kind of experience demonstrates that your potential hire has dealt with field, communications, and fundraising all at the same time. Excelling in a management position also shows that your potential hire has the ability to lead and maintain his or her composure while under pressure.

As you answer questions about your accomplishments with other companies, be specific. Simply stating, "I ran several online marketing campaigns" does not adequately show what you can do for the company. Better answers should resemble, "I started a social media campaign that utilized targeted advertising systems to market the company's services to youth in North America." You will also need to elaborate. Use numbers that support the campaign, such as "Within three financial quarters, sales increased by 427% and brand recognition vastly improved by 10% within the target demographic."

We've established that your potential hire needs to have coordination and leadership abilities, but this person also needs to be able to execute on a decision he or she disagrees with. No matter how great your campaign team is not everyone will agree with every decision. Whether it's the consultant or the candidate, eventually the staffer will be over-ruled, yet still have to execute. Look for a resume that doesn't just have management experience and ask potential hires how they dealt with decisions they felt were wrong.