30 marketing behavioral interview questions (+ answers to look for)

A strong marketing team contributes to your company’s bottom line by attracting new customers and re-engaging existing ones. For marketers, behavioral traits such as creativity and communication are fundamental to success.

Unfortunately, it isn’t uncommon to mis-hire candidates who are underqualified or incompatible with other team members’ personality types. Using behavioral interview questions as part of your hiring process can help you avoid this, and instead find the right fit for your open role and team.

These types of questions let you discover how candidates approached specific situations in the past and how they might perform in the future. You can zone in on the qualities most relevant to the role, whether it’s collaboration, leadership, or time management.

In this article, we cover the importance of marketing behavioral interview questions and provide 30 examples along with what makes a great response.

What are behavioral interview questions?

Behavioral interview questions assess job applicants’ skills or abilities by delving into past experiences, which can help predict future performance.

These questions use phrases such as, “Describe a situation when,” inviting candidates to explain their circumstances and actions. A great response will be coherent and well-structured while showcasing the individual’s unique behavioral approach to the specified scenario.

In marketing interviews, behavioral questions touch upon important traits including communication, time management, motivation, and values. 

Why ask behavioral questions during an interview?

Marketers need a broad set of skills and aptitudes to be successful in their roles.

Through behavioral interview questions, top candidates can prove they’ve used critical skills, traits, and qualities in past experiences. For instance, by sharing an original way of tackling a past time-management scenario can indicate that the interviewee will deliver campaigns on schedule.

Furthermore, answers to specific questions can suggest if there’s a cultural fit between your company and the candidate. For example, to find out what an individual’s values are, how they apply them at work, and if they can be trusted to make ethical decisions on behalf of your business, you could ask a question like, “Have you ever faced an ethical dilemma during a marketing project?”

Behavioral questions support you in building highly qualified marketing teams that are aligned with your company culture and values.

30 marketing behavioral interview questions and answers to look for

A comprehensive line-up of behavioral questions lets you select the ones that assess the skills and traits needed for the role and organization. For example, you can hone in on communication, prioritization, and leadership.

Here are 30 examples of behavioral interview questions you can ask marketers in interviews.

Communication behavior questions for marketers

With excellent communication skills, marketers not only collaborate effectively with their teams but also create compelling messages for their target audience.

In interviews, appraise whether your marketing candidates can:

• Clearly communicate objectives and briefs to stakeholders including colleagues and contractors

• Use a coherent, concise, and engaging communication style

• Personalize marketing messages according to audiences, channels, and objectives 

• Practice active listening to understand others’ points of view

• Adapt their communication style according to customer and team feedback 

To test communication behaviors, you can ask applicants:

1. Tell us about a time when you resolved a difficult situation through effective communication. How did you handle it?

2. Describe a time when you actively listened to a colleague or customer. What did you learn and how did it benefit your communication with them?

3. Tell us about a time when you improved a piece of written communication through multiple review rounds. Explain your process.

Collaboration behavior questions for marketers

Marketing candidates should demonstrate having used collaboration methods to perform tasks such as gathering product information, coordinating content creators, and delivering complex campaigns.

Check whether your interviewees are able to:

• Adapt their collaboration style based on team members’ personality types

• Delegate and track team tasks

• Deliver independent work within the collaborative process

• Efficiently gather the required information from collaborators

• Communicate campaign insights and analytics to appropriate stakeholders

• Follow clear processes to make collaboration more productive

• De-escalate team conflict and seek compromise

Here are some examples of collaboration behavior questions:

1. Describe an instance when you collaborated with another department on a marketing project. How did you make this interaction successful?

2. Tell us about a time when a collaboration didn’t go well. What was the issue and what would you do differently?

3. How do you balance collaboration with working independently? Can you give us an example?

Creativity behavior questions for marketers

Creativity is a substantial trait for marketers, whether their focus is content, product marketing, advertising, or other areas.

Creativity may be hard to measure, but you can start by observing how applicants communicate during interviews. Do they use language in surprising ways? Look out for examples of brainstorming, pitching innovative campaign plans, and working with collaborators to refine their ideas. 

Candidates should also be able to prioritize creative alternatives based on quality and suitability while considering practical factors such as goals, budgets, and team skillsets.

Use these questions to explore candidates’ creativity.

1. What is the creative accomplishment you’re most proud of? Tell us why it’s great.

2. Give us an example of how you combine creativity with analytical ability.

3. Tell us about a time you used creativity in a marketing activity. Walk us through your process.

Leadership behavior questions for marketers

Your marketing candidates should possess leadership qualities to plan and execute campaigns, coordinate staff members, and inspire their team to become more customer-centric.

In your interviews, pay attention to examples where your applicants:

• Took calculated risks and evaluated the outcomes 

• Learned quickly from their mistakes 

• Led teams firmly and decisively

• Used strategic thinking to build high-level marketing plans

• Equipped teams with the necessary skills and resources to deliver projects

• Inspired and motivated others

• Pitched marketing objectives persuasively to senior management

  

You can ask the following questions to determine leadership qualities:

1. Tell us about a time when you took leadership over a project without having to be asked. Why did you do it and what were your first steps?

2. How would you describe your leadership style?

3. Describe a time when you took a big risk and it didn’t pay off. How would you do things differently?

Adaptability behavior questions for marketers

Experienced marketing professionals are quick to respond to changes in resource availability, product strategy, branding, and other circumstances.

So, in interviews, check candidates’ willingness to adapt to change, and how rapidly they can re-evaluate objectives and plans.

Also, look for in-depth examples of learning and interpreting fresh information. Bonus points if they can influence their teams' adaptability through coaching and persuasive communication.

Ask your marketing candidates these questions:

1. Tell us about a time when you had to be adaptable to achieve an objective.

2. Describe a situation where you had to learn new information quickly to make a decision.

3. How do you behave when the circumstances of a project change unexpectedly? Walk us through your process.

Attention to detail behavior questions for marketers

Attention to detail is a valuable trait when checking the quality and accuracy of marketing materials, from online ads to pamphlets and customer emails.

Observe if candidates mention examples of:

• Identifying and appraising crucial details in marketing materials, including numerical, verbal, and visual ones

• Differentiating between significant and insignificant details

• Using detail to draw insight and take appropriate action

• Finding and correcting errors efficiently to improve collateral quality 

You can check attention to detail behaviors by asking:

1. Give us an example of a time you improved a marketing outcome by being meticulous.

2. How do you consistently keep yourself alert to small details? Talk us through your methods.

Time management behavior questions for marketers

Managing time well means marketers can deliver successful campaigns and handle multiple projects simultaneously. 

Prioritize candidates who:

• Are able to plan, break down, and prioritize tasks

• Estimate task duration effectively

• Use resources such as data, processes, and team skills to meet deadlines

• Anticipate busy periods and spread out tasks to avoid workflow bottlenecks

Use these questions to evaluate a candidate’s time-management skills:

1. Tell us when you effectively handled time pressure to achieve a target.

2. How do you respond when there is unexpected time pressure added to a project? Can you provide an example?

3. Have you ever faced a deadline that your team was not fully prepared to deliver? How did you manage it?

Prioritization behavior questions for marketers

Marketers must prioritize tasks, content, campaign ideas, and more while delivering their overall objectives.

Thus, you’ll probably want to shortlist candidates who can logically rank competing priorities according to factors such as urgency, importance, and difficulty. Additionally, look for effective methods of meeting deadlines, like organizing and tracking task lists.

Assess prioritization with questions such as:

1. Have you ever had two competing deadlines? How did you use prioritization to hit them both?

2. How do you prioritize a complex list of tasks? Talk us through your process with examples.

3. Tell us about a time when you effectively prioritized high-level marketing objectives for your organization.

Motivation and values behavior questions for marketers

Marketing roles can be demanding, so a candidate’s awareness of personal motivating factors is key. For instance, compelling examples include a desire to help achieve the company’s mission, and aiming for a chief marketing officer role.

In addition, make sure interviewees show strong ethics and values. This can be evidenced in activities such as advertising products responsibly, respecting communication preferences, and adhering to data protection legislation.

You can compare candidates’ examples against your company’s values statement to ensure there’s a culture add between them and your organization. 

Here are some motivation and values questions you can use in interviews.

1. Have you ever faced an ethical dilemma during a marketing project? How did you handle it?

2. What values do you think are important for a marketing professional – and why?

3. Tell us about a time when you used your personal motivators to push through an obstacle. 

Growth potential behavior questions for marketers

If you want marketing employees to continuously develop, keep an eye out for interview answers indicating growth potential.

Take note of applicants’:

• Desire to continually improve themselves 

• Self-awareness of current skills, behaviors, and growth needs

• Examples of learning new professional skills, even when not required to

• Interest in related areas of the business, like sales or customer service

• Potential for increased responsibility

• Systematic approach to growth, including setting targets and seeking mentorship

You can ask targeted growth potential questions such as:

1. Give us an example of when you proactively learned a new skill to improve your performance in your role.

2. What do you do when your current role doesn’t challenge you anymore? Talk us through your approach.

Customer service behavior questions for marketers

While marketers normally don’t work in customer support, they may interact with clients through product inquiries, campaign feedback, or other communications.

So, check candidates’ ability to engage with customers in ways that improve retention and business reputation.

Prioritize interviewees who give examples of using customer feedback to suggest improvements in areas like product, sales, or strategy.

Applicants should also demonstrate using empathy and emotional intelligence in customer communications, plus de-escalation methods such as acknowledging customer problems and outlining the next steps.

You can assess customer service behaviors through these questions:

1. Tell us about a time when you successfully used customer feedback to improve your organization’s activities.

2. Describe a time when you solved a customer problem efficiently. Talk us through your steps.

How to roll out behavioral interviews

To get the most out of your marketing behavioral interview questions, roll them out as part of a multi-measure testing process. 

That means assessing candidates across multiple test types, including personality, cognitive ability, and job-specific skills, before proceeding to the interview stage. This way, you ensure you’re only speaking to the most qualified applicants for the role.

TestGorilla’s 300-plus test library has a sizeable collection of tests that help you assess marketing skills effectively. For example, you can use communication, attention to detail, and leadership behavioral tests to identify your strongest candidates. 

Additionally, personality tests such as the Enneagram and DISC indicate how an applicant would fit within your team. The results from these tests can be used for developing questions to ask in interviews.

Tailor your assessments to your marketing positions by adding custom questions and your own bespoke tests. You can also use TestGorilla’s one-way video interviews as an extra step before meeting your shortlisted applicants.

Combine skills testing with behavioral interview questions

Behavioral interview questions explore specific skills based on candidates’ past experiences, helping you find the best fit for your marketing role. These types of questions can help to prevent mis-hires and avoid behaviors that are incompatible with your team.

You can check your marketing applicants’ communication, attention to detail, motivation, and other behaviors, according to your business priorities. Also, you may want to tailor questions based on candidates’ personality types.

Roll out your behavioral interviews alongside pre-employment assessments aimed at marketing professionals. TestGorilla has out-of-the-box, customizable tests that help you identify top talent.

Want to find out more? Read about behavior testing in recruitment and get extra ideas from our list of 50 behavioral questions for interviews.

If you want to see our assessment platform in action, schedule a free 30-minute live demo with one of our hiring experts. Or, to learn more now, watch this pre-recorded demo on our product page.