Nonprofit – Director of Marketing

Position Name: Director of Marketing

Interviewer

Candidate Name

Interview Date

Introductory Questions

– Interviewer(s) share name, role, tenure, and hand business cards for thank you messages
– Share a brief overview of the company
– Give Candidate the Job Description, highlight Job Purpose, Schedule/Travel, Major Challenges & Key Decisions, and Physical Requirements

Tell us about yourself.

What type of environment do you thrive in? What type of management style do you enjoy most?

What do you know about our organization?

Transitional & Verification Questions

– Clarify any unclear information from resume or application
– Verify availability for work hours and schedule, start date, and other important details

What interests you about this role?

What interests you about working for us?

[Education Verification – example: Are you currently enrolled in a Master’s program?]

What accomplishment on your resume are you most proud of?

Will you now or at any point in the future require visa sponsorship to work for us?

Technical Questions

– Ask job related questions, based on skills and competencies needed for the role
– Ask open ended questions that allow candidates to tell a story about a specific example
– Ask 5-10 questions based on the role and how much time you have (~3-4 minutes per question)
– Listen for recent examples, details, consistency, the candidate’s role in the story, and teamwork
– Take notes and ask clarifying questions as follow-ups

How would you describe your proficiency level in [Excel as an example]?

What specific areas (related to the position) do you consider yourself the most knowledgeable? What areas have you had less experience or do not feel as comfortable with?

What has given you the greatest sense of achievement at work and why?

Behavioral / Situational Questions

– Ask job related questions, based on skills and competencies needed for the role
– Ask open ended questions that allow candidates to tell a story about a specific example
– Ask 5-10 questions based on the role and how much time you have (~3-4 minutes per question)
– Listen for recent examples, details, consistency, the candidate’s role in the story, and teamwork
– Take notes and ask clarifying questions as follow-ups. Follow up questions may include:
- Tell us more about the action you took and the outcome.
- What did you say at that point?
- How did you react to that situation?
- Explain your role in more detail.
- Tell me in detail what steps you took.
- And what was the result?
- Describe the obstacles you faced in getting it done.
- What other options did you consider?
- Why do you think you reacted as you did?
- How do you think others felt about your actions at the time?
- Were you satisfied with the outcome of your actions?
- If the same or a similar situation presented itself, what would you do differently?

Collaboration

What collaboration tools do you find the most helpful for working on team projects and why? How do you use these tools?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

When circumstances are more difficult (i.e. tight deadline, lay off, labor negotiations, pulling a team together quickly)? Walk me through an example of how you worked with others to solve those difficult circumstances.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Describe an example where you enlisted active participation of others to solve a problem.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Tell me about an experience when people outside your work group asked for your help in solving a problem or meeting an objective. What did you do? What was the result?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Communication

Describe an example of when you have been called upon to present in front of a group. How did you prepare? Was the presentation a success? How could you tell?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

How do you ensure that your writing is clear and informative? Give me a specific example.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Give me an example of a time when circumstances changed the way you needed to communicate to others. What did you do and how did you do it?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

To get our points across, we sometimes need to use differing approaches when talking with different types of people. Talk to me about a time when you have done that successfully.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Do you tend to take an observer/listener role or be an active participant in meetings? Tell me about a time when your preferred style worked well and a time when it didn’t.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Decision Making

Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision that impacted multiple people. How did you communicate that decision and how was it received?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Business Acumen

Describe a situation where you successfully articulated the value proposition of a specific aspect of the business (or a product, idea, etc.)

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Describe a decision you had to make that had a significant financial impact on the organization. How did you go about it?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Walk me through the process you use to make sure you are making sound judgments in decision making regarding expenditures?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

How do you ensure that your work and goals are aligned with corporate or strategic goals? Tell me about a time when you had to pay particular attention to this.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Adaptability

Tell me about a time when you had to deal with changes in organizational direction that impacted your work. How did you respond?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

How would you rate yourself in terms of being flexible in your style? Can you give an example of when you were flexible and when you were not? What was different about the circumstances?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Creativity/Innovation

Give me an example of how you came up with a unique and novel solution to a problem.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

What is the most innovative thing you have done in the last six months? Why did you go this direction? What was the driving business need?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Customer Focused

Tell me about a recent time when you put the customer’s needs ahead of the company’s needs. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

What does the term “internal customer service” mean to you? Tell me about a time you demonstrated excellent internal customer service.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity

How would you contribute to fostering a healthy diversity, equity, and inclusion culture within our company? What initiatives would you implement?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Give us an example about how a business process or effort was more successful because of the different points of views held by members of the team.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Integrity

Tell me about a time you were new to a company or work group. What steps did you take to build trust with coworkers and/or staff?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Discuss a time when your integrity was challenged. How did you handle it?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Have you ever made a career decision based on ethics or values? What was that decision?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Leadership

Tell me about a time when you had to inspire or energize an unmotivated individual or group. How did you do it and what was the result?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Give me an example of a piece of constructive feedback you received about your leadership style. How did you respond?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

What makes you an effective leader? Why do you think people want to work for you?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

What strategies do you use to communicate a new directive/initiative?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Managing Others

What is your approach in addressing performance issues of a staff member?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

What are the key elements to providing effective feedback? Give an example of how you have used these successfully.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Describe a situation where you needed to motivate a difficult employee? What was the outcome?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Describe your approach to hiring staff. What elements comprise this process?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Describe your management style. Tell me about a situation that exemplifies your management style.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

To get the most from your staff, describe the amount of structure, direction, and freedom you give?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

As you have grown in your career, how has your management style changed?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Teamwork/Team Building

Please give me an example of how you have contributed to the culture of previous teams.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

What role do you enjoy playing when working on a team?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

What do you believe makes a team successful?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Tell me about a time where you had to work on a project with a colleague who was not proficient in the required skillsets. How did you accommodate the project tasks accordingly?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Time Management

You’re leading a team on a highly time-sensitive project when suddenly, a colleague challenges the direction of the strategy you’re proposing. How do you address this challenge while keeping up with the timeline?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Are you better managing multiple priorities or one at a time? Tell me about a time you were successful/not successful.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

What time management tools do you use?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Relationship Building

How does one go about building rapport quickly and maintaining successful business relationships?  Give examples of how you made these work for you.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Describe a time when you removed a business obstacle for yourself or your team through deliberate relationship building efforts.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Candidate’s Questions

– Be sure to leave time for their questions, generally 1-3
– Paint a positive but honest view of the pros and cons of the work and culture

Notes

Closing Questions

– Describe where you are in the process, next steps, and when they can expect to hear back
– Ask if they have any final remarks

What is one thing I should know about you that I haven’t asked?

What do you hope to find in our organization that you don’t have now?

Interviewer Assessment

Enter your overall assessment about the candidate’s knowledge, skills, abilities, and fit for this position.

Would you recommend this candidate advance in the process?