Nonprofit – Marketing Specialist

Position Name: Marketing Specialist

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.

Walk us through your professional background.

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?

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

Can you tell me in general terms how your technical skills meet the requirements of this position? In which specific areas do you need to come up to speed?

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?

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?

Adaptability

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:

Analytical/Detail Orientation

Describe a task/project you completed which required a substantial attention to detail. How did you decide what to do first? What obstacles did you face? What was the final result?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

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:

Creativity/Innovation

Tell me about a project or process that you personally designed. How did you get feedback and how did you apply it?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Facilitation/Presentation

Describe the best presentation you’ve ever given and why it went so well.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

In which settings are you most comfortable in presenting? How does your style and comfort vary for large group versus small group presentations?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Learning Agility

Describe a situation when you had to get started on something but didn’t know what to do.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Results Orientation

How do you measure your work results?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Give me a specific example that demonstrates your reputation for success and quality performance.

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 could you bring to this position that other candidates could not?

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?