Hirerizz teamPerformance marketing interviews differ from company to company, but most of them test the same few things. They want to know whether you understand the numbers, whether you make sensible decisions when the data is incomplete, and whether you can explain your work to someone who is not a marketer. Preparing for those three works better than memorising a list of questions.
Know two campaigns completely
Pick two campaigns you worked on, one that went well and one that did not. For each, be ready to say:
If your work is covered by a confidentiality agreement, do not share exact figures. Use ranges, percentages or changes over time. "We cut cost per lead by about a quarter over two months" is a real answer. Interviewers know the limits employers set.
Be careful with credit. If a team produced the result, say what your part was. Interviewers often ask a follow-up about the part you named.
Explain the terms in one sentence
You will be asked to define things you use every day. Short, clear definitions show that you understand them.
Teams define these in slightly different ways. For example, some count only ad spend in CPA and others include other costs. If you are asked, give your definition and then ask how the team defines it. That shows you know they differ.
Questions to expect, and how to structure the answer
You cannot know the exact questions, but a few types come up often.
"Tell me about a campaign that did not work." Use this order: what you expected, what the data showed, what you changed, what happened next. Do not hide the failure. The question checks whether you learn from it.
"Your return on ad spend dropped sharply overnight. What do you check?" Check measurement before performance. A good order is:
- Is tracking still working, and are conversions still being recorded?
- Did anything change in budgets, bids, audiences or creative?
- Is a site or landing page problem stopping people from converting?
- Is this a normal swing, such as a weekend, a sale ending or a holiday?
- Is it a platform issue or a change in the auction?
Saying your order out loud matters more than the exact list.
"How would you split a budget between two channels?" Start with the goal. Then say you would test with a small share, set a rule for when to move money, and compare on the same measure. Say what data you would need to be confident.
"How do you work with sales or product?" Give one real example of a disagreement and how you settled it with numbers.
If you get a case task
Some interviews give you a goal and a budget and ask for a plan. A simple structure works:
- Ask what the goal is and how success is measured.
- State your assumptions out loud.
- Pick the channels and say why.
- Describe the first test, what you will measure and when you will decide.
- Say what would make you stop or change the plan.
A plan that names its own assumptions and its stop rule is stronger than a longer plan that does not.
A one week plan
- Day 1. Read the job post closely and look at the company's own ads. Ad libraries run by the large ad platforms let you see what a company is running now.
- Day 2. Write down your two campaigns using the table above.
- Day 3. Practise the terms until each takes one breath.
- Day 4. Say the "dropped overnight" answer out loud, then work through a case task with a timer.
- Day 5. Write five questions to ask them.
- Day 6. Do a mock interview with a friend. Ask them to interrupt you.
- Day 7. Rest. Check the time, the place or link, and who you are meeting.
Questions worth asking them
- What would success look like in the first 90 days?
- Which channels carry most of the budget today, and roughly how big is it?
- How do you track results, and how much do you trust the numbers?
- What is the first thing the team would like fixed?
Questions like these show how you think. They also tell you whether the job is the one the post describes. Before you get to this stage, tailor your resume to the post.
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