A career in Sales, Marketing and PR can be lucrative, exciting and interesting for those with the right temperament. This article contains a sample of the types of interview questions you will encounter in interviews for positions such as:
Sales Executive, Sales Representative, Sales Agent Sales Advisor Sales Manager Account Manager Head of Sales.
We also include sample interview questions for Marketing and PR jobs such as Marketing Assistant, Marketing Co-Ordinator, Marketing Manager, PR Assistant and PR Manager.
Most interviews in this sector will follow a standard structure which includes, The Introduction, followed by Setting the Scene, then Exploration, Selling and finally Closure.
For entry level Sales positions you may be asked to attend an Assessment Centre where you would take part in role plays, case studies and group exercises, the results of which will determine whether you are asked to a formal interview.
You will find that many employers are now using Competency Based Interviewing techniques when recruiting for Legal jobs. For Sales positions expect Competency Based and Behavioural questions exploring competencies such as:
Core competencies required in Marketing jobs include:
For each of the above you should expect 3-4 questions along with standard questions exploring your legal training and qualifications, reasons for choosing your career and reasons for applying.
For interviews for Sales and Marketing Management positions you should expect questions exploring:
The questions will vary depending on the job, the employer and the interviewer but here is a sample of interview questions for a variety of Sales and Marketing roles. How would you answer?
* Questions taken from the InterviewGOLD™ Interview System.
So, how would you answer tough interview questions such as 'What are your weaknesses?' or 'Why should we hire you instead of the other candidates?'.
And, how confident do you feel about answering Competency Based or Behavioural questions, both very commonly used at present.
Annette Lewis is an accredited interviewer and has recruited for many organisations within Healthcare, Education, Customer Services and Banking.