Marketing Manager Interview Questions and Answers

Job Description:
Marketing managers take charge of marketing, promotion, and advertising to meet business objectives. They supervise related staff and establish strategies and policies. Their work involves market research, and customer and competitor evaluation. Marketing managers are creative and initiative people, driven to improve the company by actively introducing shrewd changes based on current research.

Marketing management interview questions are intended to get an outlook on the candidate’s experience, professional skills, attributes, and motivational level. This article provides tips on answering job interview questions for marketing managers. After reading this article, refer also to the article, “Marketing Interview” for more information.

Job Interview Questions and Answers
for Marketing Managers

Question: What importance do you attach to market research in your profession? 
Answer: Market research is considered a key aspect in this role and researching is crucial for a marketing manager. Based on research, the manager decides on strategies, marketing tactics, campaigns, pricing, and promotion policies. Market research allows identifying new product trends, which allows introducing new services or products into the company product line. It also allows following recent developments and competitors.

Question: How is the marketing manager’s role related to product development?
Answer: The marketing manager evaluates the financial aspect of development. He adjusts the development with the company’s financial goals and means (budget).  He also assesses the relevance of the product to the current market. If necessary, the marketing manager suggests changes to product development in order to optimize its success among current customers.

Question: What are your qualifications as a marketing manager?
Answer: List some key qualifications and add a brief example from your professional career. Marketing managers are excellent at multitasking. They are independent problem solvers and initiative researchers. But they are also superb team players, coordinating their activities with other departments, senior management, customers, market leaders, and suppliers.

Question: What is the importance of team work in marketing management?
Answer: Teamwork is important as the marketing manager does his research and makes his strategic decisions based on external resources as well as cross company personnel. He brings his team work to perfection resulting in product development, marketing initiatives, promotion, and advertising. He must know how to explain, lead, and instruct. He must be able to understand the goals and means of the organization in order to adapt his own decisions for optimal effect.
For example, marketing strategies may influence product shape and color and vice versa.

Question: How do you participate in product development?
Answer: Talk about coordinating actions and information with the development department at every stage. Give examples of how your marketing management influences product development and vice versa.

Question: Have you ever conducted staff training or done presentations?
Answer: It may be extensive training, but you may also mention any instruction of personnel regarding your strategies, research, possible changes, new production polices, etc. Such instruction often involves presentations. Presentations are also often used when reporting to senior management.