What are the best and most common B2B marketing interview questions to ask or prepare for?

Landing a great B2B marketing role, or hiring a star B2B marketer into your business, comes with its challenges.

And one key challenge is the interview itself.

For employers, and any interviewer, it can be tricky to assess what a marketer is going to be like doing the job. And of course, making the wrong hire can be expensive and demoralising.

On the flip side, B2B marketers have to trust what a company is saying about the job, its culture, and its vision. Unfortunately too often candidates end up taking jobs which don’t work out.

So in this guide, we’ve put together a list of the most common B2B marketing interview questions.

And you can use this guide in a couple of ways;

1. If you’re searching for a new B2B marketing job, then these types of questions are likely to come up. Use them to prepare for an ace your interview!
2. If you’re hiring a B2B marketer, then there are questions to help you assess the skills and attributes of the people you’re meeting. Use them to help you hire people who are the best fit for your particular needs.

B2B Marketing Interview Questions By Type

Within most marketing interviews, an interviewer will ask either competency-based or behavioural-based questions.

Competency-Based Interview Questions

Competency-based interview questions are those which assess whether the interviewee has the skills required to do the job.

For B2B marketers this might include questions such as;

• Can you talk me through a time when you created and executed a successful lead generation campaign?
• Can you give me an example of a time when you had to be creative in your marketing?
• What’s the most complex B marketing project that you’ve worked on and how did you approach it?

🎥 Check out the video below for advice on how to answer competency based interview questions.

Behavioural-Based Interview Questions

Behavioural interview questions are those which ask candidates to give examples of their previous experiences and describe how they behaved in those situations.

For B2B marketers this might include questions such as;

• Can you give me an example of a time when you had to solve a difficult problem?
• Tell me about a time when you had to manage a difficult stakeholder?
• We all have times when we’re under pressure at work. Tell me about a time when you felt under pressure and how you coped with it.
• Describe a time when you had to go above and beyond to get a result.
• B2B marketing can be challenging and sometimes things don’t go according to plan. Tell me about a time when your plans didn’t work out and how you coped with it.

These are just some examples of B2B marketing behavioural and competency-based questions. Of course, the specific questions will depend on the company, team and role but if you’re a job seeker it’s important to remember that these questions can be prepared for.

And these structured interviews are more commonly used by HR Managers.

🎥 Check out the video below for advice on how to answer behavioural based interview questions.

B2B Marketing Interview Questions By Discipline

Whether you’re interviewing for or hiring for a B2B marketing role, then there are specific and common interview questions for the different types of B2B marketing jobs.

If you’re a CMO, Founder or employer, it might be the case that your knowledge doesn’t cover some of the areas you’re looking to recruit for. In recent years B2B marketing has become more fragmented and specialised, so it’s key to ask the right types of interview questions to assess someone’s skills.

And for job seekers, the same applies. The key to doing well in your interview is preparing properly and there are specific questions you’ll be asked depending on what sort of B2B marketer you are.

Check out the blogs below for advice on how to answer the questions you’re likely to get.

Demand Generation

Product Marketing

Content Marketing

Marketing Operations

Account Based Marketing

Digital Marketing

Common Marketing Interview Questions

The questions below are common across all jobs and are orientated towards helping candidates prepare for their interviews. Some of them may seem fairly straightforward, but it’s easy in the heat of an interview to give an answer that doesn’t satisfy the employer.

What’s your weakness?

A real banana skin of a question. Yes, we all have weaknesses, but how do you describe those to an employer in a way that’s authentic and honest, without jeopardising your chances of getting the job?

How should you explain redundancy?

First of all, it’s worth remembering that you haven’t been made redundant, your job has. It’s a subtle difference but so true. However, a concern some candidates have about being made redundant is how a potential employer views it.

Do they think you’ve failed? So we talk you through how to answer this question to counter any concerns an employer might have about your redundancy.

Tell me about yourself…

This is one of the most viewed questions on our YouTube channel with over 10K views so far. And for good reason.

Because it’s easy to get this question wrong and hamper your chances of getting the job in the first few minutes. It’s particularly tricky because it’s so ambiguous. Does the employer want to know about you, your way of working, your skills…where on earth do you start.

So we give you a simple framework for answering this question that helps you take control and give the employer what they want to hear.

What salary are you looking for?

Another very popular video on our YouTube channel and for good reason. Because whether you know it or not, this is the start of a salary negotiation. And what you say next is critical to you getting the salary you’re worth.

Sadly, some companies still try and lowball people with offers well below what they’re worth. So check out our tips to help you get exactly what you want.

Why are you looking for a new marketing job?

This question may seem very straightforward. However, it’s another banana skin. Because the temptation is to ramble and before you know it you’ve said something that doesn’t quite fit with what the employer is offering and it’s game over.

So it’s important to give a succinct answer and we talk you through everything below.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

If only we all had a crystal ball! But this is still a fairly common question in a job interview. And the delicate balance in this answer is showing ambition but not too much that the employer thinks you’re going to want to take over the world next week!

I joke. But you know what I mean. As with all these questions, you must be open and honest. If you’re looking to become a Head of Marketing fairly quickly and the company you are interviewing for won’t be able to offer that, then it’s worth knowing where each other stands.

B2B Marketing Interview Questions By Stage

Depending on what stage your interview is at, will depend on the types of questions you want to ask.

First Interview

Understandably, if you’re a candidate at first interview stage the temptation is to focus your questions on what’s important to you. That could be things like work flexibility, career prospects, benefits etc.

And those are super important to find out, but in the video I explain what your questions need to be orientated around.

2nd Stage / Final Interview

In a second interview you’re going to find that things go into a lot more detail. And this is where the emphasis changes slightly from what the company is looking to discuss to you being able to take the floor and ask the questions that are important to you.

Check out our blog where we’ve listed some recommendations.

2nd Interview Presentation

As part of a second interview it’s not uncommon the have to deliver a presentation, and we discuss some high level tips to help you.

To Wrap Up

Hopefully, this has given you some helpful B2B marketing interview questions and answers that will help you in your job search, or when you’re looking to hire into your team.

Ready to hire? Dive straight in and  book a call  with our specialist B2B marketing recruiters – we focus on supporting B2B tech & SaaS companies in London.

Ready to find a new job? Go ahead and  book a call  with our specialist B2B marketing recruiters – we can give you advice on salaries, CVs and a lot more.