Interviews are unfortunately part of life and as we progress through our careers; We can pretty much guarantee we will have to endure at least one. Yes I said endure – I don’t know how anyone can enjoy them! I thought I would share with you guys my experience of my first interview for a digital marketing role.
For context, I had already had many interviews before this, for part time jobs, moving schools etc… This job was an internship that I found through the University of Derby’s careers and employment service. The organisation was a small shop in a village outside of Derby that sold Fair Trade clothing. I really wanted the job and was really passionate about what they were doing. In the end, I didn’t actually get the job but I did have a phone conversation afterwards discussing how the interview went.
I was so nervous for the interview but when I got there, it was a lot less formal than I expected. It was in one of the rooms of his quirky shop with two chairs pulled together. Thankfully nothing too intimidating!
What Went Well
Preparation
The first thing that went well was the fact that I prepared. I had used some of the University’s resources to practice interview questions they could potentially ask and I did lots of research about the company, what they did, the sorts of products they sold and the tone and personality behind the organisation. I already knew that they weren’t a serious, corporate company where everyone wore a suit. When I later asked for feedback on the interview, my interviewer told me that he liked that I had questions to ask and that I knew what they actually did.
Interest
Another thing I think translated in the interview was my genuine interest in the products and the role. The company was very unique with out-there products and an interesting store and the concept behind the Fair Trade clothing company really resonated with me. Again,I learnt from the feedback that this apparently showed in my interview.
A Passion For And Knowledge Of Digital Marketing
This was not something that I actually received feedback on but something I personally feel helped me massively in the interview. I am passionate about digital marketing and I have a lot to say on the topic. This helped me so much when answering the questions I was asked which you can read some more about down below.
What Sort of Questions Did They Ask?
I thought it might be useful to share some of the interview questions down below. This company was by no means a marketing agency and the marketing team consisted of just the business owner. I wouldn’t take these questions as a guide for every digital marketing role but I thought sharing them might be useful just to get you thinking.
- Have you seen our social media? What do you think?
- What about our website, what do you think?
- What social media platforms do you think we should be considering?
- Pick up any item in the room, how would you go about marketing this?
- What experience do you have in marketing?
- What is your favourite part of digital marketing?
What I learnt
Overall it was a positive experience and I am really grateful for the interviewer for making it as relaxed as possible. Unfortunately however, I didn’t get the job. When he told me, he also said he would be happy to give me feedback on the interview so I later called him asking for feedback which is why I wanted to share this post with you. Some of the key things I learnt from this interview were:
Ask For Feedback On The Interview
I am very grateful for having done this and getting feedback on how it went. I can then take forward this knowledge into future interviews and learn from what went well and what went not so well. Even if you get the job, I think its a great idea for future reference. That could be for interviews for future jobs or a promotion.
Preparation Is Essential
When I asked for feedback, the interviewer actually said the interview went really well and it was difficult to decide between me and one other candidate. The reason the other candidate got the role over me was because of how prepared they were. They picked up on numerous things about the company such as their multiple Facebook Pages. Although I was prepared and had comments to make on their social media and website, they seemed to have done that slight bit more research than me which is what gave them the edge. I found this really interesting to know because I will absolutely be going into every interview from now on with a wealth of knowledge and thoughts about the organisation.
Although it wasn’t the outcome I was hoping for, it was a good experience nonetheless.
I hope you have found today’s post interesting and potentially helpful for your next interview. Have a good day.
