My favorite interview questions for end-to-end marketing candidates

This is Part III of a series focused on hiring and building marketing teams. Previous posts were about ignoring interviewing rules and how to interview marketing candidates quickly and carefully.

Interviews are artificial situations. Everyone is on their best behavior and arrives wearing a good, thick layer of armor.

I don’t care how you are on your best day. I want to know how you are on MOST days. Your goal, as an interviewer and hiring manager, is to get to the truth. You want to know how the candidate behaves and performs on a daily basis. 

That’s the version of them you’ll spend the most time with, so that’s the version of the person you want to know. 

The questions below are a start. It’s your job to read between the lines for both what’s said and unsaid. This active posture will help you get a holistic sense of the candidate’s approach, intent, skill set, and attitude.

Read More
Leadership and Management, Leveling upWes KaoLeveling up, Leadership and Management
Ignore these interviewing rules

This is Part II of a series focused on hiring and building marketing teams. Other posts are about how to interview marketing candidates quickly and carefully and my favorite interview questions for marketing candidates.

Some interviewing best practices seem written in stone.

They’re so common, and we’ve all done it this way for so long, it’s just the way interviews are done. But in my experience, some of these rules are not as useful if you have limited time or bandwidth.

So with that said, here are rules you have permission to ignore—and new frameworks that may better serve you.

Read More
Leveling up, Leadership and ManagementWes KaoLeveling up
How to interview marketing candidates quickly and carefully

This is part I of a series of posts focused on hiring marketers and building marketing teams. Other posts are about interview rules to ignore and my favorite interview questions for marketing candidates.

In my decade in-house, and now as interim CMO/Head of Marketing and as a strategic consultant to CEOs building their teams, I’ve interviewed a lot of marketing candidates. In this series, I’ll share insights and practical takeaways I’ve learned over the years that you can apply to your work too.

Read More
Leadership and ManagementWes KaoLeadership and Management, Leveling up
What didn’t exist before you built it?

Building isn't just for code or designs or products.

We need to shift our definition of who gets to say they build.

There are lots of people who build, but their output is less visible. Maybe it’s because their work is upstream. For example, a marketer thinks about how a promotional campaign would work, but a designer actually designs the creatives.

The marketer who built the plan is still a builder. The campaign wouldn’t exist without that person making sure each piece makes sense.

Read More
Leveling upWes KaoLeveling up
How to give better advice: “What kind of feedback would be most helpful?”

“So, what do you think? I’d love to get your feedback.”

A friend showed me their project.

They were in the brainstorming phase, so I tore it apart. I mean, really tore it apart. I listed reasons why it wouldn’t work, why the logic was flawed, why there wouldn’t be market demand.

I waited for them to thank me for the brilliant advice.

The only problem?

They weren’t in the brainstorming phase. They had already spent three months working on it and was finally ready to ship.

Yikes.

Read More
Leveling upWes KaoLeveling up
How to give the right amount of context

Giving the right amount of context helps teams move faster.

Too much context? Your recipient can’t tell what’s important and what they should do next. Too little context? Your recipient won’t have enough information to make an informed decision.

I find sometimes folks think they are being helpful when they just send something over. But without context or a suggested next step, it’s pretty much useless.

This begs the question: How do you give the right amount of context?

Read More
Management, High performing teamsWes KaoLeveling up, High performing teams, Management
How to on-board yourself when you join a new team

Many companies don’t have a formal on-boarding process. It’s rare to get 3-4 weeks to just absorb and meet your cross-functional team members.

You might have time for that at a bigger company. But at a growing company or smaller organization, there’s no such luxury. If you wait to have information handed to you on a silver platter, it won’t happen.

The reason you were brought on in the first place is because the team is stretched for bandwidth with their existing responsibilities. They probably couldn’t wait any longer to bring someone on, which is why they hired you.

You’ll be expected to contribute starting your first week. So how do you set yourself up for success?

Read More
Leveling up, High performing teamsWes KaoLeveling up, High performing teams, On-boarding, Management
The question behind the question

Your ability to answer questions well is a competitive advantage.

Given the number of times you are asked questions every day, this is a highly leveraged way to show your credibility.

When you think about “the question behind the question,” you'll feel more confident answering questions. And your audience will feel more satisfied with your reply.

Why the underlying question matters

First, what does “the question behind the question” mean?

Read More
Influence and PersuasionWes KaoInfluence and Persuasion