maxi crack the marketing interview

8/11/2019 Maxi Crack the Marketing Interview

1/35

Tapan Malhotra

Complied by: Tapan Malhotra (B08057)

Source: Stanford Graduate School of Business Career Portal


2/35

Tapan Malhotra

Cracking the Marketing Interview

Agenda

What recruiters look for

Interview process

Preparation

Case questionsOverview

Marketing frameworks

Advertising Resources

AppendixSample interview questions


3/35

Tapan Malhotra

What Recruiters Look For

Recruiters are looking for demonstrated examples of thefollowing: Leadership ability

Analytical skills/problem solving capabilities

Results orientation

Teamwork Strong communications skills

Creativity

Interest in and awareness of marketing issues

Passion for the product/industry/etc.

You can draw on XLRI, professional, undergraduate andextracurricular activities to showcase your abilities

You DO need to show how your past successes andexperiences will allow you to succeed in a marketingenvironment


4/35

Tapan Malhotra

Interview ProcessOverview

Interview process typically consists of 2-3 rounds

of interviews

Interviews last between 30-45 minutes

Mix of general, behavioral and case questions Some interviewers (especially in later rounds) may

focus on a particular subject (e.g. case question,

situational questions)

Different interviewers may discuss candidates

amongst themselves, but you can repeat examples


5/35

Tapan Malhotra

Interview ProcessGeneral Questions

Many interviews will start with getting to know youquestions Tell me about yourself

Walk me through your resume

Answer this question concisely

Focus on key decisionswhy you majored in what you did, whatled you to your first job, what skills you developed and why youleft, why you decided to come to business school, why XLRI, whatyour next move is, etc.

Dont just restate your CV Talk about a common thread that leads you to a marketing position

now This is your story so make sure you know it inside and out and

be confident when you tell it

Anticipate problems and know how youre going tosteer around them


6/35

Tapan Malhotra

Interview ProcessBehavioral

Questions

Interviewers look to past demonstrated behavior to predictfuture performance

Be prepared with multiple examples for key competencies(e.g. leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, etc.)

Listen to the question and then organize your answer

according to a framework Most common is the CAR framework

Context: Describe the situation

Action: Describe what steps were taken and be specific about yourrole

Result: Relate what the result was and when possible try toquantify the impact

Most common mistake: not answering the question posedby the interviewer When in doubt, repeat it or write it down!


7/35Tapan Malhotra

Interview ProcessMarketing Questions

Many interviewers will probe your interestin and knowledge of marketing

Types of marketing questions

Structured case questionOpen-ended (Tell me about a recent product

launch that went well, and why?)

Specific aspect of the marketing mix (e.g.

critique a print ad or product) Zany question (Give me a 1 minute

commercial about yourself)


8/35Tapan Malhotra

PreparationCompany Research

Know what youre talking about! Main product lines? New vs. mature products? Who are the principal competitors? Whats happening in the

industry overall?

What are the main distribution channels? Whats driving revenuegrowth? Where might future opportunities lie?

Why do I want to go to this company? Sources of information

CRISP

Networking with XLRI alumni, etc.

Grocery stores Reliance Fresh, Spencers Retail for consumer

packaged goods Relevant channels for product/tech marketing

Analyst reports (read one or two)

Companys annual report

Company website (check for press releases)

WSJ, Business Week, WetFeet, Vaults, libraryjournals, etc.


9/35Tapan Malhotra

PreparationInterview Prep Document

Helps you organize key examples from your resume Important for the resume walk and behavioral questions

Type it and review it before your interview but DO NOTrefer to it during the interview

Organize it by question type Resume walk

Why marketing/brand/sales management

Why that specific company

Leadership, Teamwork, Initiative, Analytical Thinking, Creativity,and any additional behavioral/skill areas the company looks for

(available on company website/careers)* Use bullets

Outline your answers according to a framework

*Have 3 examples for each in CAR framework


10/35Tapan Malhotra

Case QuestionsOverview

Why Case Questions? Evaluate your ability to articulate complex thoughts

Assess strategic and analytical thinking

Evaluate your understanding of the business

Evaluate your basic understanding of marketing issues Evaluate your ability to think creatively

You can use basic case frameworks for almost allmarketing related questions

These cases tend to be different than consultinginterviews

There is not necessarily a right answer


11/35Tapan Malhotra

Case Questions Overview, Contd

Process Interviewer gives a hypothetical business situation

Step back, analyze the situation and come up with somerecommendations for how you would solve the problem

Take the interviewer through your thought process Common Mistakes

Jumping to recommendations w/o a thoughtful analysis

Throwing out marketing tactics w/o grounding them inthe situation/strategy

Weak analysis/understanding of the situation

Not taking the interviewer through your thoughtprocess


12/35Tapan Malhotra

Basic Frameworks

Analyze market opportunities3Cs Competitive analysis

Consumer analysis

Company analysis

SWOT analysis Select the Target MarketSTP

Market segmentation

Targeting

Positioning Formulate the Marketing Mix4Ps

Product

Pricing

Promotion

Placement (Distribution)


13/35Tapan Malhotra

Case Frameworks3Cs

Step 1: Think about the question in the context of the market ConsumerALWAYS START WITH THE CONSUMER What consumer insights might be driving the problem?

Is this a product that addresses a consumer need?

Company What are the companys constraints and capabilities?

financial, operational, etc.

Competition What is the competition doing?

How does the company differentiate itself from the competition?

Other Cs to consider

Customer

What challenges does the company face at retail/distribution? slotting and shelf placement

display and feature labels

Category What trends are unique to the category?

i.e. rapid new product development and/or introduction, technologyimprovements, etc.


14/35Tapan Malhotra

Case FrameworksSWOT

Strengths Always internal to the company Try to leverage the companys strengths against competitors

Weaknesses Always internal to the company

Avoid exploring areas which will expose companys weaknesses

Opportunities Always external to the company

Try to capitalize on opportunities before a competitor does

Threats Always external to the company

Try to keep in mind all the relevant threats

Use them to make alternate strategies in-case threats become reality


15/35Tapan Malhotra

Case FrameworksSTP

Step 2: Select the target market and position the product Segmentationsegments the market into distinct groups of buyers

with differing needs, characteristics, behavior, product usage, etc. Geographic segmentation

Demographics

Psychographics

Behavior Targetingthe company decides to target a group of buyers that share

common needs or characteristics Evaluate the opportunities posed by the different segments

Is there a group of buyers whose needs are not currently met?

What is the market size?

Positioning a products position is the place the product occupies inthe minds of consumers, relative to competitive products To (target market), X is the brand of (frame of reference) that

(benefit/differentiation) because (product attribute) so that (emotionalappeal)


16/35


17/35Tapan Malhotra

Advertising Questions

Interviewers may ask an advertising-relatedquestion (e.g. Give me an example of aneffective/ineffective ad)

Strategic considerations

What is the objective of the ad? Who is the target?

What is the product positioning?

Execution Does the ad achieve its communication objectives?

Does the ad appeal to the target audience?

If humor is used, does it work?

Is the ad consistent with the brand attributes?


18/35Tapan Malhotra

Appendix

Sample cases

Classic interview questions


19/35


20/35

Tapan Malhotra

Sample Cases

New Products

You are brand manager looking to introduce a new

product. Who would you need to work with?

Commodity Question Pick any product from your Messs kitchen. How

would you market that commodity?

Forecasting

Given the demographics in the India, how many Nokia

Express Music Phones do you think you could sell (in

the next quarter / in the next year / in the next 3 years) ?


21/35


22/35

Tapan Malhotra

Classic Interview Questions

Do read the list to get a sense of thegeneral themes

DO NOT try to answer every one in your

prep document or youll go crazy! Do try to pick 3-4 examples under each

category and include relevant info about

each in your prep document so you canadapt those examples to different questions


23/35

Tapan Malhotra

Classic QuestionsGeneral

What did you choose XLRI / SIP company ?

Why are you interested in marketing/ brandmanagement/ product management?

Why do you think marketing (etc.) is a good fit foryou?

Why are you interested in our company? What doyou know about it?

What would you contribute to our organization?Why should we hire you?

What personal or professional abilities are youmost proud of?


24/35

Tapan Malhotra

Classic QuestionsGeneral

What is your most significant professional

accomplishment?

Describe 1-2 of your most important personal

accomplishments. Discuss the hurdles that madethem challenging.

How do your co-workers/friends/study group

members describe you?


25/35

Tapan Malhotra

Classic QuestionsMarketing

Whats the best commercial youve seen in the last fewmonths and why? Do you believe its effective? Tell meabout an ineffective commercial. Why is it ineffective?

Name some of the most recent new products launched by a

consumer products company in the last six months. Whichone impressed you? Why? Do you believe it will besuccessful in the marketplace?

How would you describe the personality of Brand X?

What is a brand to you? Why does it matter?

Here is a print ad. Please evaluate it for me.


26/35

Tapan Malhotra

Classic QuestionsThe Company

What are our brands? What is your favorite

product in our line and why?

What have you learned about our organization?

What questions do you have about our company?

What is the most important thing you would look

for in an employer?


27/35


28/35

Tapan Malhotra

Classic QuestionsCreativity

Give me an example of a time when you had to usecreativity to solve a problem.

Describe a situation in which you developed a unique

solution to a problem.

Give me an example of some new ideas youve hadrecently.

Describe yourself as a brand.


29/35

Tapan Malhotra

Classic QuestionsAnalytical Thinking

Walk me through a situation in which you had toresearch and analyze the results for one of your

projects.

Tell me about a project where you had to do a lotof numerical or financial analysis.

Tell me about a project that best demonstratesyour analytical skills.


30/35

Tapan Malhotra

Classic QuestionsLeadership

Describe a situation in which you had a conflict w/another person and how you resolved it.

Give an example of when you successfully supervised adiverse group of people towards a difficult goal. What

skills did you use? What did you learn? Describe a situation when you had to give negative

feedback to a co-worker or team member.

All of us have been in situations where we assigned workto other people and they didnt follow through. Tell meabout a situation like that, why it happened, how youhandled it and what you learned.


31/35

Tapan Malhotra

Classic QuestionsTeamwork

Give an example of how you dealt with a bad teamsituation.

Describe a situation when you were able to buildteam spirit in a time of low morale.

Tell me about the toughest group you ever had to

work with. What made the group so tough? Whatdid you do?


32/35

Tapan Malhotra

Classic QuestionsDecision Making

Whats the most difficult decision youve ever

made? What were the consequences? What did

you learn?

Describe a situation when you had to make a

decision without all the information at hand.


33/35

Tapan Malhotra

Classic QuestionsIntegrity

Describe an ethical dilemma which youvehad to face during your career. How didyou resolve the issue?

Describe your character.

Have you ever been asked to do somethingthat wasnt right? What did you do?


34/35

Tapan Malhotra

Yet More Questions

What are the attributes of a successful marketingcampaign?

Give me a specific example of a time you solved a problemcreatively?

How do you motivate others, particularly those over whomyou have no direct authority?

Give an example of an innovative solution to a businessproblem.

Pretend today is your first day at work as a brand managerfor Brand X. What are the ten most important questionsyou would ask.

Give me a 30-second commercial about yourself.


35/35

maxi crack the marketing interview

Documents