When you are contacted by a recruiter who’s reaching out to schedule a job interview, you might feel a surge of excitement—along with some nerves. It’s normal to feel a bit apprehensive about the interview process. If you have a better idea of what to expect, however, it can help you feel more confident and prepared. This reading will help you understand how the interview process typically works in the field of digital marketing and e-commerce. Although the interview process can vary widely from one company to another, the process covered in this reading is fairly common in the industry.
Getting contacted by a recruiter
After you apply for jobs, you may receive a call, email, or message from a recruiter expressing interest in your application and asking to schedule a call or meeting. It’s a good idea to reply to this message as soon as possible—preferably within 24 hours—to show that you are responsive and interested in the position.
Preliminary interview
In most cases, the first step in the interview process is a preliminary interview—sometimes called a screening. This usually involves a conversation with a recruiter over the phone, in person, or on a video call.
The preliminary interview is typically shorter than a regular interview and might only last 20 or 30 minutes. The recruiter will share information about the company and the job opening. Then they’ll ask you questions to help them get to know you better and understand your experience and skills. The recruiter will also hold time for you to ask questions about the job. It’s a good idea to have questions prepared beforehand since asking questions helps demonstrate your interest in the position. You might also think of more questions to ask during the interview.
At the end of the preliminary interview, the recruiter will thank you for your time and usually let you know the next steps. If they don’t mention the next steps, feel free to ask. You can also take this opportunity to thank the recruiter for meeting with you and express your interest in the position.
After the interview, send a thank-you note to the recruiter within 24 hours. Email is often the best way to do this. Express your gratitude for their time and briefly restate why you would be a good fit for the position.
Additional interviews
Once you’ve passed the preliminary interview stage, you may be invited for another interview. This interview is typically with the hiring manager, the employee in charge of deciding who will be hired. You may also meet with other individuals on the team, or other managers within the department, in a group interview.
This interview is often longer than the preliminary interview. It could be in person, over the phone, or on a video call.
The interview usually opens with introductions and a brief description of the company and job position. Then, the interviewer will ask you questions about your background, skills, experience, and how you work. Next, you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions about the company, the role, and job expectations.
Finally, you’ll hear about next steps and thank everyone for their time as the interview comes to an end.
There may be multiple rounds of interviews, depending on how the company’s interview process works. These additional interviews could be longer, include future teammates or other employees at the company, and feature questions that take more time and thought to answer.
As with the preliminary interview, send a thank you note to the people you interviewed with after each round of interviews. Your thank you note can also be an opportunity to follow up on anything discussed in the interview, such as highlighting a project you worked on, or anything you wish you’d said during the interview but didn’t think of until later.
Final offer
Now comes the exciting part: receiving a job offer from one or more of the companies you interviewed with. The company may reach out to you by phone or email. After the company extends their initial offer, you can negotiate salary or benefits. When the company provides their final offer, you’ll need to decide whether or not to accept it. Feel free to ask for a day or two to make your decision, but let the company know as soon as you’ve decided.
Building perseverance
If the company lets you know that you didn’t get the job, take a moment to process the emotions you might feel. If you’d like, you can let the company know that you appreciate the opportunity to have interviewed and that you’d be interested in any future roles that might be a good fit. You can also ask for feedback on what you could do better next time. Although you might not receive a reply, it demonstrates that you are eager to learn and grow.
Key takeaways
Interviews are a great opportunity to learn more about a job position and the company you’d be working for. By preparing for the interview process and continuing to persevere in your job search, you’ll be well on your way to building a career in digital marketing and e-commerce.
Prepare for interviews at different types of companies
You have been exploring the interview process in digital marketing and e-commerce. You have also been learning about the types of research that will help you prepare for interviews in these fields. As we’ve discussed, no two companies are alike, so you will need to research each company with which you interview. As part of your research, you should learn the size of the company and how long it has been in business. This is because the interview process at larger, more-established companies can differ greatly from that of smaller companies and start-ups. In this reading, we will discuss the common differences between interviews at these types of companies. Knowing these differences can help you prepare and know what to expect, which can ultimately help you make a great impression.
Who conducts the interview
Established companies often have well-developed human resources (HR) departments. Interviews at these companies are likely to be designed or conducted by experienced HR professionals. The application process might involve a series of interviews—from a preliminary interview with an HR associate to interviews with potential teammates to an interview with the actual manager you would work for if you were hired.
Startups and smaller companies, however, may not have an HR department at all. Applicants are likely to be interviewed by someone high up in the company, such as senior leadership or the CEO. Startups are also unlikely to require as many rounds of interviews as larger companies due to limited resources and time constraints.
Structure of the interview
Interviewers at established companies will usually ask questions that relate to your technical skills and competence level. These companies want to determine if you will fit well into the available position. The interviewers will generally ask you a series of common interview questions about your experience, training, and how your past roles have prepared you for a position in a company of their size.
At startups and smaller companies, on the other hand, the interviewer may ask a few questions and then allow you to steer the interview’s direction. Interviewers at smaller companies may also pay more attention to your ability to fit into the company culture. Additionally, since these businesses often require that people perform their jobs with less supervision than at more established companies, they tend to seek employees who are independent and proactive. Being able to actively drive the conversation with your own ideas can help display these qualities.
Expectations for the role
The interviewer’s expectations for the role might differ based on the company’s size, and you will need to emphasize different competencies based on these expectations. At a small company, for example, you may be expected to take on many roles—perhaps acting as the entire marketing department. At a larger company, you might be asked to mostly perform one task that you do exceptionally well on many projects.
At a larger company, there may be more established processes to follow, and you may often need to get approval from stakeholders to move forward on tasks. At a smaller company, you might have fewer approvals processes to navigate, but you will need to be able to execute tasks with little guidance.
One way you can demonstrate these different competencies is in the way you respond to behavioral interview questions. These are types of questions that require you to share a time when you were faced with a particular situation or had to use a certain skill. In an upcoming activity, you will practice a strategy for responding to these types of questions.
Length of the process
Established organizations may require you to go through several interviews before making you a job offer. They do this because they can generally afford to take time to find the best fit for the role. These companies may take three weeks or more to screen and interview applicants.
Startups tend to have a much quicker interview-to-hire process—generally around two weeks. Because people higher up in the company conduct the interviews and make the hiring decisions, not as many rounds of interviews are typically required. Additionally, since smaller companies and startups may have fewer employees available to get the work done, they often aim to fill open positions quickly.
Level of formality
Interviews at established companies tend to be more formal and structured than interviews at startups. Since the interviewers generally want to assess all the applicants on the same basic criteria, the process can seem somewhat conventional. Your behavior, dress, and the language you use is generally expected to be more formal in interviews at these companies.
Interviews at startups tend to be more casual. The structure of the interview is looser, and the dress, behavior, and language you are expected to use may be less formal, as well.
Key takeaways
The norms discussed in this reading can vary from industry to industry and company to company, so be sure to research the specific company you are interviewing for ahead of time to learn what to expect. This will prepare you for the different aspects of the interview, such as what to wear and the kind of questions you may be asked. But regardless of the company’s size or how long they have been in business, you should always be prepared to share your qualifications and skills, convey what you know about the company and the role, and describe why you would be an excellent fit for the position.