Internal interview help

[Micnder]

I just want to start by saying I hate interviews and I am rubbish at them. Iv been in my current position for 2 years. The organisation is fairly small with about 80 employees.

An internal role recently came up in the marketing department, I applied and I have a teams interview next week with HR and the Marketing manager. I already work alongside the marketing manager dealing with some of the back end stuff on the website and creating membership marketing lists.

Please help! 😀

What kind of things do you think they will ask in an internal interview? Any tips I can draw on?

If I pass this stage then there is a second interview with the marketing manager and our senior policy director the week after.

Is there a job description and a list of essential/desired criteria? I'd add them into chatgpt (or other AI) along with a detailed prompt to ask for a list of potential questions. That might help focus you.

Then go through and think about how you'd answer the questions, being able to include your relevant experience for each area.

Or do a Google search for questions related to that area and role.

No, it was advertised internally with no job description, just the job title.

I may see if I can find a job role online that's similar and look at their criteria

I'd be wary of accepting a role with no description. They could have you doing anything.
To be successful at an internal interview though, make sure you explain your answers and give examples in the right amount of detail. Internal applicants often make the mistake of assuming the interviewer will fill in gaps because they have a preexisting relationship and end up providing weak evidence as to why they would be good for the job.

@Micnder

Research similar roles on AI.

Think about your company, for example, I work in the rail industry so we are really hot on safety so there are always safety questions.

Do you have a code of conduct, ethics etc, EDI? Look up the company's vision and get comfortable talking about it if it arises.

What big projects are they currently working on, any bigs wins previously & did you have any input that you could use as an example of your skills? Be knowledgeable about what's happening in your company.

A lot of company's use the Star technique.
Think of an issue or problem that you've had to solve.
S - situation
T - task
A - action
R - result

Motivational fit (might be called something else):
This is your opportunity to sing your own praises, always say I not we, it's about you, think of your skills, think of what you've done at work, anything that makes you stand out.

Do you have to comply with any policies, look them up.

What opportunities or risks does your company or industry face.

I think if you do your homework you'll be prepared for anything they ask.

Good luck, update us

Without a job description and person specification, you are fumbling in the dark! Could you ask for one so you can use it to prepare? If not, I would identify four of five examples of things you have done really well and work them up using the STAR technique. Then maybe a bit of a brainstorm with yourself on your strengths and areas for improvement,mwhy you want the job, and where you see your career going.

I would ask them directly for a job description, not AI. Once you have one you should be able to deduce the kinda of questions they might ask.

I'm trying not to be too outing with my replies... I asked for the job description and got it today so I can prepare.

• Lead the planning and delivery of all marketing campaigns across events, membership, education, sponsorship and policy.
• Take charge of our brand management — ensuring everything from design and tone to social media and events reflects our values and professionalism.
• Manage the email communications schedule and support the wider team in coordinating messaging across multiple channels.
• Oversee creative briefs and relationships with external design partners.
• Produce key brand materials including our annual review, policy briefings and publications.
• Support event marketing, including the design and build of our main exhibition stand.
• Maintain accurate marketing lists and data segmentation within our CRM.
• Ensure our website and digital channels showcase the latest, most engaging member content.

Lead the planning and delivery of all marketing campaigns across events, membership, education, sponsorship and policy.

I already lead/plan/create and deliver all my own marketing materials for specific events I manage and coordinate. The marketing team dont actually have anything to do with our departments materials that we campaign with.

Take charge of our brand management — ensuring everything from design and tone to social media and events reflects our values and professionalism.

I can do this, I already create posts for linkdin for my sector and email my sectors members direct making sure its the right tone/is professional and reflects the tone of the buisness.

Manage the email communications schedule and support the wider team in coordinating messaging across multiple channels.

I already manage the 'Events' Inbox, I already use another app to send emails to members that are part of our organisation.

I'm not 100% sure what they mean by communications schedule, if anyone could clarify that would be great? I already email members at certain times of the month for various reasons.

Oversee creative briefs and relationships with external design partners.

I feel like this is very similar to above. I'm also coordinate a 'committee' for my sector and we have monthly committee meeting which i create the agendas for and do the minutes after so I could manage creating 'creative briefs' and chat with external design partners.

The organisation holds conferences and I'm pretty sure this is the personalised stuff we give away on our stand! Very easy to do. I create personalised rewards for the conference I manage and set up.

Produce key brand materials including our annual review, policy briefings and publications.

Again, I feel like this is a lot of the same as above? I already put documents on the website that i create for my conference for members to see..

Support event marketing, including the design and build of our main exhibition stand.

Pretty sure this means packing the boxes for our main conference of the year, coordinating the delivery of the branded merch. I build stands for the conference I run and help out at. I go to several conferences and always set up at them the night before.

Maintain accurate marketing lists and data segmentation within our CRM.

I already maintain marketing lists and creates them on the CRM.

Ensure our website and digital channels showcase the latest, most engaging member content.

Again, already post on the company linkdin sector page and I deal with all membership aspects too.

I think I will put this all into AI and see if it could word it all much better for me! I can do the work, I'm just not very good on the spot!

Given that you hate interviews, I try and find someone who can do a mock interview with you beforehand. It will help get some of the nerves out of the way and will give you the opportunity to rehearse some of your answers. Failing that, prep some answers and practice saying them out loud.

A piece of advice for an internal interview - as someone who has sat on both sides of the table and this came as a bit of a surprise to - is to make you treat it like an external one. By which I mean don't assume they know all the points you've listed above, for the purpose of the interview (of course they do in reality).

But, for example if you don't state explictly that you create marketing lists and upload them onto the CRM, and another candidate does it will be treated in their favour.

Thank you! I will try to point out everything I do that is relevant. 😀

Looking at the pay range they are providing, I am hoping its targeted towards people making a step up and not a step down as its being advertised at the lower end of market rate for a marketing manager in my opinion.

Internal interviews are horrible. I left a job after not getting one as the feedback was inaccurate and showed me my colleague who got it lied in hers.
I've just had another one and the other person got it because it required less disruption. Definitely leaves a bad feeling so be prepared to move if you don't get it as definitely worse being rejected by your own company.

Pretend it’s external, and they only know what you tell them in the interview.

Get someone to give you practise. Worst case, find some questions and ask yourself them and then answer them out loud.

Have a ‘menu’ of topics or examples that you think would make good talking points.