Communication Managers are responsible for all internal and external communications including press releases, press kits, media reports, informative content, articles and marketing campaigns. Their role ensures that all messaging is clearly and consistently displaying an organization’s brands to engage their audience/customers. Communication Managers often lead marketing and public relations staff to develop, implement, monitor and assess communication strategies. Performing this role requires excellent communication skills, strong leadership and analytical skills to implement and assess communication strategies.
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Team Management
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Strategy Execution
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Content Management
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Copywriting
How to interview Communications Managers
While it might seem difficult to figure out whether a candidate will succeed as a Communications Manager in your company, a well-developed set of interview questions that tap into the core skills required to perform in a Communications Manager role will go a long way in helping you decide.
But where do you start? How do you develop a set of great interview questions?
The best interview questions come directly from a job analysis. A job analysis is an evidence-based method that focuses on assessing key features of a particular role. These features describe both the job itself (i.e., tasks, responsibilities, and performance objectives), and the characteristics required of someone to perform successfully in the job (e.g., knowledge, skills, and abilities). A job analysis forms the basis of many HR practices such as compensation, performance management, and - you guessed it - how to interview and hire candidates.
At Hireguide, we’ve done the job analysis work for you. We’ve used the method to identify a core set of skills associated with the Communications Manager role, and we’ve developed and validated a list of behavioral and situational questions with answer guides that tap directly into those core skills. And that’s not all. We’ve compiled these questions and created a Communications Manager Interview Template for you that integrates other interviewing best practices. Skills-based interviews will not only help you make higher quality and evidence-based hiring decisions, but research also shows they enhance fairness and reduce bias in your hiring process.
Example questions to ask
Question 1
Tell me about a specific experience where you managed a team to execute a strategic marketing plan. What were the key challenges you faced in the process and how did you overcome them?
Answer Tips
- Clearly identifies and describes specific challenges they faced
- Shows they can analyze challenges and collaborate with a team to overcome them
- Discusses solutions and the specific actions they took to implement them
- Monitors/tracks solutions to ensure their effectiveness
- Discusses key learnings and takeaways from past experience
Question 2
Imagine a scenario where [insert situation - e.g. a business is launching a new product]. Outline the steps you would take to write an effective press release to generate publicity.
Answer Tips
- Demonstrates knowledge and expertise in writing a press release
- Discusses the target audience, what matters to them, and how to engage them
- Defines the main business objectives and key message
- Discusses ensuring the content for the press release is newsworthy
- Discusses timing, format, channels and outreach
Question 3
If you were leading a new project, tell me about what you would do to design and implement a work strategy for the team. Which technologies/digital tools you would use to support your goals?
Answer Tips
- Uses SMART goals to break work into smaller tasks and monitor progress
- Allocates roles and responsibilities according to team members' expertise
- Solicits feedback on progress and strategy from team members
- Uses specific technology/tool to plan, allocate, and monitor work and progress
- Exhibits a systematic approach/structured thinking in their response
