Our fave job interview questions for communicators
Written by katie test davis
Whoof, it's a busy hiring market for communications and public relations peeps right now.
If you're seeing turnover in your communications department, you're not alone.
I'm getting calls left and right asking if we serve as interim communications director (yes – we've got a whole system set up for that).
I'm also getting asked for advice on how to handle departures, including what interview questions to ask candidates for communications roles.
We strongly recommend asking behavioral interview questions that help us understand a candidate’s experience. Instead of asking about how a candidate would handle a task, ask them about a time in the past when they DID handle that task – and then probe for more information about their experience.
So for example, if you want to know how a candidate would handle a troll on Facebook, ask them to tell you about a time when they had to manage negative social media comments. Make sure they describe the scenario in full. We like to use the STAR acronym here (Situation, Task, Action, Result) so you get the full picture. Read more about the STAR approach in this resource from MIT.
Here are a few of our favorite interview questions to ask potential teammates:
Tell me about a time that you told a story (written, video or other) that supported your organization’s goals. What was the story and how did you create it?
Targeted behavior: can align the story to an organization’s overarching goals, builds rapport with subjects, crafts a thoughtful narrative, conveys emotion/tugs on heartstrings, tells stories with a strengths-based approach that empowers partners and clients, shares end product far and wide.
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Describe a project you recently managed. How did you keep it on track? How did you handle the different approval rounds and team members? What was the outcome?
Targeted behavior: works successfully and cooperatively with others, establishes and maintains positive working relationships, gives and seeks feedback, expresses ideas clearly and openly using all channels to communicate information.
Describe a time when you coordinated several projects at the same time. How did you juggle all the projects? How did you keep track of what needed to be done on each one?
Targeted behavior: responsiveness to internal and external customer needs, commits to and delivers a timely response, builds and maintains a strong rapport with internal and external customers and takes responsibility for customer satisfaction.
Give me an example of a time when you had to go above and beyond to achieve a goal.
Targeted behavior: responsiveness to internal and external customer needs, commits to and delivers a timely response, builds and maintains a strong rapport with internal and external customers and takes responsibility for customer satisfaction.
Tell me about a time you had to pitch a “blah” or boring story to a reporter. How did you handle it? What was the result?
Targeted behavior: ability to find newsworthiness, creativity, innovative thinking, reporter selection and, if applicable, ability to manage with influence and push back.
How have your past experiences prepared you to be effective at an organization and in a role that is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging as a core value? Can you share an example of how that has played out in your communications and outreach work?
Targeted behavior: words and actions demonstrate a commitment to diversity as an important value, accurately identifies an area where a process, project, or product can be improved to be more equitable and inclusive, checks for bias of self and others, committed to ongoing learning.
What is the most recent communications crisis you were asked to manage? What was the situation, and how did you handle it? What was the outcome?
Targeted behavior: good project planning, ability to stay calm and focused under stress, works with speed and precision to deliver a timely response, displays flexibility, anticipates road blocks, ability to be reflective.
For more where those came from, we’ve created a sample interview guide you can use as a jumping off point for your interviews. We customize this guide for our clients when we’re hired to help them interview and select communications candidates, so it’s already road-tested!
We know it’s never easy when a colleague leaves, but with these questions and the interview guide, we’re sure that you’re going to find a great new teammate to help your organization thrive.
There’s plenty of exciting times ahead for you, friend! You’ve got this.
