5 Tips to Help You Ace Your Next Digital Marketing Phone Interview

If you’re like most millennials, you only answer your phone when your Postmates delivery is outside your apartment. The idea of a phone interview might leave you feeling tongue-tied. Never fear!

Whether you're a recent grad looking to make a name for yourself in digital marketing or you’re a current student on that internship grind, we’re here to help.

The first hurdle is submitting a killer resume. Make sure to review our digital marketing resume tips before applying. If you nail the resume portion, the phone interview is a common next step.

Don’t stress out over your next digital marketing phone interview. Instead of turning your cell on airplane mode, check out these 5 tips—you’ll be feeling phone-interview-ready in no time.

1) Always answer professionally

As someone who interviews many candidates on the phone, one of my pet peeves is being greeted with “Hello...?” when I call for an interview. You may not recognize the phone number, but you did know this interview was coming, right?

Answer the phone with your name so the interviewer is confident about speaking to the right person. This avoids that dreaded awkward back-and-forth and makes you feel more comfortable right away. Plus, it gives you some professionalism points in the very first seconds of the phone interview.

2) Strong communication skills make a difference

Phone interviews are often used to screen candidates for communication skills. If you’re able to charm in in-person interviews, but have trouble chatting up an interviewer on the phone, practice, practice, practice.

Make your mom pretend to interview you over the phone. (You know she’ll eat it up. Besides, you should be calling your mom more anyway.)

Ensure that you clearly communicate your relevant experience, educational background, and why you’re interested in the position. Practice answering basic interview questions in clear, concise language.

Insider tip: Make a cheat sheet of highlights you know you want to hit. Not only will this help you feel more confident in your answers, but it prevents that awful feeling you get after you’ve hung up and realized that you never mentioned that you’re Google AdWords certified.

3) Connect the dots

Whether your previous experience is bussing tables at Beatrix or interning at a major marketing agency, you should be able to connect the skills you’ve picked up to the position you’re applying for.

Here’s a rundown of how you can connect the dots:

• If you don’t have previous digital marketing work experience, highlight relevant coursework instead.
• If you already have marketing experience, be prepared to share specifics about what you learned.
• If you have previous experience with clients, sharing specific metrics around improvements that you made for them will set you apart from other candidates.
• If you don’t have any previous digital marketing experience, an analytical background and a genuine interest in learning can go a long way.

4) Social media isn’t digital marketing

Yes, you obsessively use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, but that doesn’t necessarily make you a digital marketing expert.

Learn the difference between social media marketing and digital advertising before the interview.

Our blog is a great place to launch your digital marketing education. Why not start with this foolproof guide to AdWords and Facebook conversions by our resident social advertising expert and bitmoji advocate, Eric Yarnik?

If you’re looking for more resources, the Moz blog offers excellent digital marketing primers.

5) Always, always, always ask questions

So you’ve made it through the interview questions and you think you’ve finally found your confident phone voice. Nice job!

But the interview isn’t over yet. Make sure to finish strong with a couple of well-thought-out questions. (Even if you think it’s a question that everyone asks, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t. Always ask what the company culture is like!)

Plus, a couple of unique questions indicates genuine interest and shows the interviewer that you’re thinking seriously about the role.

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If you follow these tips, you’re well on your way to passing your next digital marketing phone interview with flying colors. Looking for a job? Check out our open positions.