Marketing interview questions - Series C+

Maria PergolinoThis article, written by Maria Pergolino, provides off-the-shelf questions and activities to use when interviewing candidates for brand, demand, or product marketing leadership positions. The questions are meant to evaluate everything from technical marketing chops to leadership and interpersonal skills, and are tailored to the size of your marketing organization. If you want to view the questions for Series A/B sized companies, please look here.

Section 1: Technical marketing skills

Messaging / brand

Example questions

• Share an example of a time you joined a more mature marketing organization (Series C+) —how did you learn the product and translate that into a unique message and brand without scrapping the brand equity already formed?
• Share some examples of how you have supported a founder's thought leadership and social media presence in the past. What were the outcomes?
  • Follow-up: Share some examples of how you have supported a founder’s internal communication (e.g., company-wide updates).
• Which of the assets you’ve created over your career has resonated most with prospects and customers? How did you know it worked, and how did you measure its success?

Example rubricElementExcellent responseBrandingProvided an example of creating a concise brand messageICPDemonstrated identification of the ideal customer profile (ICP)SegmentationShared how they tailored messages for different customer profilesDifferentiationHighlighted messaging that set the brand apart from competitorsValue creationProvided messaging that clearly communicated brand valueSocial mediaShared examples of supporting founder branding and leveraging social mediaThought leadershipProvided examples of supporting internal communication, particularly around an important inflection point (e.g., a company pivot or messaging change)

Demand generation

Example questions

• We typically sell to [insert audience], and our deal sizes are $[X]. We currently have [X] customers. What type of demand generation strategy would you recommend, and how would you begin?
  • Follow-up: Can you share an example of executing a similar strategy in the past?
• How have you reported on marketing success and demonstrated ROI in the past?
• What does a marketing tech stack look like for a company of our size? Which tools do you consider critical?
• Looking at our brand publicly (e.g., our website, analyst reports, etc.), what are some areas you think can be improved?

Example rubricElementExcellent responsePipeline motionIdentified the right model (PLG for high-volume B2B, ecommerce for high-volume B2C, ABM for high-value B2B, etc.)Digital marketingShared successful examples from digital channels (SEO/SEM, PPC, performance marketing, etc.)Event marketingProvided success stories involving event-driven strategiesEarned mediaGave examples of success with PR, analysts, and social channelsSales & marketing alignmentArticulated what strong alignment looks like, including examples and proof pointsReportingExplained how to build a marketing funnel and report on ROIOperationsOutlined a modern, AI-forward tech stack suited for Series C+-stage infrastructure

Product marketing

Example questions

• Tell me about a successful product launch. What was required, and what outcomes did you achieve?
• Describe a competitive market you’ve worked in -how did you use messaging to stand out?
• How have you used customer stories and community to amplify a brand?
• The messaging needed to attract a customer is often different from what’s needed to close them. What materials have been most helpful in each case?

Example rubricElementExcellent responseCompetitionExplained how they created differentiation and demonstrated competitor knowledgeCommunityShared how community-building supported marketing effortsCustomer storiesGave examples of using customer success stories in programsSales enablementArticulated specific enablement tools that influenced business outcomes

Section 2: Leadership and job organization

Series C+ resources

Example questions

• What approach do you take to team building, and how would you apply it here? Which roles do you believe are critical first hires?
• Our marketing budget is $[X] at $[Y] revenue and [Z] customers. What should we expect to achieve with this budget? How would you maximize its impact?

Cross-functional collaboration

Example questions

• Which C-suite team members do you typically collaborate with most? Can you share an example of a time you’ve worked closely with them?
• Tell me about a cross-functional initiative you led or contributed to in a previous company. What made it successful?

Innovation

Example questions

• Tell me about a campaign or approach you implemented that diverged from standard best practices and delivered outsized results.
• As AI transforms marketing productivity and efficiency, how have you integrated AI into your marketing strategies and execution?

Example rubric (for “Series C+ resources”, “Cross-functional collaboration”, and “Innovation” questions)ElementExcellent responseTeam buildingProvided examples of building or scaling marketing teams effectivelyC-level leadershipDemonstrated experience collaborating with executive leadership across functionsNetworkShared examples of consultants or freelance talent they've worked withResourcesDemonstrated ability to deliver results with current budget and headcountInnovationProvided innovative approaches that delivered above-average outcomesAIShowed how they use AI to enhance marketing execution or results