Beyond the Buzzwords: How to Assess Candidates Beyond the Resume

At Smart Savvy, we understand the thrill of finding a resume that perfectly aligns with your job description – a dazzling display of experience, impressive titles, and quantifiable achievements. But in today’s dynamic marketing landscape, assessing candidates based solely on their CV is like judging a book by its cover. 

To truly uncover the marketing masters, the communication pros, and the creative visionaries your team needs, you need to look beyond the bullet points and dive deeper. Here are a few suggestions on how to assess marketing candidates beyond what’s listed on their resume. 

The Portfolio: Your Window into Their World

For marketing, communications, and creative roles, a strong portfolio is non-negotiable. It’s where candidates showcase their tangible work and demonstrate their skills in action. 

• + What to Look For: Don’t just admire pretty designs or clever copy. Dig into the “why” behind their work. What was the objective? What challenges did they face? What were the results? Look for variety in their projects and evidence of their ability to adapt to different brands and audiences. 

• + Beyond the “best hits”: Ask to see examples of work they’re particularly proud of and projects where they learned valuable lessons. This can reveal their self-awareness and growth mindset. 

• + Process over product: Encourage them to walk you through their creative process. How do they approach a new brief? What tools do they use? How do they collaborate? 

The Project-Based Interview: Hands-On Assessment

While traditional interviews are valuable, a project-based assessment can provide invaluable insights into a candidate’s real-world capabilities and problem-solving skills. 

• + Design a relevant challenge: Create a mini project that mirrors a typical task they’d encounter in the role. This could be drafting a social media campaign strategy, outlining content for a specific marketing channel or even a quick creative brief. 

• + Focus on the thought process: The goal isn’t necessarily a perfect deliverable (though that’s a bonus!). It’s about observing their approach, their critical thinking, and how they tackle a new problem. How do they ask clarifying questions? How do they research? How do they present their ideas? 

• + Time it wisely; Ensure the project is manageable within a reasonable timeframe (e.g., 1-2 hours) and clearly communicate expectations. 

Behavioural Interviewing: Unpacking Soft Skills and Cultural Fit

Marketing success is as much about collaboration, adaptability, and communication as it is about technical prowess. Behavioral questions help you uncover these crucial soft skills. 

• + “Tell me about a time when…”: These questions encourage candidates to share specific examples from their past experiences. For instance: 

• • > “Tell me about a time you had to pivot a marketing strategy quickly due to changing market conditions.” 

• • > “Describe a challenging situation with a stakeholder and how you resolved it.” 

• • > “Give me an example of how you measured the success of a campaign and what you learned from the results.” 

• + Listen for STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result): Encourage candidates to structure their answers using the STAR method. This helps them provide concrete details and demonstrate their impact. 

• + Gauge enthusiasm and initiative: Look for genuine passion for marketing and a proactive approach to their work. Do they talk about industry trends? Are they excited about learning new tools or strategies? 

The “Why”: Uncovering Motivation and Alignment 

Beyond skills and experience, understanding a candidate’s motivations is key to long-term success and retention. 

• + What drives them? Ask questions like: “What aspects of marketing truly excite you?” “What are you hoping to achieve in your next role?” “What kind of team environment do you thrive in?” 

• + Cultural alignment: While it’s important to avoid unconscious bias, understanding if a candidate’s values and working style align with your company culture can prevent future mismatches. Do they prefer a highly collaborative environment or more independent work? Are they comfortable with ambiguity or do they prefer clear guidelines? 

• + Future aspirations: Discuss their career goals. Do their ambitions align with potential growth paths within your organization? 

Smart, Savvy + Associates: Your Partner in Uncovering True Talent

At Smart Savvy, we specialize in going beyond the resume to find the ideal marketing, communications, and creative talent for your team. We employ these very strategies, combined with our deep industry knowledge, to present you with candidates who not only possess the right skills but also the right mindset and cultural fit.  

Don’t let a flat resume be the only lens through which you view your next marketing star. By adopting a more comprehensive and proactive assessment strategy, you’ll be well on your way to building a truly brilliant and effective marketing team. 

Ready to find your next marketing, communications, or creative superstar? Visit our website to learn more about how we can help.