Communication Specialists are professionals tasked with managing information for organizations. They handle social media, press releases, public relations, media requests, and information output. This position requires a degree in communication, public relations, journalism, or any related field.
Below we outline the top 20 questions that will help you prepare for your next interview.
1. Why are You Interested in This Role?
The interviewer wants to know why you applied. Outline the reasons that drew you to the opportunity while maintaining enthusiasm. Demonstrate your interest in the position.
Sample Answer
“From the job description, my skills and experience closely match the role. I have three years of work experience in addition to a bachelor’s degree in Communications. I saw this as a requirement for the position. I see this as an opportunity to grow both professionally and personally while fostering the organization’s mission. I have also been looking for an opportunity to join this organization as it is a top employer in the industry. I believe this will benefit the organization ad me mutually.”
2. What are the Roles of a Communications Specialist?
The interviewer wants to know if you understand the role you will play if selected for the position. Outline the roles you would expect o handle as a Communications Specialist. Ensure you relate that with the job description of the role.
Sample Answer
“As a communication specialist, I expect to be the bridge between the company and the outside world. I expect to manage the company’s social media handles, press releases, newsletters, and creating brand awareness. I also expect to respond to media requests and manage events on behalf of the company. I will run advertising and other campaigns for the organization. I also expect that I will be part of the team that lans and executes events on behalf of the company.”
3. What are the Qualities That a Communications Specialist Need to Be Successful?
This role requires a specific skill-set that the interview wants to establish if you possess it. Share the skills you have learned while keeping them in line with the requirements of the position.
Sample Answer
“A great Communications Specialist needs to be confident with great communication skills both written and spoken. She also needs to be strategic, tactical, a fast thinker, and have great interpersonal skills. She also needs to be good at giving presentations as the position involves the dissemination of information to various stakeholders. To be successful in this role, you also need to be good at problem-solving as the role sometimes entails performing some damage control on behalf of the organization. It also helps to have a creative flair as it is instrumental in the creation of stories for the brand. A communication Specialist also needs to have crisis control attributes to act fast in case of a problem in the brand reputation of the organization.”
4. What Major Challenges Did You Face During Your Last Role? How Did You manage Them?
This position may have some challenges that you need to overcome to be successful. Share with the interviewer the challenges you have faced in the past. In addition, outline how you were able to solve the challenge and had a good outcome.
Sample Answer
“In my last role, a dissatisfied customer who was also an influencer posted a negative comment about our product on social media. Within a few minutes, the comments had attracted a lot of attention from our clients. I issued a statement on behalf of the company to media outlets and also posted the same on our social media handles. I reached out to the customer to understand the genesis of the problem. After listening to her explanation, it turned out she did not follow the correct usage instructions hence did not arrive at the required results. We offered training and as a result, she got the desired results. In the end, she withdrew her comment and ended up being a brand ambassador. She posted how the product was supposed to be used and apologized to the public for making such a comment when she had used the product wrongly.”
5. Describe Your Daily Routine as a Communications Specialist?
The interviewer wants to assess your organizational skills and how well you plan yourself for the workday. Share how you expect your da to be like.
Sample Answer
“Daily, I expect that when I arrive in the morning, I review the various newspapers and social media pages and see if there is information that requires immediate attention. I also expect to handle a lot of email communications and also attend meetings. I also expect to be drafting marketing campaigns and meeting advertisers. I also expect that I will respond to the various issues that arise due to the nature of my job. I will create and schedule social media posts for the organization based on the expected posting schedule too. I will also respond to comments on our social media posts to keep the threads active.”
6. Describe Briefly About Your Experience
The interviewer wants to see if you are a great fit for the role advertised. Share the skills and experience you possess as well as the educational background that makes you a great candidate for this position.
Sample Answer
“I have five years of experience working in communications. Through the years, I have developed my confidence in handling various issues relating to my job. I have also developed relationships with key stakeholders in the industry such as advertisers and media outlets. The experience has also enabled me to refine my planning and organizational skills which I see was a requirement for this position. In addition, I have a bachelor’s degree in communications that has prepared me to excel in this role.”
7. What Kind of Strategies and Mindset is Required for This Role?
To succeed in this role you have to display a particular mindset that the interviewer is interested to know. Share the mindset that will make you excel as a Communication Specialist.
Sample Answer
“Mindsets are key in this role as it determines how the message is received by the audience. As a Communication Specialist, you need to be confident, resilient, and flexible. You need to deliver information that will not be misunderstood because of the message differing from the body language. You will need to be strategic in your thinking and a go-getter who will get results.”
8. What Is the Biggest Challenge That You Foresee in This Job?
Challenges are bound to arise in any role. What matters is how well you overcome them. Share a challenge you expect to encounter and how you will solve it.
Sample Answer
“This organization sells consumer products and therefore deals with many clients and as such there are bound to be few who will be dissatisfied. With this error of social media that information will spread like wildfire. I will always be on the lookout for such issues and ensure that the information shared by our customers does not display the brand as a failure. I will ensure to interact with the customers with issues so that it is solved amicably and does not result in bad press reports.”
9. How Do You Stay Motivated in Your Work?
What keeps you going? Share with the interviewer how you are able to sustain motivation in your work.
Sample Answer
“Success keeps me motivated. Working hard to achieve results and steer the organization forward helps me stay focused on my work. I enjoy developing new things, learning something new, and coming up with creative ways to do my job. To achievethis I findthat aligning my goals to the organization’s mission helps me achieve great results. Working closely with others also helps sustain my motivation as we are working towards a common goal. Great feedback from management and other stakeholders is also great in fueling my desire to achieve more.”
10. Describe a Time When You Failed in This Role and The Lesson You Learnt?
Failure is part of learning. What lessons were you able to derive from your failure? Share an example with the interviewer explaining what you learned in the process.
Sample Answer
“In my previous role, a customer raised a complaint on our Facebook page. I did not jump into action immediately as it seemed to be a non-issue at the moment. A few days later several customers had reshared the information and it spread way too fast. I went into full crisis management mode to solve the issue. I learned that it is good to jump into action immediately you see an issue that could being negative reputation to the brand however small I may think it is.”
11. Why Do You Feel You are The Most Suited for This Role?
In a pool of several candidates, come up with a unique selling point. Share what makes you stand out and that will lead to better results for the organization.
Sample Answer
“Based on the job description, I feel that my skills and experience closely match your requirements.I m also hardworking and committed to achieving the goals I set for myself. This I believe will be an asset in your organization. In addition, I am flexible and learn very fast which will enable me fit into the organization’s culture. ”
12. Share with Us Your Greatest Achievement.
The interviewer wants to establish if you are result-oriented and committed to excellence. Share a moment in your career that you are proud of your contribution.
Sample Answer
“In my previous role, I was able to start a company-wide newsletter where we achieved a click-through rate on average of 15% within the first month. I also led a visual campaign on Facebook which improved the organization’s engagements by 26% on Facebook. This was achieved partly by my leadership skills and dedication to achieve results and teamwork. Given a chance, I will be able to run and manage events with similar or better results.”
13. How Did You Use Your Problem-solving Skills to Handle Complex Situations?
Share how your problem-solving skills were put to good use. It could be in a professional setup or in a personal issue that is relevant to the position you are interviewing for.
Sample Answer
“When faced with a complex issue, I like to brainstorm and come up with solutions. In my previous role, I was faced with issues with event dates as the stakeholders could not agree. I sat them down and listened to the various suggested dates they had in mind. I then suggested one day that would not inconvenience anyone. They approved the date and we went on with the event as planned.”
14. What Would You Improve About Our Company’s Communication Methods?
It is important to share what you will bring on board. The interviewer wants to understand if you have a plan of action for the role. Share what you hope to achieve.
Sample Answer
“Based on my research on the social media pages of your organization, I see there is a lot to be done. First, information should be shared frequently about your products. I plan to use the platform to run marketing campaigns for ”
15. Have You Ever Dealt With a Challenging Stakeholder? What Did You do in This Situation?
Interpersonal skills are key in your role as a Communications Specialist. The interviewer wants to know how you handle situations where stakeholders’ views conflict. Share how you have dealt with it in the past.
Sample Answer
“When handling stakeholders, it’s good to determine whether they are primary, secondary, or key stakeholders. Once you have classified them in that category you can now handle their views. In my previous role, I encountered stakeholders with varying views. I had to separate them into three categories as above. It then became easy to handle them. I had to keep some satisfied, others informed, monitored some, and engaged closely and influenced actively the key stakeholders. This strategy enabled me to keep every stakeholder happy.”
16. How Do You Effectively Collaborate With Others?
Collaboration with others is important for this role. You will have to engage with media outlets, advertising agencies, the public, colleagues among others. Tell the interviewer how you will ensure the collaborations bear fruit.
Sample Answer
“Close collaboration has been key in my working relationships. I keep media outlets close to me as I will get information on any relevant information that needs my attention. It is also important to keep them close for the success of the press releases of the organization. As for advertising agencies, their input is important for the success of marketing campaigns. Therefore, I keep them engaged and share any information that they should know for upcoming events. As for the public, those are the major customers of our products. I listen to their views and see what we can adopt as an organization. They are important stakeholders in any organization as the feedback they share can assist in making improvements. As for colleagues, the success of any person lies in working with people closely. ”
17. Tell Me About a Time You Used Teamwork to Solve a Problem as a Communication Specialist.
Teamwork can assist in solving complex issues as people may have different strengths that complement each other. Tell the interviewer of a problem that was solved by teamwork.
Sample Answer
“In my previous role, we had a social media campaign that did not go as planned. In our review we set up a team to brainstorm how we can make the next campaign better, We analyzed the campaign and identified the problem. We went ahead and defined the problem and set up an action plan for the next campaign. We fully implemented the solution and the campaign was a huge success. These were results that I would have never achieved alone.”
18. How Did You Get into Communications?
The interviewer wants to know your journey to being in Communication. Share your motivation for making Communication a career.
Sample Answer
“From a young age, I always loved interacting with people. I would pretend that my toys are a microphone and would address an imaginary crowd. This eventually led me to study communication. I am fascinated by the world of communications. In particular, I enjoy the effect of social media on running campaigns for a firm’s products. Social media has transformed the world of advertising and communication in general. I’m on the lookout for new trends and how that can impact organizations.”
19. What Does it Mean to be an Effective Communicator?
Do people understand your message the way you expected them to? Share what makes communication effective.
Sample Answer
“Effective communication is about being able to convey a message. It is about people understanding the message and the emotions and intentions behind it. It’s also about the message being memorable. When listening, you pay full attention and gain the full meaning of what is being said. It is important for the others to know their message has been understood.”
20. Can You Explain Your Social Media Experience?
Social media has transformed communication. Share your experience with social media in your work.
Sample Answer
“In my previous roles, I have handled very successful social media campaigns. The engagements have delivered enormous contributions to sales. I have developed my storytelling skills and my creative flair due to my social media experiences. I can create content that meets the desired objective. I can deliver stories that are shareable to reach more people. I am also able to engage commenters and keep the brand story alive. Social media is truly a gem in communications and provides a cheaper form of advertising.”
Conclusion
What you do in the interview will determine whether you will get the job. Review the above questions and develop your unique answers. This will help you stand out in the interview.
