Questions at Vector Marketing interviews
We analyzed 830 interview reviews for Vector Marketing from various job sites, social network groups and forums.
Here are the most frequent job interview questions asked by HR managers during initial phone or onsite interviews. This list does not include technical or factual questions.
10 frequent non-technical questions at Vector Marketing:
According to our research, hiring managers at Vector Marketing ask soft skills interview questions 21% more than at other companies.
1. Tell me about yourself top question
How to answer
Most job candidates expect this to be one of the first interview questions and probably think of it as an “icebreaker” to get the interview started. It is much more than that! It is your opportunity to show the interviewer your relevance for the job. You want the employer to know that you are qualified to do the job, you are interested in doing the job and capable of getting it done.
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About Yourself
What is your current occupation? Define yourself professionally in one statement.
Pick 3 key skills that make you great at your work (your Key Selling Points). How have you applied these skills?
Try to give some numbers to support your statement.
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About The Company
Your first step is to Research the company to find out as much as you can about what they do and their approach to their business and their employees.
Based on what you know about the company and the job description, why are you interested in the position you are applying for?
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About The Fit
Now is the right time to show the fit between your skills and the company's requirements. Your answer works best if you emphasize your relevance. How do you do this? You will have already researched the company, studied the job description to identify their needs and possible pain points and prepared the relevant Star Stories that show how you addressed similar issues in the past. Your next step is to develop your Present-Past-Present approach.
Start with the Present. Focus on the skills and experience from your most recent positions. What has enabled you to get the job done successfully and how this relates to what the employer is looking to accomplish.
Next go back to the Past. Here is where your Star story comes in. Explain how you were able to use your skills and experience to accomplish a task that relates to an area of concern for the employer.
Finally come back to the Present – summarizing the lessons you learned and how they shaped your response and approach today.
Remember, the whole conversation is about the present, not the past. Just one sentence can summarize why your approach works, and its applicability and relevance to this position.
Pro Tip
You can also end with a question like:
“Do you know what the current needs in the company/department are, where my skills and experience can help?”
That can help you learn more about the company and the job, turn the “interrogation” into a conversation and will allow you to relax some tension.
Read our blog post to learn more about how to answer this question.
Statistics
This question is asked 5% less frequently at Vector Marketing than at other companies.
2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
How to answer
This question belongs to a family of behavioral, or even more precisely, reflective questions.
The interviewer wants to learn two things about you by asking this question.
- They want to know what you think about the job you are applying for. Remember, they are interviewing you for the job that's open right now. Are you a good fit and will you do a good job for them?
- Just as important, they want to get an idea of your ambitions and goals for yourself and if your goals align with their needs, especially going into the future.
In this way the employer should see how you see yourself today, and whether you are ambitious and strive to grow as a professional, and whether you like to learn and develop your skills.
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About Yourself
What challenges do you like overcoming? Where are you starting from and where might you be going?
For example, let's say the position you are applying for is junior accountant. It includes a wide range of tasks such as basic bookkeeping, financial analysis, and reporting. If accounting is your chosen field, then you would most likely want to move in the direction of obtaining your CPA so that you might step up to more responsibility as an accounting manager or senior auditor within the next 5 years. Your responses should make sense in how you see yourself growing in your professional career.
However, at this point, if you are happy just where you are and want to further your current skills, that is also fine as long as there is a growth path for you that can be imagined and described.
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About The Company
Research the company to learn what career opportunities may be available in the department you are applying to, and what the trends are in the company in general.
- Is the business expanding, are they opening new locations, or starting new projects?
- Or are they heavily automating and cutting staff?
Let’s say you are applying for a UX designer position for a brand-new product.
In the future, if the product becomes a success - which is what the company hopes for - the company will hire more designers and you may become a lead designer, or you may become a product manager.
On a side note: If you train your mind to be open to opportunities you will be amazed at how much this world has to offer to you!
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About The Fit
And, of course, try to see where the perfect fit lies between your own potential and aspirations, and the company’s trends and hopes.
However, beware of the risk of showing too much excitement for future opportunities compared to your attitude towards the current position.
As we said earlier, you must show interest and enthusiasm for the position you are applying for. If the interviewer senses that you are more enthusiastic about future growth than about the current position, they may conclude that you are not the right person for the job at hand.
Pro Tip
This question gives you a good opportunity to showcase your Key Selling Points (e.g. “As I am very good at delegating tasks, I can easily see myself leading a team of software testers in the future…”), and end your statement by asking about current initiatives and goals at the company.
In thinking about the possibilities that may lie ahead, you also might want to consider taking a personality test (I recommend 16Personalities which is based on the Myers-Briggs test), research the internet on what career paths are possible with your skills and current job.
It is generally NOT a good idea to say something like:
“Oh, I cannot imagine what happens to me tomorrow, let alone in 5 years”.
This will show you as a person who is unimaginative and not forward-thinking enough to grow with and be a good fit for the company.
Statistics
This question is asked 36% more frequently at Vector Marketing than at other companies.
3. What is your greatest weakness?
How to answer
This question ranks as the most challenging for many people. Fortunately, Mr. Simon is here to help!
Interviewers are not out to trick or trap you! They ask this question to gauge your level of self-awareness, your honesty and openness, and your capability for self-improvement.
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About Yourself
No one is perfect and your interviewer doesn't expect you to be perfect either.
While it is good to be honest and open, it will not help you to put yourself down.
What's important is to find a weakness that you have overcome. How you turned what might be considered a negative into a positive.
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About The Company
Research the company (website, social media, etc) to learn about the company culture.
What personal and professional qualities do they value?
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About The Fit
This is the time to clearly state a true weakness that you have overcome.
Be as specific as possible and stay away from vague cliches like “I work too hard.” It would be difficult for anyone to try and explain how they overcame a weakness like that
Mr. Simon emphasizes the Present-Past-Present method of responding to behavioral questions. When you are asked about your greatest weakness, you should be able to successfully use this approach as well. Here is an example of how someone might answer this question.
Present - "I have always had a fear of public speaking, and believe this may have held me back in my career, especially when having to make presentations to management."
Past - "Last year I learned about Toastmasters International and decided to join this group to help me gain confidence in myself and improve my ability to present to others in just about any situation."
Present - "By overcoming this weakness I believe that it has made me a much stronger candidate for this position, someone you can count on to make presentations to management, conduct training and communicate at a high level."
It's important to show how well you've overcome a weakness by motivating yourself and learning a new skill to grow professionally.
Pro Tip
Use this question to sell yourself!
Statistics
This question is asked 55% more frequently at Vector Marketing than at other companies.
4. How would you describe yourself?
How to answer
This question is like the Tell me about yourself question usually asked at the beginning of an interview, but there are some subtle differences. It belongs to the family of reflective questions where the interviewer is assessing your cognitive abilities, as opposed to the more factual and matter-of-fact “Tell Me About Yourself” question.
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About Yourself
Think of how your bosses and peers would describe you.
Throughout your professional experience, you have probably heard them giving you some labels – try to remember the exact words they used.
If you have received LinkedIn recommendations from someone, read those and think why people wrote them and what work situations prompted those descriptions. Remember the context of those situations and frame them as stories.
Make a list of keywords, or short key phrases, that can describe you. Your Key Selling Points should definitely appear on this list, but try to also use some adjectives here, to add a positive emotional touch.
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About The Company
Research the company's values, standards and policies. Make a list of keywords or short key phrases.
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About The Fit
Which of your keywords correspond best with those of the company? Highlight 3-4 matches. Now try to imagine being a peer or a boss of yours and compile statements about yourself, in the 3rd person, mentioning these keywords. Remember to use adjectives, and don’t be afraid to mention real references from real people.
For example, if you are applying for a position that requires good people skills, and your boss at your previous job called you a “conflict resolution guru,” don’t be shy to mention this reference, and provide a brief context that caused your boss’s praise. Use the STAR method to craft your story.
Don’t limit yourself with just one keyword. If you are concise and don’t ramble with your answer, your interviewer will probably want to hear more than one. Just be observant and watch the interviewer’s reaction. You want to keep them interested.
Pro Tip
If you haven’t yet received any LinkedIn recommendations, try to obtain them. Also, offer to write your own recommendations for them - both received and given recommendations will be visible in your profile and will tell the interviewer exactly what you want to be known about your values, your attitude towards work and relationships.
Statistics
This question is asked 2.7x more frequently at Vector Marketing than at other companies.
5. What experience do you have in this field?
How to answer
This question may help you convince the interviewer how smoothly you would fit into the position to which you are applying. It's your chance to WOW them! Be sure to focus on the experience that is relevant to the company and position.
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About Yourself
Start with defining your Key Selling Points you want to emphasize for this position.
- What job experiences brought you to those points?
- What were the job titles and the most relevant responsibilities?
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About The Company
Do your research of the company and the requirements for the position.
- What is the company looking for in terms of experiences and qualifications?
- What problems are they trying to solve with this position?
Most importantly, make sure you are able to highlight and speak about at least 3-5 of your key experiences that match up with the requirements listed in the job description.
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About The Fit
Using the Present-Past-Present method is a perfect way to answer this question.
Starting with the Present, speak about your experience as it relates to one of the key requirements in the job description. You might say "I noted that the job description requires experience in employee training and this is an area in which I have a great deal of knowledge and skill."
Then go back to the Past to describe how you improved overall training of staff from 82% to over 97% within your first year on the job. Senior leadership took note of this accomplishment for which you received a company commendation.
Finally, come back to the Present to describe how you will help ensure that the company maintains the highest possible compliance with all employee training requirements.
Nowadays, every hiring manager wants results, so think in terms of specific achievements and try to structure your example accordingly.
Pro Tip
When telling your story, remember to talk about your STARs!
S - What was the Situation?
T - What was your Task?
A - What Action did you take?
R - Talk about the Results.
Statistics
This question is asked 2.0x more frequently at Vector Marketing than at other companies.
6. Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 how weird you are
How to answer
Sometimes hiring managers will ask a completely unexpected and unconventional question in a job interview. It’s intended to encourage a response that isn’t typical.
Unconventional questions are asked to see how well you think on your feet and if you can be creative. It helps to assess your individuality, perception, wit, and confidence, as well as the ability to present a rational response to an "irrational" question.
Although not often asked, the “weird scale” question might come up in an interview for the more creative type jobs such as those found in advertising, marketing or entertainment.
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About Yourself
How would you answer this question?
Think of how you are perceived by family, friends, work colleagues and especially yourself.
- Do you have an odd sense of humor? Maybe you are socially awkward or uncomfortable in crowds, etc.
- Do you consider weirdness to be a plus or a minus in the workplace?
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About The Company
Research the company, its corporate website, its tone and mission and social media accounts.
Review sites like Glassdoor to see how real candidates might have answered this question.
You should also review the social accounts of hiring managers you’ll be interviewing with to get a sense of how they think and what you can expect.
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About The Fit
What makes this question intellectually interesting is not whether you are accurate in measuring your weirdness but in determining whether you are capable of measuring it. There is no wrong or right answer, this is about confidence in presenting your argument.
Asking about your weirdness on a scale of one to ten, the interviewer looks not at the number itself, but at its "criticality," at your reaction and at how you respond.
It’s important for them to see your cultural fit with the company’s core values.
Even the most skilled employee won’t be successful if they don’t mesh with a company’s values and culture. But if you want to say a concrete number, remember that you can say 10 if you are applying for creative jobs like mime or animator, but better say 1 if you apply for an auditor or an accountant.
Pro Tip
Whatever you do, don’t freeze, panic or think too long.
Let your true personality shine. The ability to think outside the box can be a valuable business asset — even if you’re a tad eccentric.
Let the employers meet the “real you” behind the perfectly written responses most applicants provide.
Give your interviewer a sense of what it would be like to work with you and how well you fit the company’s culture.
Statistics
This question is asked 50.9x more frequently at Vector Marketing than at other companies.
7. What skills are you looking to develop on your next job? Why?
How to answer
When employers ask you about skills you would like to develop, they are looking for honesty in the way you answer.
A common target of the question is to discover how motivated you are to extend yourself. If you are willing to learn, then you are probably more motivated to do the job well.
They might also be trying to determine whether you’ll be a good long-term fit for the company. Are you looking for an opportunity to grow with an organization – or will your plans take you to another employer before long?
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About Yourself
Answering the question, reflect on yourself. Show that you are concerned and active about your own evolution.
You can indicate how development has worked for you in the past, give examples.
- What qualities do you wish to develop in yourself both professionally and personally?
- What kind of culture do you want to work in?
- What motivates you?
- What qualities do you feel make strong, healthy relationships?
- What skills do you admire most in your role models?
And probably the most important is: What will help you to achieve your future goals?
Choose something you’re already pretty good at, but still trying to improve even more. Maybe it is something that you learned a long time ago but haven’t used in recent jobs very often?
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About The Company
Do your research and learn as much as possible about the organization and the career path you might forge there. Read the company’s story on their website, review their LinkedIn page, explore their blog.
What personal and professional qualities do they value and what can you learn if they hire you?
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About The Fit
No matter what skills you say you want to improve, however, make sure that you follow it up with what you’re doing about it.
Focus on a work skill that may not be critical to your industry or job level and demonstrate how you would like to develop this skill further, implying you already have a level of competency. This way you won't be sounding negative about yourself.
You could say something like “Coworkers often come to me for advice on how to write or format a document they are working on. I know that I am good at this (that’s why they come to me in the first place), but I have no formal training on mentoring others. I would like to take a course or two on mentoring others that would help them while also improving my own skills in this area.”
Say you are willing to learn new things and take on new challenges. Show employers that you’re self-motivated and actively looking for ways to improve your skills and value in your career.
Pro Tip
If you choose one of the more common working skills such as networking, presentation, mediation, technical, coaching or mentoring, make sure that they are not anything that’s vital or crucial to the job you’re interviewing for.
For example, if you are applying for a manager position, you don’t want to say that you need to work on developing your supervisory skills.
Statistics
This question is asked 5.4x more frequently at Vector Marketing than at other companies.
8. How did you hear about us?
How to answer
This question is one of the easiest to answer and it usually comes at the beginning of an interview.
By asking this question the interviewer expects to learn about your job search methods and to judge if you’re an active or passive job seeker.
They also want to find out which of their outreach campaigns are working and which platform(s) you commonly visit. This helps them to discover how they are attracting top talent like you!
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About Yourself
The following are questions you should ask yourself in preparation for the interview. They will help you to give a clear and concise response to the question “How did you hear about us?”
- How did you find out about the job?
- Was it through social media or a friend?
- What caught your attention?
- What made you excited to apply to this company?
- What do you like about its culture?
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About The Company
Research the company, its vision, mission and objectives.
Think back to when you first heard about the company.
Find out what they do on LinkedIn, the company’s web site or other resources.
If it’s possible, try to find more information about the person who will be interviewing you as this will make it easier to relate to them.
Also, if you can learn any information about why the previous employee left this job it might be helpful in your response.
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About The Fit
The best answer to the question is concise and to-the-point. So, make sure you keep it to one or two sentences maximum.
If the interviewers want more info, they’ll ask.
You may say something like this:
“I* saw your position posted on LinkedIn. It was clearly a great match for my background and experience, and I am really happy to have the opportunity to discuss it with you today.*”
Or you might say:
“I was contacted by Mary Smith, a recruiter in this field who thought I would be a great fit for this position.”
This is your opportunity to show how your qualities match with what the company is looking for and it is another opportunity to express your interest and excitement for the role.
Share how you can be an asset to the company.
Pro Tip
What sources can you mention?
- Job boards, a career website, the company’s website, an advertisement for a job opening at LinkedIn, etc.
- A colleague or friend who works for the company.
- You read an article, press release, or another news source.
- You were contacted by a recruiter.
- You were familiar with the company via previous work and now you would like to work for them.
Statistics
This question is asked 13.1x more frequently at Vector Marketing than at other companies.
9. Give me an example of a goal you reached, and tell me how you achieved it
How to answer
Hiring managers ask this question because they want someone who is not just goal-oriented but also is able to achieve those goals.
They want to see if you are the right person who knows how to utilize your strengths, to gauge your potential to fulfill your given responsibilities.
Asking this question, they are able to get to know if you can set personal and career goals and then dedicate yourself to achieving them.
And, most importantly, they want to understand how you view success, failure, and risk-taking.
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About Yourself
Think of an example from past work (or student experience if you are just starting out in your career).
Choose an example that shows several competencies and your best personal qualities.
Tell your story using the STAR method. Keep it professional, not personal.
- What was the situation that led to setting your goal?
- What steps did you take to achieve your goal?
- How did it help you, your team or your employer at the time?
- What did you learn? What challenges did you overcome?
- How did this help you get to where you are today?
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About The Company
Based on your research of the company, what are the current goals and environments?
- What are the expectations for the position you are applying for?
- What skills and qualities do they value the most?
- What will you be responsible for?
Make sure your qualities match the values and qualities that the company is looking for.
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About The Fit
Give an example of a goal you both set and achieved.
Ideally, this should be a professional goal, such as improving time management skills, achieving new performance targets or learning a new skill.
Your answer should provide a list of the steps you took towards your goal.
Keep this section brief, as they are more interested in finding out what you have learned from the process and how you will use this in your career.
Talk about how achieving your goal has made you more aware of your strengths and weaknesses, giving you a better understanding of how to approach your work assignments.
Pro Tip
Having a goal that you have set and reached shows that you have determination, drive and can finish what you set out to do.
Here is an example of how you can answer this question:
“When I started working for XYZ, I wanted the title “Employee of the Month”. It was a motivational and challenging task for me. I liked the work and the people I worked with and set out to help my colleagues, supervisors and clients in every way I could - which is something I would have done anyway. The third month I was there, I was honored as the Employee of the Month. It was good to achieve my goal, and I actually found myself in a management position pretty quickly, I think, because of my positive attitude and perseverance.”
Statistics
This question is asked 12.6x more frequently at Vector Marketing than at other companies.
10. What do you think you could do to improve your communication skills?
How to answer
Communication and interpersonal skills are the means by which we exchange ideas, learn from each other, and perhaps most importantly, connect to each other.
Asking this question, employers seek employees who can get along with others and communicate well both verbally and non-verbally.
They also want people who are ready to grow professionally with their team and constantly develop their skills.
By improving your communication skills at work, you increase your ability to achieve success, have your successes noted, and get yourself those promotions you deserve.
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About Yourself
- Have you always been a natural communicator, or have you struggled with these skills in the past?
- If you had issues with communications and interpersonal skills, what steps did you take, if any to improve?
- If you were afraid of public speaking, did you try to take part in meetings and open discussions?
- If your language skills were below par, did you take in-person or online seminars and workshops to improve them?
- Did you reach out to others who were already successful communicators to help you work on these issues?
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About The Company
Research the company, its culture and carefully read the requirements for the job.
- What personal and professional qualities do they value?
- What are the key skills they are looking in their candidates?
- What is the biggest challenge they are facing?
- How will your communication skills address that challenge?
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About The Fit
The most important communication skills at any work include listening, speaking, observing and empathizing.
Stress to the interviewer that although you believe you have strong communication skills, you are willing to learn new things and take on new challenges.
Show employers that you’re self-motivated and always looking for ways to improve your skills, and you hope that working with them will create a positive experience for both you and the company.
If you overcame a communication problem in the past, explain what happened using the STAR method to show the interviewer how you proactively took on the issue and improved your skills.
Pro Tip
You can end your answer by asking the interviewer if their company has any training programs for improving their employees’ skills that will help increase their effectiveness at work.
Statistics
This question is asked 120.0x more frequently at Vector Marketing than at other companies.
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This page has been updated on February 23, 2024.
