Arts House interview questions

The recruitment process felt rather disorganised. I was contacted via WhatsApp to arrange an interview a week in advance but was only informed the day before that I would need to complete an assignment and present it on the spot. The interview panel comprised the Director of Marketing and two HR representatives. The job description provided was vague, and while the assignment focused on planning an integrated marketing campaign, most of the interview questions centred on social media tactics and strategies to increase event ticket sales- neither of which were clearly reflected in the job description or assignment brief. Some of the HR Director’s questions were also concerning. They repeatedly asked how I would manage “difficult employees”, particularly those from other teams, which felt unusually specific and suggested possible internal team conflicts. Whilst the organisation runs interesting programmes, it was apparent that the marketing team’s primary focus is on using social media to drive sales KPIs. This is a valid business objective, but it should be stated explicitly in the job description rather than being presented under a broad “marketing” label. Ultimately, my interview did not go well because my assignment emphasised overall marketing strategy rather than a social media/sales approach, which appears to be their main priority. Furthermore, despite assuring me of follow-up, the HR team did not provide any updates post-interview, which I found unprofessional.

There was a screening call, then a Zoom interview with the hiring manager and a few directors along with HR. The interview lasted an hour and they mostly asked about experience.