Photo by Jason Howie (CC)

It’s almost 2016 and by now, every business is familiar with the huge opportunities available for them online. There’s no question online marketing is invaluable, and social media is one of its main tools. Not only does it help companies to connect with potential customers, it also allows them to establish conversations with people who may be interested in their products or services.

Aside from generating business, social media is also creating jobs. Positions like community manager, social media content creator or curator, social data analyst… are on the rise.

If you are looking for a job in this area, you should know that you’re in for a demanding and competitive interview. It’s time to get ready and we’ve got your back. Here are 10 Social Media questions you may get asked in a job interview –and some tips on how to tackle them:

1. What online communities have you managed in the past?
Here, you can mention how big the accounts you managed were, the number of followers, the strategy you followed, etc. Not enough big brand experience? No problem, you may also talk about your personal social networks but make sure they are “job seeking friendly”.

2. Which social media channels do you recommend for our business?
Make sure you study the business you’re interviewing with, think about their target audience, industry they work in and possible strategies they could follow and then compare it to what each social network offers. You’ll have no problem to tackle this question and other similar ones if you have done your homework and informed yourself about the business/brand beforehand.

3. What do you think should be the goals of our Facebook/Google+/Twitter account?
As with the previous question, this answer depends on each company and on the specific needs they have. Again, you should investigate what they have done in the past on their social networks and also what they could improve. Hint: Make sure to share reachable and measurable goals.

4. What strategies would you implement for helping generating leads (or conversions)?
Share the facts! Talk about successful strategies you have used in other projects. You may also describe strategies you think could be useful to their company in particular.

5. How can social media help create value for SEO?
SEO skills are important to have when you are working with social media. Talk about your SEO strategies, the tools you use and the way you measure and analyze the results.
Google Analytics is a must here. Also, provide examples and be prepared to be tested by the recruiter.

6. What social media tools do you use?
Here you will need to drop some names. It’s important you know how to use one or more Social Media Management platforms such as HootSuite, SproutSocial or TweetDeck. Be prepared to explain why you use them and what features you like from one or the other.

7. What are relevant metrics for tracking social media success?
Engagement, brand reach and lead generation is what helps show the ROI of social media to a business, these measurements show the results of your job. Show the interviewer that you are an expert analyzing the metrics and have solutions to improve them.

8. How would you deal with negative comments or a brand reputation crisis?
Show the hiring manager that you are able to react quickly and face a crisis with self-confidence and efficiency. You may use examples of famous brand reputation crises to tell what you think was done well and what not.
(There are many examples to analyze!!)

9. Can you describe your biggest social media failure?
Everybody makes mistakes, it’s not a big deal. Be completely honest about this and focus on what you learned from your bad experiences. Tell your negative stories, too. Also, mention how you corrected it and the changes you made to avoid it from happening again in the future.

10. How do you stay updated with the latest social trends?
If you are a social networking enthusiast, you surely follow some blogs and influencers. Let the recruiter know you are always up to date and share your favorites!

JobFluent’s suggestion!

Transmit confidence and security by asking your own questions. Here are a few examples:

1. How does success in social media look like for you?
Try to find out what their expectations are so you are aligned from the very beginning.

2. Do you have an editorial calendar? How do you schedule posts/tweets?
Find out how they organize their content in social media. This is a good indicator of how they plan ahead.

3. How is the business’ presence on social media nowadays?
Show interest on which social media channels they are using and their strategy for each.

Ok, now you’re ready! Go read on about the business you applied to and just remember to bring your best attitude and self-confidence and most importantly, let your personality shine!