Interview Questions for Internship in Marketing: Our Top 8 Selection

You did it! You’ve waited patiently and finally got the invitation to interview for your dream marketing internship. Now what? 

Let’s get you prepared for that interview! In this article, you’ll get some useful interview questions for internship in marketing (and answer examples) that you might get asked during the interview!

Internships are an amazing way to get started on your marketing career. It's the chance to get industry experience, develop your skill set, and meet new people.

These programs are designed for you to learn about your passions and get the feedback you need to excel in your career.

Internship opportunities are competitive for these reasons, so you have to be prepared for that interview! Let’s dive into our top 8 interview questions for internship in marketing!

Interview Questions and Answers

• Tell me a little about yourself!

This is the first question the interviewer will ask, to break the ice at the start of the interview. Here, you’ll give a brief overview of your education and experience.

You can also stand out by talking about your “why” or your passion for marketing. At the end, highlight some of your personal interests too.

When practicing your interview questions for internship in marketing, use this initial question to get the interviewer invested in you, and what you bring to the table. Let your personality shine before they get to all the nitty gritty details! 

Here’s an example of what you can say:

“Of course! I’m [insert your name here], and I am a current student at [insert your school here] with a major in marketing.

My collegiate journey has fueled my passion for marketing; I enjoy the analytical aspects and how they work together with creativity to make connections, influence behavior, and create trends.

I’m currently exploring how Artificial Intelligence is changing content creation and influencer marketing!

Outside the classroom or professional setting, you can catch me reading, spending time with family, or playing tennis! I’m excited about the opportunity to bring my passion and skills to [insert company here].”

This article takes a deeper look at how to answer this question!

• Describe yourself with 3 adjectives.

This question looks into your personality, and how you see yourself.

The adjectives you use should be from a personal and professional perspective, that shows you’re qualified for that internship.

The interviewer wants to see if your personality aligns with the company culture, while also meshing with the marketing team you’ll work on.

Ensure to stay positive in your answers! Here’s a list of adjectives to give you some ideas: 

• Creative
• Outgoing
• Resourceful
• Organized
• Communicative
• Adaptable
• Passionate 
• Analytical
• Disciplined 

There are so many adjectives to choose from; explore this list for more!

Example:

"I’d describe myself as creative, ambitious, and adaptable.

I am always eager to bring new ideas to the table and find new avenues in current processes. My ambition has been a lifelong quality of mine;

I strive to excel in any challenge I face, even if it’s tough. Adaptability is another strength, that allows me to navigate a fast-paced learning environment.

These traits, combined, shape my approach to marketing, and being an asset to any team."

• What made you apply for this marketing internship, and what do you hope to gain from the experience?

Here is where a little research comes in! Researching “interview questions for internship in marketing” is great, but you also need to look into the specifics of your potential role.

Before the interview, read up on the company you’re interviewing for and the job description. The interviewer is looking to see if you’re knowledgeable about the role and what perspective you can add to the team.

Your answer should tell the interviewer exactly what drew you to their company, and how this specific internship aligns with your goals for your marketing career. 

Let’s pretend the internship is in the beauty industry with this example:

"Working in the beauty industry has always been a dream of mine, and applying for this opportunity aligns perfectly with my dream.

As an avid beauty enthusiast, this brand has been at the forefront of innovation, and redefining beauty standards for my generation.

This brand has also been a huge part of my self-care regimen, so I have a deep connection with the work I’d be doing.

This internship will provide me with hands-on experience and insight into the beauty industry, understanding the modern beauty consumer. I hope to gain more skills to make impactful beauty marketing campaigns.

Overall, I hope to offer my passion for beauty to your team while gaining valuable industry experience."

• Can you walk me through a time when you worked on a team, and things didn't go as planned?

Teamwork questions are crucial for marketing internship interviews because you’ll be working with multiple different teams during your time as an intern.

The interviewer wants to see someone who learns from past mistakes and works to have better future outcomes. 

Use the S.T.A.R method to walk the interviewer through this experience, and organize your thoughts. 

Situation: Describe the situation you were in, and be specific about the scenario. Don’t be shy about the details to help your interviewer understand!

Task: This is the overall objective you were trying to achieve.

Action: Here, talk about the action you took in the situation. Be sure to focus on you and not the team; use “I” instead of “we.”

Result:  This sums everything up, and the outcome of your actions. Describe how the event ended and what was accomplished. Now’s the time to take accountability for what you did, and how you learned from it!

Remember to end your answer on a positive note, and that your answer shows results.

When practicing your interview questions for internship in marketing, remember to draw from experiences with class projects, extra-curricular activities, and part-time jobs as long as it's relevant to the question! 

Here’s an example for someone who has experience on their sorority’s executive board, broken down with each part of the S.T.A.R method:

Situation: During my time as the social media coordinator for my sorority, we had a major fundraising event planned.

I was prepared to roll out this amazing social campaign, to generate buzz about the event on campus and for alumni to donate.

Unfortunately, there was a malfunction with our main Instagram account, where our account was deactivated. This account had our largest audience, which was a blow to our social media growth.

This delayed our timeline and the social rollout for our event.

Task: As the social media coordinator, I had to adapt quickly, and find alternative solutions to get campus and alumnae engaged with our event, on short notice.

Action: I immediately called on the rest of the social media team and executive board members, explained the situation and opened the floor for brainstorming.

As a team, we decided to combine the use of our personal social media accounts and in-person flyers. We also sent an email blast to our alumnae directory for our chapter.

I took charge of coordinating the changes, by organizing members for flyer hand-outs, creating a shared drive for members to download and post social content, and boosting content on other platforms.

Result: Despite the initial issue, and the new challenge of growing our Instagram, the new strategy was successful.

We not only maintained social engagement, both online and offline, but we also had a great turnout at the fundraising event, and reached our goal!

This experience demonstrated my adaptability, pivot strategies, and my ability to collaborate with a team.

Watch this TikTok for a quick demo of how the S.T.A.R. method is done!

• How do you handle tasks that you may not find exciting?

This question is used to get some honesty out of you and determine your enthusiasm on the job! Interns, although only present for a short period, are valuable members of the marketing team and company.

Not everything on the job is going to be fun, and that’s okay. The interviewer wants to see a can-do attitude.

Your answer simply needs to reflect a willingness to get those tasks done, even if mundane, and exceed their expectations! 

Here’s a great way to answer this question:

Even if a task doesn’t seem appealing to me, I have learned to look at everything from the bigger picture. I break things down so it’s more manageable, and I don’t get burned out.

I feel that every task is important, and there’s an opportunity to learn from every experience, if I go in with the right mindset. It’s all about being adaptable and ambitious; getting things done with a purpose!

• Can you describe a time when you significantly impacted a team?

Let’s show off those leadership skills! Marketing internships are great opportunities to work in teams while also taking initiative on your own!

Think of a time when your group saw success behind your Did you delegate tasks or resolve a conflict? Did you come up with an idea that saved time or saved the budget?

Draw from these experiences, and share what you learned from them. Your interviewer is looking for someone with strong teamwork skills who can work productively with others.

You’ve got it in the bag!

Use this example from a classroom experience:

In my marketing class, I was assigned a group project to create a marketing plan for one of the local businesses around campus.

We worked on this over the entire semester, with check-in assignments due every few weeks. This project was a lot of fun, but we hit a little bump during the execution phase of the project.

We divided up the tasks group members would carry out. I was responsible for the digital marketing portion of the project, which included making mockups of a website, social media, and an email marketing newsletter.

As we got further into the project, some team members were falling behind on their tasks, and our communication started to break down.

Instead of letting things get too bad, I decided to hold a team meeting, in a casual setting so everyone was comfortable.

We discussed the challenges each member was facing, reassigned tasks, and made clear deadlines so that we were ahead of the professor-assigned due dates.

Despite the initial bump in the road, the team successfully met our project deadline. Since we are all busy college students, our new strategy allowed us all to get things done where they fit into our schedule.

Our final presentation reflected our strengths, as each member spoke on our parts with passion. This experience taught me how important communication is in a group, and highlighted my role in fostering collaboration for a positive outcome.

• What current marketing trends do you find most interesting?

As a marketing girly, you HAVE to stay updated on the trends. This is your chance to show you’re constantly learning about what’s going on in marketing.

Have a few trends you’re enjoying, and be able to speak on why you like them and why you think they work! 

Sprinkle in some of your favorite publications or newsletters that keep you up to date as well!

Your answer to this question can provide a lot of insight to the interviewer on the marketing climate for someone outside their company and can help you stand out as a candidate.

This example is for the fashion and retail girlies:

Of course, I am very interested in the rise of influencer marketing, especially on TikTok and Instagram.

The most appealing part, to me, is seeing real people talk about fashion and their lifestyles; it creates an authentic connection that traditional ads can’t get.

I have my favorite content creators and I look forward to hearing their product reviews, and their opinion plays a role in my purchase decision every time.

Another trend I love is shoppable content. It’s like flipping through a digital magazine, seeing an item, and going straight to buying.

A lot of my favorite brands like Aerie get super creative with their campaign shoots on social media, and you scroll through the post and have a direct link to the item.

I love seeing how technology and creativity marry their strengths and innovate the fashion marketing space.

Hubspot’s got you covered with marketing trends for 2024! Get inspired!

• What questions do you have for me?

Your interview is wrapping up, and you’re asked this question.

This is the last chance to get an insider scoop on the company and what the marketing internship will be like.

Out of all the interview questions for internship in marketing, this might be the most important one. ALWAYS come prepared with questions; it shows you are invested in this job and the company!

Remember the research mentioned earlier? Let’s revisit that. Before your interview, look into the person interviewing.

Don’t be afraid to do a little stalking on that LinkedIn profile! Coming in with questions about your interviewer’s career journey is a great way to leave an impression, and that you have genuine curiosity about working for their company.

Here are some questions you can ask:

• How would you describe the culture at [insert company name here]?

• What does a typical day look like in the marketing internship?

• How was your transition in the company and the team you work on?

• What is the most challenging project the marketing team is facing currently?

• How will you evaluate my performance?

• What are the next steps in the application process?

• What is your favorite part of working for [insert company name here]?

• What challenges can I expect to face in this internship or what challenges were faced by past interns in this program?

Here’s a great list of other questions you can ask your interviewer!

Final Thoughts!

Now you have our top selection of interview questions for internship in marketing to give you the confidence boost you need to get that offer!

Use these interview questions and practice before your big day. Remember to be yourself, and let the work shine through. 

You got this!

✍️ Written by Lauren Gillerson