When interviewing a candidate for a marketing role on your team, what do you look for beyond their technical skills or experience on paper?

Situation

As a team lead, I once interviewed a candidate with impressive SEO and analytics experience, but during the interview, I probed for how he handled cross-team collaboration.

Task

I wanted to ensure he could work effectively with our sales and product teams, which was crucial for the role.

Action

I asked about a time he had to persuade a skeptical stakeholder. He gave a vague answer, so I pressed for specifics. I also set up a short practical exercise where he had to explain a complex marketing concept to a role-playing 'non-marketing colleague'. His explanation was filled with jargon and he showed impatience. I realized his technical skills were strong but his collaboration and communication weren't a fit for our team culture.

Result

I decided not to proceed, and we later hired someone with slightly less experience but strong collaboration skills. That hire ended up integrating well and driving a cross-functional campaign that generated 20% more SQLs.