Tell me about a time when you had to handle a crisis or negative publicity
Theme: Crisis Management, Marketing Communications Role: Marketing Communications Manager Function: Marketing
Interview Question for Marketing Communications Manager: See sample answers, motivations & red flags for this common interview question. About Marketing Communications Manager: Oversees internal and external communications. This role falls within the Marketing function of a firm. See other interview questions & further information for this role here
Sample Answer
Example response for question delving into Crisis Management, Marketing Communications with the key points that need to be covered in an effective response. Customize this to your own experience with concrete examples and evidence
- Crisis or Negative Publicity Situation: Provide a brief overview of the crisis or negative publicity situation you faced
- Actions Taken: Explain the specific actions you took to address the crisis or negative publicity
- Communication Strategy: Describe the communication strategy you implemented to manage the situation
- Collaboration & Teamwork: Highlight how you collaborated with internal teams and stakeholders to handle the crisis
- Results & Impact: Discuss the outcomes of your efforts and the impact it had on the organization
- Lessons Learned: Share the key lessons you learned from this experience and how you would apply them in the future
Underlying Motivations
What the Interviewer is trying to find out about you and your experiences through this question
- Problem-solving skills: Assessing my ability to handle and resolve crisis situations or negative publicity effectively
- Communication skills: Evaluating my capability to communicate and manage stakeholders during challenging situations
- Decision-making skills: Determining my capacity to make quick and effective decisions under pressure
- Leadership skills: Assessing my ability to take charge and guide a team through a crisis or negative publicity
- Resilience & adaptability: Evaluating how I handle and bounce back from difficult situations
Potential Minefields
How to avoid some common minefields when answering this question in order to not raise any red flags
- Blaming others: Avoid blaming others or throwing colleagues under the bus. Take responsibility for your actions and focus on how you resolved the crisis
- Lack of ownership: Avoid showing a lack of ownership or accountability for the situation. Emphasize your proactive approach and how you took charge to address the crisis
- Ineffective communication: Avoid mentioning any instances where your communication was ineffective or worsened the crisis. Highlight your strong communication skills and how you effectively managed the situation
- Lack of problem-solving skills: Avoid discussing situations where you struggled to come up with solutions or failed to handle the crisis effectively. Emphasize your problem-solving abilities and how you successfully resolved the issue
- Negative attitude: Avoid displaying a negative attitude or dwelling on the negative aspects of the crisis. Focus on the positive outcomes and lessons learned from the experience
- Lack of adaptability: Avoid mentioning situations where you were unable to adapt to changing circumstances or failed to think on your feet. Highlight your ability to remain calm, flexible, and adapt to unexpected challenges