Job Description:
Job Title: Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
General Job Description: Your job will be to promote an “insider handbook” for incoming freshmen at UNE. We are looking for an individual who is capable of developing and using smart marketing strategies to market our handbook to the decision makers at UNE, as well as freshman students. This individual must know and understand effective marketing techniques, and be able to understand the mindset of high school graduates making the transition to college.
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
- Develop efficient marketing strategies independently and with others
- Plan and carry out events for college freshmen to introduce them to the handbook
- Become deeply familiar with the product and suggest edits
- Schedule meetings with clients via phone, Zoom, or in person
- Open communication with future clients
- Monitor website traffic and social media engagement
Minor Duties and Responsibilities:
- Draft proposals under a strict deadline
- Work within a pre-designated budget
- Train new marketing associates and consultants
- Develop and maintain partnerships with universities
- Be available as a resource for first-year students
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree (preferably in Marketing, Communications, Business, or related field)
- Minimum 5 years of experience in related field
- Experience working on a college campus (Preferred)
- Valid driver’s license and vehicle
- Proficiency in major software programs, i.e. Word, Excel, Powerpoint.
Key Competencies:
- Excellent communication skills
- Customer service skills
- Proficient problem solver
- Public speaking
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Creativity
- Organization
- Adaptability
Journals:
Journal #18:
The job title we are looking to fill is “Marketing Specialist” and the overall description of the job will go as follows. We are looking for someone who is capable of developing and using good marketing strategies to market our product, which is freshman year handbooks. The candidate will need to know and understand effective marketing techniques and understand the mindset of high school graduates who are trying to decide if UNE is the right college for them. This person will also need to have a good background in social media marketing and have a decent understanding of the different social media algorithms and know how to properly use hashtags. This individual will also need to have good communication skills. The final trait that this candidate should have is being able to complete tasks in a timely manner and who is on top of their emails and schedule. If we can find a candidate capable of all this, then I think we’ll be in business.
Journal #19:
There were a lot of things that I found interesting during this reading, the main thing I found interesting was table 15.1 on the top of page 307. It is about formulating information about oneself, it proceeds to list a bunch of useful questions that really break the ice and help get to know someone. What I found helpful during the reading was on page 313, paragraph’s 1-3, about knowing how to differentiate between open questions and closed questions. Closed questions help limit the response of the person being interviewed and can help save time during the interview process. The thing I felt was most hard to understand was on page 315, paragraph 4, and I was struggling to understand the definition of an “interview frame”, however after completing the reading I know that frames are useful in an interview as they define scenarios and help everyone fall into their respective roles. Overall, this reading was very informative and I will definitely look back and use it while working on our current interview project.
Journal #20:
My role in this portion of the project is pretty much the same as all of my other group members as of right now. Last class we all combined our mock job descriptions into one solid job description. The main things I contributed to our job description include coming up with a bunch of major and minor duties that the candidate will need to fulfill. Currently, I feel best about my group’s job description would be the general job description and the major and minor duties. I feel that these are the most important traits that the candidate will need in order to market our product successfully. One question I have for peer review is how to distinguish major duties from minor duties? Another question I came up with was how do I format the actual job description? My last question is what distinguishes qualifications from competencies? Overall, I think my group and I have been coming along great with this project.
Journal #21:
Three Questions for Dry Run Interview:
- Have you had any successful marketing campaigns in the past? If so, what experiences have you had? If not, do you have any ideas for a successful marketing campaign that you would be willing to share?
- What social media and/or website platforms are you familiar with and how can you format or advertise them to appeal to our target audience?
- Have you worked within budgets before? If so, were you able to stay within budget? Why or why not? Do you feel that you are capable of working within the schools budget?
3 Big Moments That Demonstrate Value:
- One moment in my life that can help show value to the interview committee is that I have been interviewed multiple times for multiple different types of companies and job experiences. As soon as I turned 16 I went to a local job fair and interviews with almost every business that had a booth there. My main concern at the time was to find a job involved with something that I enjoy that would also help me save up for a new car. After most of the interviews the interviewers told me that they would give me a call later with their final decision, however during this one interview there for the Mystic Aquarium, I did so well in the interview that they offered me a job on the spot, and I even heard one of the interns sitting in on the interview whisper to my then boss “this kid knows a lot, he would be great on our team.” I worked at the aquarium for the next two summers, making well enough to buy me my first car, and help me learn a few lessons about saving and being a part of the workforce.
- Another moment in my life in which I could demonstrate my value would be that I have sat in on a couple of my bosses interviews because she knew that I was a great fit at my job and wanted me to help her confirm if others were a good fit for the job. Even though it was an aquarium job, I didn’t exactly get to work up close with all the different animals and such, I was a guest service specialist, so people would come up to me with any questions they would have and I would have to be able to come up with a good and accurate answer on the spot. This shows value because I have already been picked by one of my past bosses to help sit in on interviews, so I have a small grasp of what it’s like already to be on an interview committee.
- The last moment in my life I can think of in which I can help show value to the interview committee is that I have really good public speaking and communication skills. I am not afraid to speak up and get my point across. During my old job at the Mystic Aquarium one of my jobs was exhibit interpreter, and I would have to stand at the exhibits and talk about the animals and give constant speeches over the speaker system explaining fats about the animals to the guests. I know how to sound confident and assertive and also know the types of body language that go along with making yourself looks and sound professional and smart.
3 Questions I Think the Interview Committee Should Ask:
- Have you been able to work within deadlines? If so, give us an example in which you have been able to do this successfully? If not, why were you not able to and how would you change that if you got the opportunity to work with us?
- How do you measure the success of your marketing strategies? Would you mind sharing a time in the past in which you have been able to measure a decent amount of success in your marketing strategies? Or how would you go about measuring the success of your marketing strategies?
- Can you describe a time in which you came across challenges that hindered the success of your marketing campaigns? If so, what was the challenge, or challenges, and how did you overcome them? How will you try to prevent and overcome challenges that may arise in a future marketing campaign that involves this company?
There really isn’t anything I question about the sample job script. It is very simple and to the point, the way most job scripts should be. I could not locate any issues or errors within the script. I like how the job description is in paragraph form, yet the other components were bulleted, it just flows very well and looks very cohesive. All the language is appropriate and inclusive and I cannot locate any parts that would be off putting. Overall. I think he job script is very professional and accurate.
Journal #22:
Assertive – Someone who is very confident and persuasive, in a professional manner.
Journal #23:
My team, Millers Thrillers, posed as an interview committee last class and interviewed a potential candidate. I feel that we did a pretty good job with introducing ourselves and making the candidate feel invited, as well as explaining the position and how the interview process will work. When it came down to question time I felt as though our questions were well thought out and important to the position. We finished off by asking if the candidate has any questions and then told the candidate when they will likely hear back from us and what the next steps are. All things considered I think we did a pretty bang up job with this interview, if I were to change anything it would probably be to use more professional body language during the interview and to just practice it out to make it more coherent and fluid. I’m looking forward to watching and learning from the interviews that will be conducted today and will use all the information I learn to help make our project the best it can be.
Journal #24:
Last class period I was on the interview counsel, however this class I was an observer. I feel like I learned a lot just being an observer, I was able to take notes on peoples body language and how that body language is making them be perceived by the other people. I feel like I also just have a really good grasp on the whole interviewing process, as in the steps and format of it, and feel like I would be confident enough to do this professionally in the future. The part I found to be most interesting and important were the different types and styles of questions asked during the interviews, both by the interviewers, and interviewees. I feel like it is very important to establish a good first connection and answering questions in depth, yet to the point, and for the interviewee, asking your own questions to show that you are interested in and considering the part. Overall, the past two classes have gone very well and I feel that myself, and the class as a whole, have learned and fully understand the interview process.
Ranking of Candidates:
Candidate Ranking Report
- Evan
- Bernie
- Ben
1. Evan: Evan Glynos was the candidate that we found best fit for Chief Marketing Officer. Since the start of the interviewing process Evan had a very energetic and enthusiastic personality, right after he was welcomed into the boardroom he went up to each of the interviewers and personally introduced himself and shook each of our hands, establishing a good, sincere connection with each of us. Evan was very attentive and assertive during the interview process, he answered all of our questions in a timely, yet professional, manner. He has background experiences in the marketing field, and also has a good understanding of the demographic that we are trying to market to. He continually reiterated his strengths throughout the interview, assuring us that he was sincere. At the end of the interview he showed much interest by asking us some basic questions about the position and all its accompanying duties. Overall, we, the interview committee, have all unanimously agreed that Evan would be the best fit for us and the future of our business.
2. Bernie: While Bernie showed promising potential for the position of Chief Marketing Officer, we felt that he did not quite meet all of the requirements we were looking for. Bernie showed charisma when speaking to the panel of interviewers, but he did not have the kinds of job or life experiences that we feel are important factors in who we chose for this position. Bernie mainly used examples of jobs from high school as well as college football to answer questions about his hardships, and the candidate we are looking for in this position is expected to have more experience working full-time roles in areas such as sales and marketing. One answer of note is that Bernie said he would be in this position “as long as [we] want [him]”, which doesn’t give much assurance that he will be with us long term. For these reasons we have decided to choose a different candidate.
3. Ben: Unfortunately, Ben did not make the cut for the Chief Marketing Officer role. Although, Ben did have some good responses to our interview questions. When asked about his strengths and weaknesses, it was a smart choice to list his strengths last to end on a positive note, but “not hating working” isn’t a concrete trait that shows he’s the best fit for the role. He also did not have the kind of marketing and communications experience we were looking for, having only experience in a communications course. “Communicating every day” is not a necessary or sufficient experience for a CMO to have. He was a bit restless and unprepared for the interview, and compared to our other candidates, he had the least amount of confidence. Ben did a good job interviewing on the spot but we did not think he was the best candidate to fulfill the Chief Marketing Officer position.
Letters of Rejection:
Subject line: Your application for the Chief Marketing Officer role
Hi Ben,
Thank you for your interest in the Chief Marketing Officer position with Miller’s Thrillers. We greatly appreciate the time you took to interview with our search committee.
Unfortunately, at this time, we have chosen to proceed with a different candidate who has more experience in the field of marketing. We encourage you to complete your degree and apply to our company again in the future.
Again, we wanted to thank you for your time and interest in a position with Miller’s Thrillers, and we wish you the best of luck in your career endeavors.
Sincerely,
Miller’s Thrillers Team
Subject line: Your application for the Chief Marketing Officer role
Hi Bernie,
Thank you for your interest in the Chief Marketing Officer position with Miller’s Thrillers. We greatly appreciate the time you took to interview with our search committee.
We were highly impressed by your vast communication skills, however we have chosen to move on with a different candidate who has a more in-depth experience in the field of marketing.
Once again, we are grateful for your interest in a position with Miller’s Thrillers, and we strongly encourage you to interview with us again when we have more job openings in the future.
Sincerely,
Miller’s Thrillers Team
Reflection of Project:
Since we first read about the different types of interviews in the assigned readings a month or two ago, I was very interested to learn more. Planning the interview was relatively easy, as my group members all got along very well and all did our share of the workload. In my opinion, being on the interview committee was the easiest part because it was the most planned out part. When it came to watching and listening to other groups and their interviews, I found that to be where I learned most of the knowledge that I am going to take away from this experience. I kind of already knew what it was like to be interviewed and be on an interview committee because I’ve done multiple job interviews in the past and also sat in on some job interviews at my old work. During class, when I was observing the role of interviewer, I kept noticing a bunch of recurring statements and questions. The questions that the interviewers asked that really stuck with me is when they would ask the interviewee if they could share a time in their past where they have shown marketing or communication skills, and I, in particular, like it when they flip that question and ask if they have messed up and what they did to correct the issue and get everything back on track. I feel like you can get to know the most about someone from questions like these, rather than normal scripted questions you could find online because people tend to go more in depth, rather than if it was a yes or no question. When I was observing the role of interviewee, I noticed how big of a role that body language can play. In particular, I noticed Evan was the most enthusiastic and assertive, yet professional, both with what he was saying, and with his body language. When I was experiencing the role of the interviewer, I tried to make the candidates feel welcome and relaxed by greeting them with an inviting tone and body language, and also being very attentive while they were sharing. I believe this not only helps the interviewee feel more comfortable and less awkward, but the interview committee as well. I did not get the chance to experience what it was like to be in the interviewee spot, however I did come up with some background information and questions to ask the interview committee just in case I did get chosen to be an interviewee. Overall, the project itself was very informative and instructional. I would feel pretty confident if I had to display the skills that I have learned from this class and this project for any and all jobs I apply to in the future. Also if I am put on an interview committee as part of my job in the future, I will definitely have some past experience to help me out. I really enjoyed this project and all the work, and fun, my group, and the class as a whole, had throughout the whole process.
