By Xena Stevens – currently in the final year of a BA (Hons) Marketing degree and gained a year of experience in industry as a Brand Marketing Intern at EA. Xena is also a Careers Associate at Manchester Met

Applications

  • Prepare yourself by checking through the Careers Service’s dedicated Applications page to get advice on the application process
  • Tailor any questions they ask using the STAR framework and emphasise the skills they’ve asked for in the Role Specification

Assessments

  • Prepare yourself by checking through the Careers Service’s dedicated Tests page to get advice on the assessment process
  • Practice a variety of tests on the Career Centre (e.g., numerical, verbal, situational) or resources that MMU has paid for access to
  • Check your internet connection is stable and you’re accessing the tests in a quiet, controlled environment

Interviews

  • Prepare yourself by checking through the Careers Service’s dedicated Interviews page to get advice on the interview process
  • Practice taking an interview through an Interview Simulator
  • Book in for a 30-minute appointment with the Careers Service to have a mock interview
  • Create a Google Doc of company information, products and services, and a PESTLE analysis
  • If you’re going for a brand-related role, you could match the brand colours of the company to show you’ve done your research!

Typical questions asked

  • Tell me about yourself
  • Why do you want to work for this company?
  • Why did you apply to this role?
  • What do you know about the company?
  • Where do you see this industry/company in 5-10 years?
  • How would you improve the company’s [social media/branding/influencer] strategy?
  • What are your career goals?
  • What other companies/roles have you applied for?
  • Why are you suitable for this role?
  • What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
  • How do you prioritise your time effectively?
  • What marketing campaign caught your eye recently?
  • Tell me about a time when … (teamwork/leadership/problem-solving/difficult customer/creativity/independence)

Assessment centres

  • Prepare yourself by checking through the Careers Service’s dedicated Assessment centres page to get advice on the assessment centre process
  • Gain an understanding of what an assessment centre is through the Assessment Centre Tool
  • Book in for a 30-minute appointment with the Careers Service to have a mock assessment centre experience
  • Arrive early to make way for any unforeseen delays/issues
  • Check the dress code
  • Be respectful from the get go to ALL staff
  • Ask if you’re unsure, you won’t be penalised for this at all!

Typical tasks involved

  • Ice breakers
  • Group project/presentation (make sure to pick a role e.g., time keeper, lead, data handler, etc)
  • Individual task/presentation (can include case studies or fictional cases)
  • Interviews
  • Role play
  • Psychometric tests