Given marketing’s broad scope, it can be difficult to assess potential marketing candidates according to a set criterion. Along with knowing marketing terminology and how different marketing strategies work, they need to be able to discern which strategies work in which situations, and how to improvise when needed.

They must also possess a strong mindset that can handle rejections and persist despite setbacks, and have the persuasive ability to convince people with their marketing ideas.

Here are three marketing job interview questions that can help you determine if the candidates you are interviewing have the potential to do well in your company:

1. What Attracted You to the Marketing Field?

The purpose of this fundamental question is to put the candidate at ease and, from their reply, give you an insight into their personality, their goals, and their knowledge of the marketing field. You want to know what their primary motivation was in choosing this career field. Their response will tell you whether they have or haven’t carefully researched the industry and considered their career prospects.

Are they aware of what the day to day tasks they must undertake and the responsibilities they must assume to work as a marketing professional? Do they understand that marketing often entails working well with diverse people and that it is therefore very important to have above average people skills in this field?

If they use the job description to convince you that they are the right person for the job, all the better. That shows they are interested in learning about the work and doing the job. You want people with a good work ethic and who are capable of analytical thinking and strategic planning. If they can’t do that with their career, they may not be well-equipped to deal with industry demands.

2. What Made You Apply at Our Company?

For this question, you can expect to get very different answers from entry-level candidates as compared to experienced candidates. At the entry level, many candidates will be more concerned about getting a job, any job, rather than the right kind of job to fit their skills. They want to get a toehold in the marketing industry first. There is nothing wrong with that. We all must start somewhere, and we learn as we progress. If they answer honestly that they are applying for the job to learn and gain experience and do as well as possible and if they have good academic or work experience credentials, you will probably benefit from hiring them.

Experienced candidates may be looking for a change from their current job, for better work prospects, for a better salary, or a better location. There are many reasons why people decide to switch jobs. Unlike beginners, however, experienced marketing professionals are more likely to place importance on aspects like if the job will mean career advancement for them, if there will be an excellent work-life balance, if they will have the opportunity to work on challenging and interesting projects, or if the company has a high reputation and well-known people already working for it. They will have researched your company to know that you can offer what they are looking for.

In the cases of both beginner and experienced marketing professionals, the main purpose of asking about their reasons for applying at your company is to find out if they have done an adequate amount of research. Do they know what your products or services are? Have they have read your company blog and articles to understand what the company is all about and how it is currently doing? If they don’t know these very basic details, it probably indicates a lack of initiative in beginners and a careless attitude in more experienced candidates.

3. What Motivates You and What Are Your Long-Term Goals?

This is one of the more innocuous-sounding marketing job interview questions. Its purpose is to gauge if a beginner candidate means to have a long career in marketing and if an experienced candidate still has the fire to thrive in this field. You want to know what they value in a job, if they enjoy working in a team environment, if they are competitive, if they can accept feedback from co-workers and managers, if they can plan long-term and follow through, and if they have the get-things-done mindset.

Bear in mind that the candidates will have different answers for these questions and that is how it should be. You want original, quick-thinking people.