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Landing a senior marketing role has never been more challenging. As companies face tighter budgets and increased pressure to perform, the demand for marketing leaders who can deliver measurable results is at an all-time high. Whether you're aiming for a CMO or VP role, the interview process can be daunting—especially in today’s competitive landscape.

Short tenures, misaligned expectations, or an unclear narrative around career progression can derail even the most qualified candidates. To help marketing leaders navigate these challenges, we’re drawing on expert insights from Erica Seidel, Executive Search Specialist with over 13 years of experience placing senior marketers in B2B SaaS companies. 

Through her extensive work with scaling businesses, Erica has identified common mistakes candidates make and shared actionable best practices to ensure your next interview leads to success. This post will break down those mistakes and offer strategies to secure your next role.

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Table of Contents:

1. The Three Most Common Interview Mistakes Marketing Leaders Make
2. Best Practices for Senior Marketing Leaders in Interviews
3. Navigating Difficult Interview Topics with Diplomacy
4. Final Tips to Stand Out in the Interview

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1. The Three Most Common Interview Mistakes Marketing Leaders Make

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Even the most experienced marketing executives can fall into common traps during interviews. These missteps can create unnecessary doubts for potential employers, even when your qualifications are top-notch. Drawing from her extensive experience, Seidel reveals the top three errors that marketing leaders make during interviews—and offers actionable tips to steer clear of them.

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#1 Not Addressing Short Tenures Proactively

One of the biggest red flags for companies during the hiring process is unexplained short tenures. Senior marketing leaders are often expected to stay with a company long enough to make a significant impact, so seeing a pattern of roles that last less than 18 months can raise concerns.

According to Seidel, “The number one reason I see marketers not get jobs is short tenures.” It’s not just the short duration itself that poses a problem, but rather the lack of explanation for it. Seidel emphasizes the importance of getting ahead of this conversation. "You have to talk explicitly about why that was short," she explains, noting that reasons, like company moves, acquisitions, or restructures, are common but must be communicated clearly.

For example, if a company relocated from New York to California and you didn’t want to move, explain that upfront. Or if your role was eliminated due to a company acquisition, share that as a positive outcome but one that didn’t align with your long-term plans. Addressing these situations before the interviewer raises them can help you manage the narrative and avoid the assumption that you cannot commit to a role.

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#2 Failing to Highlight Scale Experience

Another common mistake is failing to articulate your experience in scaling companies. For many marketing leadership roles—especially in B2B SaaS—the ability to demonstrate how you helped a company grow is critical.

“Sometimes people have this experience but don’t share it explicitly,” Seidel says. She advises candidates to connect their contributions directly to the company's growth journey. Did you help scale revenue from $20 million to $50 million? Did you grow the marketing team from 10 to 50 people? Companies want to hear about these types of achievements, but they won’t know unless you make it clear.

Seidel also highlights that, even if the company’s growth was more qualitative than quantitative, there are ways to frame it: “Say, ‘I helped the company scale from 100 employees to 500 employees. I was there for that arc.’” The key is to provide tangible examples illustrating how you’ve navigated growth challenges so potential employers can envision you doing the same for them.

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#3 Treating the Role as Defined Instead of Helping Shape It

Marketing leadership roles are often the hardest for companies to recruit because they evolve so much. Many organizations aren't entirely sure what they need in a CMO or VP of Marketing, so they look to the candidate to help shape the role.

Seidel advises approaching the interview like a consultant in these situations: “Consider yourself like a highly paid consultant where you're going to come in and help the company architect what the role is.” Rather than waiting for a fully defined job description, take the initiative to ask how you can help craft the role based on the company’s needs and gaps.

This approach demonstrates your strategic thinking and positions you as a proactive leader. “You have the opportunity to help them and to kind of shape what the role is,” Seidel explains, making it clear that those who take an active role in defining their job are more likely to find long-term success. It also allows you to assess whether the role’s expectations are realistic, further ensuring alignment between you and the company.

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2. Best Practices for Senior Marketing Leaders in Interviews

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When interviewing for senior marketing roles, it’s essential to communicate in a way that resonates with the entire executive team. One common pitfall is either focusing too much on high-level strategy or, conversely, getting lost in executional details. Balancing these two perspectives is critical to making a solid impression.

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      A) Balance Strategy and Execution

CEOs want to know that you can both think strategically and manage day-to-day operations. Speak confidently about big-picture goals but show you can handle the hands-on work required to achieve results.

Tip: Avoid getting overly theoretical. Show a clear understanding of the "how" behind achieving goals.‍

      B) Tailor Your Language to Different C-Suite Audiences

It’s equally important to tailor your communication to different audiences in the C-suite, notably the CEO and CFO, whose priorities might differ. As Seidel explained, marketers often miss the mark by assuming that their traditional metrics, such as brand awareness or lead generation, will automatically resonate with financial leaders. 

Instead, you need to “speak the CFO’s language” by focusing on how marketing initiatives drive key financial outcomes, such as:

• customer acquisition cost (CAC)
• lifetime value (LTV), and 
• revenue growth.

Using these metrics will help position yourself as someone who understands how marketing impacts the company’s bottom line.‍

      C) Use Data-Driven Storytelling

Using data-driven examples of your past impact builds credibility and shows you can deliver measurable value. When discussing achievements, rely on metrics rather than vague terms.

For example:

• Instead of saying, “I helped increase lead generation,” say, “I increased lead generation by 30%.”
• Rather than “I improved efficiency,” specify, “I reduced CAC by 20%.”

These kinds of results show that you can deliver meaningful, measurable value.

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Preparing Questions That Set You Apart

The questions you ask during an interview can be as important as how you answer the company’s questions. This is especially true for senior marketing leaders, as the interview should be a two-way conversation. Asking insightful, strategic questions helps you assess if the company is the right fit and demonstrates your experience and business acumen.

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Questions to Consider:

1. Clarify Marketing’s Role in Growth

As Erica Seidel suggests, a powerful question to ask is: “What role will marketing play in achieving the company’s growth goals?” 

This question shows that you are thinking about the broader business strategy and forces the CEO to clarify their expectations of marketing’s contribution.

2. Gauge Alignment Across the Leadership Team

Seidel advises digging deeper into how the executive team defines success: “Ask multiple people their definition of marketing and how they see it contributing to growth. This can help you gauge alignment across the leadership team.” 

By asking the CEO and other leaders how they see marketing fitting into the company’s future, you’ll gain valuable insights into whether they have a realistic understanding of the function. If their answers are vague or disconnected from business goals, that could signal a misalignment in expectations—a common reason why CMOs and CEOs don’t see eye-to-eye.  

3. Understand the Financial Commitment to Marketing

Too often, CMOs enter roles without fully understanding the budget they’ll be working with, only to discover later that they don’t have the resources they need to meet the company’s expectations. During the interview process, ask directly about the marketing budget. 

Seidel explains, “It’s critical to understand the company’s investment in marketing before you take the role.” This can include asking what the company spent on marketing last year and whether it is prepared to increase that budget to align with its growth goals.

Seidel also highlights that companies sometimes avoid giving specific numbers because they haven’t fully defined the role or expect the incoming CMO to help shape the budget. While this offers an opportunity to be involved in strategic planning, it can also be a double-edged sword. “If a company can’t give you a clear answer on what they spent last year, that’s a signal that marketing may not be as well-defined or prioritized as you would hope,” she adds.

4. Identify Current Challenges and Opportunities

Another standout question is to ask about recent challenges: “What marketing questions came up at the last board meeting that you struggled to answer?” 

This will give you insight into areas where the company may need help and whether they are looking for a marketing leader who can solve those problems. Additionally, it provides a chance to showcase your expertise by discussing how you would address those challenges.

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Preparing Questions That Set You Apart

The questions you ask during an interview can be as important as how you answer the company’s questions. This is especially true for senior marketing leaders, as the interview should be a two-way conversation. Asking insightful, strategic questions helps you assess if the company is the right fit and demonstrates your experience and business acumen.

As Erica Seidel suggests, a powerful question to ask is: “What role will marketing play in achieving the company’s growth goals?” This question shows that you are thinking about the broader business strategy and forces the CEO to clarify their expectations of marketing’s contribution.

By asking the CEO and other leaders how they see marketing fitting into the company’s future, you’ll gain valuable insights into whether they have a realistic understanding of the function. If their answers are vague or disconnected from business goals, that could signal a misalignment in expectations—a common reason why CMOs and CEOs don’t see eye-to-eye.  

Seidel advises digging deeper into how the executive team defines success: “Ask multiple people their definition of marketing and how they see it contributing to growth. This can help you gauge alignment across the leadership team.” 

Another crucial aspect to consider is the company’s financial commitment to marketing. Too often, CMOs enter roles without fully understanding the budget they’ll be working with, only to discover later that they don’t have the resources they need to meet the company’s expectations.

During the interview process, ask directly about the marketing budget. Seidel explains, “It’s critical to understand the company’s investment in marketing before you take the role.” This can include asking what the company spent on marketing last year and whether it is prepared to increase that budget to align with its growth goals.

Seidel highlights that companies sometimes avoid giving specific numbers because they haven’t fully defined the role or expect the incoming CMO to help shape the budget. While this offers an opportunity to be involved in strategic planning, it can also be a double-edged sword. “If a company can’t give you a clear answer on what they spent last year, that’s a signal that marketing may not be as well-defined or prioritized as you would hope,” she adds.

Another standout question is to ask about recent challenges: “What marketing questions came up at the last board meeting that you struggled to answer?” This will give you insight into areas where the company may need help and whether they are looking for a marketing leader who can solve those problems. Additionally, it provides a chance to showcase your expertise by discussing how you would address those challenges.

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3. Navigating Difficult Interview Topics with Diplomacy

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One of the most challenging aspects of an interview is addressing sensitive topics like layoffs, company failures, or poor product-market fit. These situations are common in today's dynamic business environment, but how you approach them can make all the difference. Discussing these experiences with honesty and professionalism is a crucial skill for senior marketing leaders. 

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Explaining Layoffs or Company Failures

Layoffs and company closures are realities of the business world, particularly in volatile industries like tech and SaaS. However, discussing these experiences without negatively impacting your career is key. According to Seidel, there’s “less stigma than ever now to being in between roles.” The key is being honest without dwelling too much on the past.

Here’s how to position yourself positively:

• Acknowledge the situation, but don’t get bogged down in the details. Seidel suggests saying something simple like, “The company restructured, and so my role went away,” while shifting focus to what you’ve been working on since or what you’re looking forward to in your next role.
• Frame the experience as a learning opportunity. Even if the company didn't succeed, your experience with navigating a challenging environment honed your leadership skills. For example, you can share how you managed team morale during layoffs or quickly pivoted marketing strategies to match the shifting priorities of a declining business.
• Focus on your achievements. After explaining why the company or role ended, move the conversation toward what you were able to achieve despite the difficulties. For example, you might say: "Even in a challenging environment, we grew pipeline coverage by 20%, which helped position the company for acquisition conversations."

Seidel advises against over-explaining the situation: “What I see trip people up is they give a ton of backstory about why there was that restructuring,” which can take up valuable interview time and shift the focus away from your strengths and what you bring to the table.

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Handling Questions About Product-Market Fit or Poor Results

Another tricky area for marketing executives is addressing situations where the product didn’t meet market needs or where there were delays in product development. These challenges can poorly reflect a company's overall strategy, but the key is to navigate these conversations diplomatically.

Here’s how to do it:

• Be honest about product challenges, but avoid blaming others. If product delays or fit issues impacted your marketing efforts, it’s essential to acknowledge the situation without blaming specific teams or individuals. As Seidel explains, "You might say, 'Product is trying their best to build a great product, but budget cuts or new competitive pressures have come into play.’” This approach demonstrates your understanding of the broader business environment and your ability to adapt.
• Focus on what you did to mitigate the impact. In situations where product challenges slowed down your marketing initiatives, emphasize your adaptability and strategic foresight. For instance, if product delays occurred, you might discuss how you shifted focus to demand generation campaigns that didn’t rely on the delayed product, helping maintain brand momentum in the interim.
• Use the experience as a demonstration of your leadership. Highlight how you handled these obstacles and prepared your team for success under less-than-ideal circumstances. For example, you could mention how you realigned marketing strategies to better match product capabilities and kept internal stakeholders informed throughout the process.

In some cases, discussing product-market fit can also be an opportunity to demonstrate your diligence in assessing future roles. Seidel notes, “You could say, ‘I wanted to give this a shot, but I realized the product wasn't quite ready for the market.’” This shows that you’re both thoughtful about the roles you take on and capable of adjusting when expectations don’t align with reality.

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4. Final Tips to Stand Out in the Interview

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When interviewing for senior marketing roles, particularly for CMO or VP positions, it’s crucial to go beyond listing your years of experience. Instead, highlight your most relevant achievements that align with the company’s immediate needs. Here’s how to make a lasting impression.

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Highlight the Right Achievements, Not Just Experience

It’s easy to fall into the trap of emphasizing your long career or broad range of skills, but what truly matters to hiring teams is how your specific past successes can solve their current challenges.

As Seidel emphasizes, “A lot of leaders come in and talk a lot about conceptual strategy, which is great, but… the CEO was really interested in the how. Talk to me about the numbers, the conversion rates, the revenue numbers.” This means focusing on tangible results such as revenue growth, reduced customer acquisition costs (CAC), and improved pipeline coverage.

Key tips:

• Use specific metrics to quantify your impact. Instead of saying you “improved pipeline,” say you “increased pipeline coverage by 4x within 12 months.”
• Reference real-world examples where your leadership helped achieve business growth, such as scaling a company from $50 million to $100 million in revenue or reducing marketing costs while increasing overall ROI.

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Leverage Social Proof to Reinforce Your Credibility

Social proof can play a pivotal role in reinforcing your credibility. Sharing testimonials or endorsements from previous colleagues or supervisors can add significant weight to your claims, showing that others value your contributions. As Seidel points out, “It’s one thing to say, ‘I took a job at this company,’ quite another to say, ‘the CRO at this company said I was the best marketing leader they ever worked with.’”

Referencing these third-party validations builds trust and makes your successes more believable. Real-world examples where you delivered tangible results can set you apart from candidates who simply list their duties. For instance, instead of just saying you led a product launch, you could say, “My VP of Sales consistently highlighted how my product launch drove a 30% increase in leads within the first quarter.”

Key tips:

• Include specific quotes or feedback from previous employers during the interview. This adds credibility to your claims.
• Reference any instances where you were re-recruited by a former boss—this shows your past impact was significant enough to warrant another collaboration.

By blending your quantifiable successes with testimonials, you position yourself as a candidate who delivers results and strong relationships—a combination that companies are always seeking.

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The Power of Preparation and Connection for Landing Your Role

Landing your next senior marketing role is no easy task, especially in today’s competitive landscape. But with the right preparation, clear communication, and a strong sense of alignment, you can significantly improve your chances.

Start by addressing common interview pitfalls—be upfront about short tenures, showcase your role in scaling businesses, and don't be afraid to shape the job you’re interviewing for. When it comes to difficult questions, handle them with diplomacy and focus on what you’ve learned. Most importantly, make sure you’re asking insightful questions to evaluate whether the company and its leadership truly align with your vision for marketing.

Remember, interviews are more than just about being selected—they're also your chance to evaluate if the role fits your long-term career success.

If you're looking to sharpen your skills, expand your network, or get advice from experts like Erica Seidel, the Mavuus community offers valuable resources and support. Join us for virtual coffee chats, career growth seminars, and exclusive leadership talks that can help you navigate your marketing career with confidence.

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