Senior Relationship Officer Interview Preparation Guide

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Share an example that puts you in a good light. Remember, numbers can always be a meaningful way to tell a story. If you helped a client gain followers, share the before-and-after numbers, for instance.

After I graduated from high school, I worked for a clothing retailer for a while. There, I learned that customer service is about more than just selling; it is about building relationships. I really enjoyed working with people and learning about the business, so I decided to go to school for business management. As I earned my bachelor’s degree, I was able to put my new knowledge to work at my job.

Tips for responding: Give an honest response about what appeals to you about the position. The best answers will connect your passion for PR with the company's mission. Avoid answers focused on yourself (e.g., "I love going to client events and drinking cocktails for free.").

As well as general PR news outlets and social media feeds, it makes sense to mention media sources in your area of expertise or the agency's focus. For instance, if you're applying to work in celeb-focused PR, you should probably keep up with People magazine.

Many consider this question to be a loaded gun – dangerous in the hands of the inexperienced. Often times, an interviewee will start talking salary before they’ve had an opportunity to illustrate their skill set and value making any sort of leverage valueless. Here, knowledge is power, as salary often comes down to negotiation. Do some research into your industry to establish base rates of pay based on seniority and demand but keep in mind – your employer is hiring you for what they believe you are worth, and how much benefit they feel you will provide.

Tips for responding: Here's where your research on the agency or company will pay off! If the company is known for a fast-paced environment, you can mention that you work best when busy and are the kind of person who's always on email.

There's no wrong answer here, but it's likely best to avoid being negative about any platform. Frame your answer not around your own interactions with the platform personally, but around how it's beneficial to clients. For instance, "Now that Instagram has introduced commerce options, I've been able to help [client name] drive more sales."

Since there are many types of public relations work, from managing social campaigns to promoting celebrities to crisis management, it makes sense for your answer to acknowledge that there are a lot of types of PR work. Then, you can pivot to talking about the one you're most experienced in, and connect it back to the company or agency that you're interviewing with.

Another tricky one. The purpose of this question is to see how you view and evaluate yourself.

One the one hand, if you suggest you don’t have any weaknesses, your interviewer will almost certainly see you as a lair, egotistical, or both.

Don’t fall into the trap of trying to present a positive skill in disguise as a weakness, like “I work too hard” or “I am a perfectionist”. Any experienced interviewer will see through this in a heartbeat.

Additionally, revealing that “I’m not really a morning person and have been known to come in late” raises immediate and obvious red flags.

Unless you’re still working, you will get asked this question. Even if you are working, they will ask you why you want to leave. But more often than not, if you are not working, chances are that you were laid off, terminated, or quit. You just have to let them know the reasoning behind why you are not working at your most recent job.

If you left of your own free will, then explain why you left and what your plans were in doing so. If you were fired for performance reasons, a simple explanation is all that is needed, but make sure this will not affect the requirements for this new job. If you were laid off, let them know several members of your team were laid off due to the economy and slowing product sales. But warm that up a bit and put it into your own words so it makes sense.

I’m always interested in career advancement. I may eventually decide to pursue my MBA so I can take an even more active role in promoting the interests of the company. I also hope to have a large and sustainable base of high-value clients that I keep close to the business.

They are asking you this in a broad sense. So ask yourself: What are you best at doing?

☛ Are you a good leader?
☛ Are you a skilled time manager?
☛ Are you a great communicator?
☛ Are you a detailed planner?
☛ Are you good at convincing others?
☛ Whatever you are best at doing, give the interviewer the top 2 or 3 things you excel at.

Ever since my first paper route at age 10 I’ve been doing something to keep myself busy and earn money. Back then, it was obviously about earning some spending money. What I didn’t realize was that I was actually starting the journey of establishing what I liked to do and how I fit in to the grand scheme of things. I then worked as a junior computer tech in my last 2 summers of high school. It was here that I discovered what I was passionate about and what I wanted to do. I enrolled in college to get my degree in computer sciences, and I have been working around technology ever since.

I believe that positive reinforcement is essential. When someone does a good job, I always try to acknowledge that. I might reward them with some kind words, or, if they’ve done something especially outstanding, give them written recognition or a material prize. When success is recognized, it has the potential to lead to more success.

When I notice that someone is struggling, I try not to be too negative. I try to help them identify the root of the problem and tackle it. They might need more practice in selling, or maybe they’re struggling to find a balance between work and their personal life. When I know why someone isn’t doing well, I’m more empowered to help. Of course, every individual is different, so I try to adapt to the personality of the person I’m trying to assist.

In your answer, you'll want to briefly summarize the situation ("A client's product needed to be recalled."). Then, talk about what you did ("We had a strategy on hand for this kind of situation, which we modified to fit the circumstances. We had a conference call with the client, who was initially reluctant to make statements online. We explained why that was a mistake, using case studies from recalls done by similar companies."). Then, talk about the results ("In the end, since we got ahead of negative press, this wound up being a PR win.

Tips for answering: Be honest in your response. If you say you do not find any questions difficult to answer, it can seem like you're prevaricating. But be strategic: do not mention a question that you're likely to receive regularly in this role.

An easy question to answer well with one caveat – don’t slam your fellow interviewee’s. On the one hand, you have an opportunity to really stand out from the pack. Alternatively, You shouldn’t assume the skills of other applicants. Focus on your own strengths, and if the interviewer hasn’t given you an opportunity to mention that one “slam dunk” quality about yourself, now would be the time.

Is there a wrong way to answer this question? Consider the responses below:

☛ “I really need a job right now”
☛ “I need the money”
☛ “Your office is really close to my house”
☛ “I’ve always been interested in what you guys do”

First, I would try to find out why they’re leaving. If they thought that they no longer had a use for our products or services, I would try to find a way to point them toward the benefits of sticking with us that maybe they hadn’t thought about before. If their budget was a concern, I would use my authority to find the best deal possible for them.

On the other hand, if someone decided to leave out of anger, I would first of all offer a profuse apology and take every reasonable measure to remedy the situation. Even if they did ultimately decide to leave, I would want them to go with the knowledge that their bad experience was the exception at our company, not the rule.

While this question is an invitation to do some chest pounding, remember to illustrate strengths that will benefit the employer and are relative to the position. For example:

☛ being a problem solver
☛ being a motivator
☛ being a natural leader
☛ the ability to perform under pressure
☛ a positive attitude
☛ loyalty

Are typically all solid strengths, but again, consider the position. For example, mentioning you are an excellent “team player” in a job where you largely work alone suddenly becomes irrelevant to the employer and demonstrates a genuine lack of self awareness

This top 10 question is asked to see how goal oriented you are with your life and if you have a short or long term goal or plan for your career. Don’t say that you don’t know.

This is a good chance to tell the interviewer how you progressed through your career, how you started and where you are at, today, and that you are right on track. Be specific and to the point. Again, this is a short answer question.

You can really turn this answer around any which way that works best for you. The basic idea that you want to get across to the interviewer is that you have a plan for where you are going. Most people don’t, they just wander around from job to job, but not you.

This one is all about job commitment.

Some people make job hopping a career in of itself, and your answer here can be telling. Here, your interviewer is determining if you are:

☛ someone who sets goals
☛ someone who has a vision
☛ someone who is reliable
☛ someone who demonstrates commitment
☛ someone who is loyal

In my experience delegating responsibility and authority is crucial. A team needs to be able to develop and grow as individuals and a whole, not be held back by low expectations or ego.
I believe in building a team. Each member of the team should be clear on their role, know where they fit in and feel as though they can depend on one another. I also believe in real-time feedback. If you do something wrong you should know it immediately. Regardless of right or wrong, the further removed feedback is in time, the less effective it is.

I want to sell products and services that have real value to customers. I don’t want to make them feel pressured into buying, but I do want them to walk away feeling like they’ve put their money into something worthwhile. I believe that achieving this result comes from a combination of intimate product knowledge and insight into customers’ wants and needs.

You can respond by talking about the agency's culture, its mission, the clients it works with, the agency's overall approach. Be specific if possible.

This question is an opportunity for you to make your case for yourself as a candidate. You can talk about your qualities (hard worker, skilled communicator), but try to provide evidence of how you've been an asset in previous positions. For instance, you could say, "I'm a skilled communicator and passionate about helping my clients get a positive media reception. In my position at ABC agency, I was able to increase [client name's] mentions in the press 30% from one quarter to the next."