There's no question that in today's competitive market, interviewing for marketing and creative positions appears as an impossible gauntlet to pass -- many qualified candidates applying for too few positions.

But successfully passing the interview gauntlet for your next marketing and creative position isn't as difficult as you think. Here are some important tips that will make your next interview a successful one!

• Look at your interview not as a question-and-answer session about yourself, but as an audition. In other words, go to an interview with intent to answer questions, but also to show your full portfolio of work. Be prepared with examples of successful campaigns you have executed. If it’s a marketing role, create a 90-day marketing plan of your own while researching the company. If it’s a creative role, create some sample collateral for the company to give a taste of the high-quality work you can produce. Think of obtaining an offer as winning an Academy Award and go give the performance of a lifetime!

• Make sure you thoroughly research the company you're interviewing with before you sit down with the hiring manager. In marketing and creative positions, it’s far more important to be able to evaluate the company's target audience, products, content and general intent than it is to simply memorize their core values. Based on your research, note areas you find related to your role and any expertise you may bring to the brand.

• If you're an experienced professional in marketing and creative, you should be branding yourself as such online. Become regularly engaged in relevant conversations on social media. Join LinkedIn Groups and build a website with a full portfolio of your work. Having your own place on the Internet makes it easier for prospective employers (and recruiters) to find you!

Got a creative resume? We’d love to see it. Email it directly to collective@akraya.com.

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