For a remote multimedia design job, what should I ask in interviews?

March 8, 2022 10:41 AM

I am close to accepting this position that is particularly in graphic design, animation, and video editing for a tech startup marketing & sales. However, the more I think of it the more worried I became.

I would like to know what questions/requests would you suggest I ask during the interviews that are professional and hopefully not deal breakers for the employer. Following is a list of the questions I have in mind: 1. software or equipment license/subscription. 2. team members to work with and managers to report to. 3. how video projects are received and delivered. 4. support and freedom from the company. The company is a tech startup so I can understand the need of getting maximum results at the lowest cost possible but I even questioned myself why does the company even want to hire a remote person to do marketing tasks that might be demanding and require quick turnaround time?

posted by lanhan to Media & Arts (3 answers total)

Best answer: #1 is an important one. I work for a remote company that pays for a laptop for US employees, but not employees anywhere else. We get no budget for other expenses, including licenses, so that's all out of pocket.

support and freedom from the company

This is really broad, so I think you should be more specific. I'm guessing what you mean here are things like are my work hours flexible, am I expected to be at my desk at certain times, etc. Ask specifically for what you are concerned about so that they can directly answer your questions.

why does the company even want to hire a remote person to do marketing tasks that might be demanding and require quick turnaround time?

What is your concern here – that they're hiring someone, that it's remote, both?
posted by anotheraccount at 10:50 AM on March 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: With it being a tech startup, I would ask about how well the product's value proposition, key differentiators, value-adding features, target buyer personas, and overall brand are understood, agreed upon, and documented. The clearer these things are, the easier it will be to design and produce materials that match up with how they talk about themselves and their product (or services, if that's their deal). If they're somewhat mature, they should have product managers and/or product marketing managers who have defined messaging and positioning for the product, which should give you a foundation to work from. If they don't have a solid understanding of their value prop and differentiators – or if different people in leadership have drastically different opinions about those things – it can be hard to be successful because that lack of clarity often comes out in day-to-day work, especially public-facing marketing projects.

why does the company even want to hire a remote person to do marketing tasks
This doesn't seem strange to me, especially with remote work being so common these days. I work for a well-established tech company that hires lots of people (full-time or contract) to do marketing work such as video editing, graphic design, content creation, etc. Turnaround time isn't necessarily going to be faster if you're in-person, unless the company is really terrible at communication.
posted by neushoorn at 12:02 PM on March 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Ask behavioral questions that will get you clearer, more indicative answers. E.g. for #3 “how video projects are received and delivered,” have them describe a recent video project that was completed and be ready with followup questions. You want to know what it’s actually been like, not what they wish it was like.

For #4 figure out what you want in support and freedom, and ask about that specifically. “Tell me about a time when” is a convenient way to structure your questions so you get specific descriptions of things that happened.
posted by migurski at 3:46 PM on March 8, 2022