Prepare for your Community Manager interview. Understand the required skills and qualifications, anticipate the questions you may be asked, and study well-prepared answers using our sample responses.
This question is your opportunity to show the interviewer that you are qualified for this role. You can answer this question by highlighting your experience, skills and qualifications that make you an ideal candidate for the community manager position.
Answer Example: "I am passionate about helping people and creating positive change in the world. I’ve been a volunteer for several nonprofit organizations where I helped promote events and raise funds for their causes. My experience in this field has shown me how important it is to have a strong online presence to reach out to more people. As a Community Manager, I plan on using social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to reach new audiences and encourage them to get involved with the organization."
This question is your opportunity to show the interviewer that you have the skills needed for this role. You can answer this question by listing the most important skills for community management, along with an explanation of why they are important.
Answer Example: "I think communication and people skills are the most important skills for a community manager. A community manager needs to be able to communicate effectively with their team members, stakeholders and members of the community. They also need to be able to understand the needs of different people within the community and respond appropriately."
This question can help interviewers understand how you would handle conflict in the workplace. Use examples from past experiences where you helped two members of the community resolve their disagreements and move forward together.
Answer Example: "In my last role as community manager, there was a member of the community who was spreading rumors about other members. This caused a lot of tension within the group and many members felt uncomfortable sharing their opinions because they were afraid of being targeted. I spoke with the member who was spreading rumors and explained why their behavior was unacceptable. They apologized and agreed to stop spreading rumors."
This question can help interviewers understand how you would handle a challenging situation. In your answer, try to show that you are willing to listen to members of the community and take their opinions into consideration when making decisions.
Answer Example: "If I received multiple complaints about a certain aspect of the company’s product or service, I would first make sure that these complaints were legitimate. If they were, I would then discuss my findings with my manager so they could decide whether or not to make any changes. If the complaints were about something within my control, such as a social media post or blog post, I would take steps to resolve the issue as quickly as possible."
Community managers need to have strong interpersonal skills in order to build relationships with members of their community. Employers ask this question to see if you have those skills and how you plan to use them in your role. In your answer, explain how you would use your communication skills to connect with members of the community. Share an example of a time when you built rapport with someone else.
Answer Example: "I believe that building rapport with members of the community is essential in order to better understand their needs. I would first focus on understanding what motivates them to participate in the community and what their goals are when they join. Then, I would use my communication skills to actively listen to their concerns and feedback. This will allow me to provide relevant information and resources that meet their needs."
Employers want to know that you are passionate about your career and the community management industry. They also want to see that you are willing to learn new things and adapt to changing trends within the industry. Show them that you have a desire to stay up-to-date on the latest news, technologies and techniques in community management.
Answer Example: "I am passionate about my career as a community manager, so I make sure to keep up with current trends within the industry. I subscribe to several digital magazine subscriptions that provide me with valuable information about new technologies, strategies and best practices. I also follow many influencers within the community management space on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. This helps me stay informed about what’s happening in the industry."
This question can help interviewers understand how you would handle a challenging situation. Your answer should show that you have the skills and experience to manage a community member’s behavior, as well as protect the company’s brand.
Answer Example: "If I noticed a member of the community making negative comments about the company’s brand or products on social media, I would first try to have a conversation with them to understand why they feel this way. If they have legitimate concerns, I would work with the team to address them. If the member continues to make negative comments, I would consider banning them from the community."
This question can help the interviewer understand how you react when faced with new challenges. It can also show them that you are willing to take on additional work when necessary and that you can complete it successfully. When answering this question, it can be helpful to mention a specific situation where you had to take on more responsibilities and describe what steps you took to complete the additional work.
Answer Example: "In my last role as a community manager, I was responsible for managing all social media platforms for our company. One day, I received news that one of our major platforms was going to be shutting down its accounts due to lack of use. This meant that I would have to remove all content from that platform and create new accounts on other sites."
Social media engagement is an important part of being a community manager. Employers ask this question to see if you have experience increasing engagement on their company’s social media channels. In your answer, explain how you would use the company’s social media platform to encourage users to interact with the brand. Explain that you would use different strategies for each platform.
Answer Example: "I believe that there are several ways to increase engagement on a company’s social media channels. First, I would make sure that all of the content posted is relevant and interesting to the target audience. This means that I would regularly monitor what is being posted and adjust it as needed. Second, I would create contests and giveaways that encourage users to share or like the posts in order to enter. Finally, I would create an active presence on each platform so that users feel like they can reach out to us."
This question can help the interviewer understand your experience with community management tools and software. Use this opportunity to highlight any specific tools or programs that you’ve used in previous roles and explain how they helped you complete your work.
Answer Example: "Yes, I use several tools and software programs to monitor and manage a community. First, I rely on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up with conversations and discussions taking place among members. I also use Google Analytics to track visitor traffic and engagement metrics on our website. Finally, I use HubSpot to manage email campaigns, track leads, and measure the success of our marketing efforts."
This question is a great way to test your problem-solving skills and how you would react in a challenging situation. When answering this question, it can be helpful to explain what steps you would take to resolve the situation and ensure it doesn’t happen again.
Answer Example: "If I encountered this situation, I would first try to contact the member of the community who is posting the personal information or images and ask them to remove it. If they refused, I would report the post to the social media platform so they could take action. Next, I would speak with my supervisor about the situation so they could help me determine the best course of action."
Community managers often have to deal with negative feedback from members of the community. Employers ask this question to see if you have experience handling these types of situations and how you would respond. In your answer, explain what steps you took to resolve the issue. Show that you are willing to listen to feedback from members and make changes when necessary.
Answer Example: "I recently had to deal with negative feedback from members of the community when I was working as a community manager for an online gaming website. One of the games we hosted had an update that caused some players to lose their progress. The developers were working on fixing the issue, but in the meantime, I wanted to make sure that our members knew what was going on."
Social media is an important part of community management, and employers want to know that you have experience with creating and managing content on company social media channels. Use examples from your experience to explain how you ensure that content remains relevant and engaging for followers.
Answer Example: "I understand the importance of keeping content on company social media channels fresh and relevant. In my last role as a community manager, I had responsibility over all company social media channels including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Each week, I would review the latest trends in our industry and look for topics that our customers were talking about. Then, I would create relevant content that our followers could relate to. For example, if there was a new product release, I would create an Instagram post with tips on how to use the product."
Community managers need to be able to analyze data and use it to improve their company’s online presence. Employers ask this question to see if you have experience with research and analysis and how you used it to help a company improve its online presence. In your answer, explain what type of data you analyzed and what steps you took to use that data to make changes to a company’s online presence.
Answer Example: "In my previous role as a community manager for a software company, I noticed that our website had a lot of visitors but few were converting into customers. After doing some research, I discovered that many of our visitors were coming from search engines but weren’t finding what they were looking for on our website. I then analyzed our keywords and content to see where we could improve. After making some changes to our website, we saw an increase in conversions."
This question can help interviewers understand how you would handle a challenging situation. Use your answer to highlight your problem-solving skills and ability to remain calm under pressure.
Answer Example: "If I discovered a member of the community was engaging in illegal activity related to the company’s products or services, I would first attempt to contact them directly to discuss the issue. If they refused to cooperate or continued to commit the illegal activity, I would report the incident to my supervisor so they could take appropriate action."
This question can help interviewers understand how you would handle a challenging situation. Use examples from past experiences where you helped a company improve its product or service based on feedback from the community.
Answer Example: "In my last role as a community manager, I worked with a software development team on a new release of our product. The team had spent months developing the new features, but when we released the update, some users complained that it was slower than previous versions. We worked together to identify the cause of the issue and then implemented changes to improve performance."
This question can help the interviewer understand your experience working with external parties and how you promoted a company’s products. Use examples from previous roles where you worked with influencers or affiliates to promote a company’s products or services, and highlight the results of these partnerships.
Answer Example: "In my last role as a community manager, I worked with several influencers and affiliates to promote our company’s products. One example is when I partnered with an affiliate who had a large following of fashion bloggers. They agreed to promote our clothing line if we gave them a discount code for their readers. We gave them the discount code, and they shared it with their followers. This resulted in a significant increase in sales for our company."
The interviewer may ask you this question to assess your writing skills and how you would create content for their company’s blog or website. Use examples from past experiences where you created blog posts or other types of content for a company’s website.
Answer Example: "I would first research what topics are trending in the industry or relevant to the company’s products or services. Then, I would write my article based on those topics and include useful information for readers. After writing the article, I would proofread it for any spelling or grammar errors before submitting it to be published."
Community managers often have to deal with stakeholders who are unhappy with the performance of their team. Employers ask this question to see if you can handle criticism well and use it to improve your team’s performance. In your answer, explain how you handled the situation and what steps you took to ensure it didn’t happen again.
Answer Example: "I recently had a situation where a stakeholder was unhappy with the performance of one of my team members. The stakeholder was a customer who had an issue with the product and felt that the community manager should have resolved it sooner. I explained that community managers are not responsible for resolving customer issues, but rather helping customers find answers themselves. I also explained that we have a support team that handles customer issues and that I would speak with them about improving their response time."
Community managers often have a lot on their plates. Employers ask this question to see if you have strategies for staying organized and keeping track of all your tasks. In your answer, share some techniques that have helped you manage your time and workload effectively.
Answer Example: "I find it helpful to use project management software to organize my tasks and projects. This allows me to see what needs to be done and who is working on each item. It also allows me to communicate with team members about their assignments in real time. Another method I use is setting weekly goals for myself. This helps me stay focused on what’s important and ensures that I am completing tasks in a timely manner. Finally, I make sure to take regular breaks throughout the day to recharge my batteries."