Role-specific Community Director Interview Questions & Answers:

1. Explain me about a time that you had to advocate on behalf of someone else?

A major part of the community manager role is advocating on behalf of users, so this question should be a no brainer for anyone you intend to hire. This is also a good question to ask folks who might be transitioning in from another field, as there should be many transferable situations at top of mind ranging from defending younger siblings from bullies to helping a teammate get a promotion. Pay particularly close attention to how they describe the way that they went about pursuing a good outcome - this can be very telling, particularly in its absence.

2. How can I clearly communicate community guidelines?

Site Notifications are an effective way to share community guidelines and keep user expectations top-of-mind.

3. Tell me is there a best time to tweet?

If I had a dollar every time I got this one… Make sure you're not tweeting when your fans are sleeping! There is a myth that the universal best time to tweet exists. The truth is, there is a different best time to tweet for everyone. For example, Simply Measured, as a B2B company, hits its sweet spot during work hours on weekdays. However, for B2C companies, they may have a better chance at reaching their fans on the weekends. Curious when your sweet spot is? Here's a few ways you can find it:

4. I know I have great content, so why aren't people on Twitter sharing it?

Truth be told, some things flop just 'cause. There isn't always a quick fix. But, what you can do is give your content everything it needs to take off. Analytics are absolutely crucial in developing content that will not only get shared by your mom, but by your audience as a whole. Learn from past content's performance, test different tweet copy, target influencers, and speak your customers' language. These considerations are all crucial in packaging content. View our full breakdown here:

5. Aside from job postings, why should my brand be on LinkedIn?

Let me just say, I think LinkedIn is underrated. On LinkedIn your brand voice can cut through the noise that exists on Twitter and Facebook. People following brands on LinkedIn are genuine fans of the brand or industry. Users following LinkedIn pages are extremely attentive and responsive. Additionally, LinkedIn Groups offer a unique opportunity to engage with users around a common, and often specific, topic. The appeal for a marketer is obvious, although many still haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet. But it's only a matter of time.

6. Tell me what's the difference between an article and an idea?

Both articles and ideas boost collaboration and strengthen relationships within your community.

Articles are structured documents perfect for capturing and sharing valuable information, such as business processes. Articles are an effective way to showcase expertise and can be up-voted or liked by others based on helpfulness.

7. Tell me what metrics do you track, and why? How will you communicate these to management?

A Community Manager who doesn't know which metrics are relevant to their community and doesn't know how to measure the success of their engagement initiatives will soon run into trouble. A star performer will have some ideas that are pertinent to your community by the time they meet you for an interview. It's even better if they ask you who will be viewing the report and devise a custom answer based on that.

8. Tell us who is a typical member of our community, and what do you think is important to them?

Here's your chance to show off that you've done your research on the company and its community. You will be interacting with members on a daily basis, so show the hiring manager that you can get inside the mind of a member and understand why they are part of the community. Even better, back this up with theories from psychology and case studies.

9. Tell me what is your outlook on community? If you were offered the position, how would you build and foster our community?

Knowing that the candidate is active in online communities or has an opinion of their importance is critical information to know when hiring a Community Manager. Do they perceive them as a place to share and cultivate relationships or do they find online communities stale or strange? Understanding their comfort level with a variety online communities can be a clear indicator whether they are a top contender for the position. If the candidate gets through the first part of the question, hearing how they would put new plans into effect to foster and build a community is essential. This requires creativity, critical thinking, and strategy wrapped up in one answer.

10. Tell me how do you deal with difficult people, arguments in your community, or legal/security risks?

Back to the nitty-gritty of routine community management; how will your candidate take to implementing a solid policy and set of escalation procedures, or write them up from scratch? Asking them for examples of situations they have experienced is useful too. I used to ask candidates in passing how taking the Tube made them feel; you'd be surprised at how many were quick to anger at the mere thought, which didn't bode well.