Hiring for performance marketing based on a resume (platform names, certifications, recognizable brands) filters very little. These are the questions that actually separate someone who understands the craft from someone who just knows how to operate a platform.
“Tell me about a campaign that didn’t work, and why”
Anyone can talk about their wins. How someone explains a failure (whether they take responsibility, whether they identify the real cause, whether they learned something concrete) says far more about their real judgment than any well-told success story.
“What would you do if CPA jumped 30% overnight?”
This question reveals the person’s diagnostic process: if they jump straight to “cut the budget” without investigating the cause, that’s a sign of reactive thinking. A good answer starts by understanding what changed (competition? the algorithm? did the audience get saturated?) before acting.
“How do you know if a campaign is actually working?”
Look for an answer that goes beyond platform metrics (CTR, CPC) and reaches real business metrics (profitable customers, LTV, not just cheap leads). Someone who stays only at surface platform metrics may be optimizing toward the wrong target without realizing it.
“What wouldn’t you automate yet?”
This question filters out people who understand the real limits of current automation, versus those who repeat that “AI does it all.” A good answer precisely identifies where human judgment is still irreplaceable.
A common red flag
Be wary of anyone promising specific guaranteed results before knowing the business in depth. Serious performance marketing starts with questions about the business, not generic promises of results.
If you’re building a hiring process for your marketing team or looking for a consultant yourself, message me on WhatsApp.