Home Tests for Junior Digital Marketing Candidates-What to Look for, and What to Be Careful of.

2020 has been a challenge for many job applicants and digital marketing was affected as well. E-commerce maybe on the rise, but it does not necessarily translate into a hiring surge for PPC Campaign Managers, SEOs, and Digital Marketers of all levels of experience.

Digital marketing juniors, myself included, are facing an even harder challenge. What seemed to be a glass ceiling or wall before the COVID 19 crisis, now looks like a double glazing tempered glass, dome barrier.

There are many expert advisors on how to make your CV stand-out, how to make your LinkedIn presence work for you. There is a plethora of extremely talented Human Resources Specialists, that provide excellent free content to use.

There is another crucial stage however, that is seldom discussed, or explained. It usually takes place after your CV passed the initial screening. In many cases it happens after you made a positive impression during the first phone call, or video conference. This stage is one of the hardest to pass in the application process, the home test.

In the course of this year, I found myself on the job hunt again, and came across dozens of take home tests. I succeeded in some, failed in some, and rocked a few with compliments by potential employers and their team leaders.

I've gathered a few insights, in order to ease the process for Junior Marketing Specialists, with an emphasis on Junior PPC applicants. If this article can save an hour of your time, I would be more than happy.

What You Should Expect in a Home Test

Time bound test

Most home tests are bound between 24 hours to 3 days. There are a few cases in which interns receive a 1 hour test. The good news are that the scope will be relatively smaller, the less happier news however, are that many employers add a home test further in the application funnel.

Analysis Questions

There should be 2 to 3 main parts in a home test for digital marketers. One part will relate to analyzing the data of campaigns, and making decisions that are driven by a thoughtful explanation. You should expect an Excel, or a Google Sheets document to work on within the test itself. Now may be a good time to refresh your Excel Pivot Tables training by the way.

Optimization Questions

These usually go hand in hand with analysis questions, so don't be surprised if one question can be "Which campaign/ad-Group/ad performed best?" will be followed by "What changes would you make based on your analysis?". Remember that in analysis you explain how you analyze, and what you were looking for, while in optimization, you explain what are the actions and why you are taking them.

Budget Planning Questions

Another part will relate to budget planning, and strategy. You will usually be given instructions about campaign goals, budget, and your employer would like see how you allocate budgets across platforms, and strategize. Do not be alarmed by the numbers, you are not loosing anyone's budget at this stage.

Creative/ Campaign Creation Questions

Many employers add a creative part, in which they wish to see how you plan the structure, and the micro-copy of Google Ads Campaigns, and Facebook Campaigns. Remember that there is no need to have an actual campaign running for making the screen shots. Anyone with a Google MCC Account, and a Facebook Business Manager Account, should be able to create these suspended campaigns and take screen shots. When it comes to Google Ads by the way, there are many simulators that make a nice output of search ads and even extensions.

Google Analytics Questions

Some employers may add a Google Analytics question, usually for a slightly more advanced position. It is very important to remember that if you do not have an extensive hands on experience in Google Analytics, it is more than okay to admit it, rather than fake it till you make it. You should not expect having to log-in to a Google Analytics account, and start making filters or reports, because this is a highly sensitive information, and you're not an employee yet. The questions will most likely relate to a more general and thinking process aspect of using this powerful tool.

Glossary Questions

There are companies that may also add a glossary section, with explanations required from you. Now would be a good time to look at all the initials and acronyms you talk about, and see how they are actually calculated. These will usually be terms like Click Through Rate, Return On Ads Spent, Cost Per Click, and so forth.

When it comes to what you should expect, we can summarize it by saying that you are expected to analyze with Excel on the Pivot Table level, explain digital marketing terms, and show a basic control of Google Ads interface, structure, and the Facebook Business Manager. Most tests will have 3 to 5 questions with sections in them, and with a very focused subject.

What You Should Avoid

Faking It Till Making It

I am not going to preach about plagiarism, your test should be authentic first, excellent later. All of the capacities are iterative, acquired and later required, and it is very hard to fake them on the job. You are a Junior PPC, no need to hide that.

Replying with Excessive Numbers and Tables

You are a digital marketer taking the first steps. Replying with extensive tables not only makes it hard to understand your answer, but may also mean that your professional employer will lose interest. Think of yourself checking the test, and reply to the point as possible.

Overloading Many Home Tests at The Same Time

We are taught to aim at many employers as possible and increase the chances of landing a job. My experience taught me however, that just like taking many interviews at the same day can stress you out, home tests make no exception. Each test usually takes at least a day to complete. Trying to make them simultaneously may harm your performance, and furthermore increase the already existing frustration of a Junior PPC looking for a job. It is called Performance Marketing for a reason, make sure your performance is at its best for a home test when you take it.

What You Can Take With You at Each Home Test

It is time to be honest about it. Most Digital Marketing home tests, like most interviews, will not end up in you getting hired. These are statistics, and not just my experience here. If the only outcome you are looking for is getting hired, you are bound to loop into a thankless routine, of having your expectations constantly let down. If you are however, looking for an accumulative process, and training, home tests are some of the best schools you can have before landing the job.

Technical Capacities

Failing a job application test is harsh, and can be very frustrating. If you look at the process, and not just the outcome you may get to keep a few aces. For example, you may have went online online and finally took that Microsoft Excel tutorial. You may actually go through the digital marketing tutorials on LinkedIn, or finally read a professional Search Engine magazine. When it comes to my experience, the first digital campaign analysis Pivot Table is the hardest, the 5th however, may already feel like a 2nd nature to you.

Analytical Capacities

The next time you will analyze a campaign, an ad-set, an ad-group, or compare between marketing channels, you will no longer look at just the budget and the conversions. You will be able to ask key analytical questions, that will tell you what goals you are looking for, and which metrics support them.

Soft Skills

Seeing how different employers treat their applicants during the home test, will tell you a lot about the DNA of your potential employers as a company. The more thought that is employed into creating your test, will tell you about how serious they are about applicants, and Junior positions are a great example of that.

You would be able to tell if your potential employer is clear and understandable, or vague and self centered on their own branding. Make sure not to judge or educate them, however do not underestimate your intuition about the employers when you receive their home test. Remember, a home test is also a test for your employers in how accessible they are for new marketers that wish to join their teams.

Networking is also a soft skill that can be very useful during a home test. While you are not expected to have someone do the test for you, there is absolutely no harm in pinging veteran PPCs from your network about tips and suggestions. Some of these chats by the way, lead to future interviews in my case.

My final tip is:

Make the best of your home test as a Junior PPC, whether you land that job or not. Share your thoughts, questions, and feelings, and that next job is already a few more steps closer.