Product, marketing and design
A first interview with a social media manager should show three things. Do they understand what works on each platform? Can they keep a posting schedule going without the quality slipping? Do they know what to do when a post goes wrong? Ask about accounts they ran and the decisions behind them.
The job is part creative work, part judgment. The AI’s follow-up questions ask what they’d do when a post goes wrong.
What to look for
The questions
Ask them in order. Listen for real details: what happened, what the candidate did, and how it ended.
Strong answer
Names the audience and gives concrete examples of format, length and tone changing from one platform to the next.
Weak answer
Posted the same content everywhere.
Strong answer
Sets themes tied to business goals, keeps a shared calendar, makes posts in batches, gets approvals, and leaves room for posts that react to the news.
Weak answer
Plans each post the day before.
Strong answer
Pauses scheduled posts, works out whether the criticism is fair, tells a manager, and agrees a response with the team before replying.
Weak answer
Deletes the comments, or argues back alone.
Strong answer
Describes the specific post, gives a reason they could test, like the opening line, the format or the timing, and says what they changed afterward.
Weak answer
“It was the algorithm.”
Strong answer
Ties each number to a goal: how many people saw it, for awareness; clicks or sign-ups, for new customers; saves and replies, for engagement.
Weak answer
Follower count, with nothing else.
Strong answer
Has a way to decide, such as whether it fits the brand voice and can be made well in time, and gives an example of one they skipped.
Weak answer
Joins every trend, or ignores them all.
Strong answer
Writes clear briefs, uses templates, and knows which pieces they can make themselves.
Weak answer
Waits for images and videos from others, and posts too late to matter.
Strong answer
Explains the specific risk, offers another option, and if overruled, gets ready for the replies.
Weak answer
Posts it without saying anything, or refuses outright.
Before the interview
Short form questions the candidate answers before the interview. You read the answers next to the interview. They aren’t scored.
Listen for
Avoid
Use this in LessRounds
Paste the questions into a scripted interview, where the AI reads each question word for word. Add the skills from the scorecard, then share one link. Every social media manager candidate gets the same questions. You get a score for each skill, with the candidate’s own words that explain it.
Look at the brand accounts they managed instead. A personal account tells you little about how they’ll run yours. It can also show you things that shouldn’t count in a hiring decision.
A small one, after the first interview. Ask for a week of sample posts for one platform from a short brief. Keep it to a couple of hours, and pay for it if you might use the work.
Start with 100 free credits, enough for about 20 interviews. No credit card or sales call needed.