Tools, Frameworks & Implementation Proficiency Topics
Practical proficiency with industry-standard tools and frameworks including project management (Jira, Azure DevOps), productivity tools (Excel, spreadsheet analysis), development tools and environments, and framework setup. Focuses on hands-on tool expertise, configuration, best practices, and optimization rather than conceptual knowledge. Complements technical categories by addressing implementation tooling.
Marketing Technology Platforms and Tools
Demonstrate knowledge of the marketing technology landscape by describing platforms and tools you have used and how you applied them to solve business problems. Cover marketing automation platforms, web and product analytics tools, search engine optimization and marketing systems, social media management platforms, email service providers, customer relationship management systems, customer data platforms, tag management and content management solutions, and data integration or data warehousing approaches. Explain your level of expertise such as administrative configuration, power user operations, implementation, or architecture and discuss selection criteria, integration challenges, measurement and attribution approaches, optimization techniques, and examples of implementations or migrations.
CRM Systems & Sales Technology Basics
Practical familiarity with at least one CRM platform (preferably Salesforce given its FAANG prevalence), basic understanding of CRM data structure, record management, and how CRM data feeds into reporting and analysis. Awareness of other common sales tools in the tech stack (Slack, email platforms, automation tools).
Technology Evaluation and Selection
Focuses on evaluating technology options and selecting appropriate platforms or vendors. Key skills include defining business and technical requirements, creating evaluation criteria and decision matrices, running proof of concept trials, assessing total cost of ownership and vendor lock in, validating integration feasibility and operational impact, ensuring security and compliance, planning staged rollouts and migrations, and documenting governance for adoption. Interviewers may probe examples of build versus buy decisions and how pilots were used to de risk technology choices.
Marketing Technology Solution Design
Focuses on designing practical marketing technology solutions that solve root causes while accounting for constraints such as budget, timeline, team capacity, and operational risk. Candidates should present structured approaches: define the problem and goals, evaluate multiple solution options with trade offs, specify configuration and integration requirements, outline automation and data flow designs, and detail testing and validation strategies. Strong answers include phased implementation plans, rollout and adoption strategies, training and process change considerations, stakeholder communication plans, and measurable success criteria. Interviewers will look for the candidate ability to balance technical feasibility, business impact, and operational sustainability.
Learning Agility and Tool Proficiency
Covers a candidate's ability to rapidly learn, adopt, and effectively use technical tools combined with a growth oriented mindset and curiosity. For security roles this includes comfort navigating security information and event management platforms and other security tool interfaces, constructing queries and filters to locate relevant data, and interpreting results. It also includes general approaches to self directed learning such as studying documentation, building small labs, following tutorials, seeking mentorship, using online resources, and applying deliberate practice to pick up new languages, frameworks, or analytics tools. Interviewers may probe for concrete examples showing how the candidate learned a tool or technology quickly, how they troubleshoot gaps in knowledge, how they ask clarifying questions to understand systems deeply, and how they demonstrate continuous improvement and intellectual curiosity.
Technical Skills & Tools Inventory
Be ready to discuss specific tools and platforms you're familiar with: marketing automation (HubSpot, Marketo, Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign), CRM systems (Salesforce, Pipedrive), analytics tools (Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude), data visualization (Tableau, Looker, Power BI), testing platforms (Optimizely, VWO), or data management platforms. For each tool, be specific about what you actually did (created reports, set up workflows, troubleshot issues, etc.), not just 'familiar with.' If you lack certain tools, mention your ability to learn technical systems quickly and provide examples of how you've picked up new platforms.
Marketing Technology Stack Architecture and Strategy
Design and strategic planning of a marketing technology stack, covering core components such as customer relationship management, marketing automation, analytics, customer data platform, content management, and attribution systems. Assess architecture patterns, data flows, scalability, reliability, phased implementation approaches, governance, security, and compliance. Evaluate consolidation versus best of breed approaches, vendor suites versus point solutions, total cost of ownership, operational complexity, and how the stack should evolve as the business scales and requirements change.
Marketing Technology and Migration Planning
Focuses on planning and executing the implementation or migration of marketing technology platforms, such as marketing automation systems and Customer Relationship Management systems. Candidates should demonstrate a structured approach including discovery of existing processes and data, stakeholder requirement gathering, prioritization of work and timeline planning, data mapping and data quality management during migration, integration design including application programming interface connections and event tracking, testing and validation strategies, cutover and rollback planning, user training and adoption and broader change management, and measurement of success using pre defined metrics and key performance indicators. It also includes vendor selection considerations, risk mitigation during migration, and ongoing optimization after launch.