Effective Work Samples and Role Plays for Hiring a Demand Generation Specialist

Demand Generation Specialists play a pivotal role in modern marketing teams, serving as the bridge between creative campaign development and data-driven results. These professionals are responsible for creating and executing multi-channel marketing strategies that generate qualified leads and contribute directly to revenue growth. Finding the right talent for this position requires more than just reviewing resumes and conducting standard interviews.

Traditional interviews often fail to reveal a candidate's true capabilities in campaign design, data analysis, and cross-functional collaboration—all critical skills for demand generation success. Work samples and role plays provide a window into how candidates approach real-world marketing challenges, make decisions based on data, and communicate with stakeholders.

The best Demand Generation Specialists combine analytical thinking with creative problem-solving. They must be able to design campaigns that resonate with target audiences while also measuring performance and optimizing for better results. Through carefully designed work samples, you can evaluate these skills in action rather than relying on candidates' self-reported abilities.

Additionally, demand generation requires close collaboration with sales teams and other departments. Role plays can help assess a candidate's ability to navigate these relationships effectively, ensuring marketing efforts align with broader business goals. By incorporating these practical exercises into your hiring process, you'll gain deeper insights into each candidate's potential for success in this multifaceted role.

Activity #1: Multi-Channel Campaign Design Exercise

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to develop data-driven marketing campaigns across multiple channels. Demand Generation Specialists must be able to create comprehensive campaign strategies that align with business objectives while leveraging the right mix of channels to reach target audiences effectively.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide the candidate with a brief that includes: company background, target audience information, product/service details, campaign objectives (e.g., increase MQLs by X%), and budget constraints.
• Include some basic performance data from previous campaigns (e.g., email open rates, conversion rates, cost per lead by channel).
• Allow candidates 24-48 hours to prepare their campaign plan before the interview.
• During the interview, give them 15 minutes to present their campaign strategy, followed by 10 minutes of questions.
• Ensure the interviewer has marketing campaign experience to properly evaluate the candidate's approach.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Design a multi-channel demand generation campaign based on the provided brief.
• Your plan should include: campaign objectives, target audience segmentation, channel selection with rationale, content strategy, timeline, budget allocation, and KPIs for measuring success.
• Prepare a brief presentation (no more than 10 slides) outlining your campaign strategy.
• Be prepared to explain your decision-making process, particularly how you would allocate resources across different channels.
• Include at least one innovative or experimental element in your campaign.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the presentation, the interviewer should provide specific feedback on one strength of the campaign plan (e.g., "Your audience segmentation approach was particularly thoughtful").
• The interviewer should also provide one area for improvement (e.g., "I'd like to see more consideration of how the channels work together").
• Give the candidate 5 minutes to verbally explain how they would adjust their campaign based on this feedback.
• Observe how receptive they are to feedback and how quickly they can incorporate it into their thinking.

Activity #2: Campaign Performance Analysis & Optimization

This exercise tests a candidate's analytical skills and ability to derive actionable insights from marketing data. A successful Demand Generation Specialist must be able to interpret campaign results, identify opportunities for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to optimize performance.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a mock campaign performance dashboard with data across multiple channels (email, paid search, social media, webinars, etc.).
• Include metrics such as impressions, clicks, conversions, cost per lead, lead quality scores, and pipeline contribution.
• Intentionally include some underperforming channels and anomalies in the data for the candidate to identify.
• Provide the data in a spreadsheet or dashboard format that the candidate can manipulate.
• Allow 30 minutes for this exercise during the interview.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided campaign performance data.
• Identify the top-performing and underperforming channels based on relevant metrics.
• Prepare 3-5 key observations about campaign performance.
• Develop 3-5 specific recommendations for optimizing the campaign moving forward.
• Be prepared to explain your analysis process and how you prioritized your recommendations.
• Consider both immediate tactical adjustments and longer-term strategic shifts.

Feedback Mechanism:

• The interviewer should acknowledge one particularly insightful observation or recommendation.
• The interviewer should then challenge one of the candidate's recommendations by providing additional context or constraints.
• Ask the candidate to revise their recommendation based on this new information.
• Evaluate their ability to adapt their thinking and defend their analysis when presented with new variables.

Activity #3: Sales-Marketing Alignment Role Play

This role play assesses the candidate's ability to collaborate effectively with sales teams—a critical skill for demand generation success. The exercise reveals how candidates handle cross-functional communication, address concerns, and align marketing efforts with sales objectives.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a scenario where the sales team is expressing concerns about lead quality from recent marketing campaigns.
• Assign an interviewer to play the role of a frustrated Sales Director who believes marketing leads aren't converting.
• Provide the candidate with some background information about recent campaign performance and lead scoring criteria.
• Include specific sales team complaints (e.g., "These leads aren't ready to buy," "They don't match our ideal customer profile").
• Allow 15-20 minutes for this role play.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the background information about campaign performance and lead scoring.
• In the role play, you'll meet with the Sales Director to discuss concerns about lead quality.
• Your objectives are to: understand the sales team's specific concerns, explain your approach to lead generation and qualification, and develop a collaborative plan to improve lead quality.
• Be prepared to ask clarifying questions, acknowledge valid concerns, and propose solutions.
• Focus on finding common ground and establishing a framework for ongoing collaboration.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the role play, the interviewer should highlight one effective approach the candidate used (e.g., active listening, data-based explanations).
• The interviewer should then identify one area where the candidate could have been more effective (e.g., being too defensive, not proposing concrete solutions).
• Give the candidate 3-5 minutes to reflect on how they would handle a specific moment in the conversation differently based on this feedback.
• Evaluate their self-awareness and ability to adapt their communication style.

Activity #4: Lead Nurture Content Creation Exercise

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to create compelling content for lead nurturing campaigns. Effective demand generation requires crafting messages that resonate with prospects at different stages of the buyer's journey and move them toward conversion.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide the candidate with a buyer persona description and a specific product/service offering.
• Include information about the buyer's journey stages for this persona and typical objections or questions at each stage.
• Specify that you want to see content for the middle of the funnel (consideration stage) where prospects are evaluating options.
• Give candidates the choice to complete this exercise during the interview (30 minutes) or prepare it beforehand.
• If done beforehand, allow them to create actual content pieces; if during the interview, they can outline the content strategy.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Based on the provided buyer persona and product information, develop a lead nurturing email sequence (3 emails) for prospects in the consideration stage.
• For each email, include: subject line, key message points, call-to-action, and rationale for your approach.
• Explain how these emails would fit into a broader nurture strategy.
• Consider how you would measure the effectiveness of this content.
• Be prepared to discuss how you would adapt this content for different channels (e.g., social media, webinar).

Feedback Mechanism:

• The interviewer should provide positive feedback on one aspect of the content strategy (e.g., "Your approach to addressing the prospect's main objection was compelling").
• The interviewer should then suggest one improvement (e.g., "The call-to-action in the second email could be stronger").
• Ask the candidate to revise one specific element based on this feedback (e.g., rewrite a subject line or call-to-action).
• Evaluate both their content creation skills and their ability to incorporate feedback quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should we allow for these exercises during the interview process?

Each exercise requires different timing. The Campaign Analysis exercise needs about 30 minutes during an interview, while the Campaign Design exercise works best when candidates have 24-48 hours to prepare followed by a 25-minute presentation and discussion. Plan your interview schedule accordingly, potentially spreading these exercises across different interview stages.

Should we use our actual company data for these exercises?

While using real data creates authenticity, it's best to create modified or anonymized versions of your actual campaigns and results. This protects sensitive information while still providing realistic scenarios. Ensure the data is comprehensive enough to allow meaningful analysis but not so complex that candidates spend too much time just understanding the information.

What if a candidate has more experience with certain channels than others?

This is common and shouldn't be a disqualifier. Focus on evaluating their analytical approach and strategic thinking rather than specific channel expertise. The best candidates will acknowledge knowledge gaps while demonstrating how they would approach unfamiliar channels. Consider asking how they've learned new channels in the past to assess adaptability.

How should we evaluate candidates who have different approaches to the exercises?

There's rarely one "right" answer to these exercises. Evaluate candidates on their reasoning process, use of data to support decisions, creativity balanced with practicality, and ability to connect their strategies to business objectives. Different approaches can be equally valid if well-supported and aligned with marketing fundamentals.

Should we share these exercises with candidates before the interview?

For time-intensive exercises like the Campaign Design activity, providing details 24-48 hours in advance is recommended. For shorter exercises like the Campaign Analysis or Role Play, a brief description of what to expect is sufficient. Being transparent about your process helps candidates prepare appropriately and reduces interview anxiety.

How do we ensure these exercises don't disadvantage candidates from different industries?

Provide sufficient context about your industry, products, and typical buyers so candidates from different backgrounds can apply their skills appropriately. Focus evaluation on transferable skills like analytical thinking, strategic approach, and communication rather than industry-specific knowledge that can be learned on the job.

Finding the right Demand Generation Specialist can significantly impact your company's marketing effectiveness and revenue growth. By incorporating these practical work samples and role plays into your hiring process, you'll gain deeper insights into candidates' capabilities than traditional interviews alone can provide. These exercises evaluate not just what candidates know, but how they apply that knowledge to real-world marketing challenges.

Remember that the best candidates will demonstrate not only technical marketing skills but also adaptability, collaborative mindset, and data-driven decision-making. The feedback mechanisms built into these exercises help assess candidates' coachability—a critical trait for long-term success in rapidly evolving marketing roles.

For more resources to improve your hiring process, check out Yardstick's AI Job Description Generator, AI Interview Question Generator, and AI Interview Guide Generator. You can also review our comprehensive Demand Generation Specialist job description for additional insights into this critical role.

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