Public Relations Intern Interview Questions

The goal for a successful interview for a Public Relations Intern is for the candidate to demonstrate their passion for communications and ability to collaborate effectively with team members.

Situational interview questions

• You just sent a press release to a major news outlet, but they are requesting additional information on the story. What steps would you take to quickly provide them with the information?
• You have noticed negative feedback on social media regarding one of the company’s products. How would you approach the situation to manage the negativity and address the concerns?
• You are organizing a major event for the company, but you encounter a problem with the venue the day before the event. How would you solve this issue and ensure the event runs smoothly?
• A company employee has posted inappropriate content on their personal social media account that reflects negatively on the company. How would you handle this situation and protect the company’s reputation?
• You are tasked with creating a crisis communication plan for the company. What steps would you take to create an effective plan and prepare for potential crises?

Soft skills interview questions

• Can you give an example of a time when you effectively managed a conflict with a coworker or supervisor?
• How do you prioritize and manage your workload when dealing with multiple projects or tasks at once?
• Can you describe a time when you had to adapt your communication style to effectively convey a message to different audiences?
• How do you approach building and maintaining relationships with clients or stakeholders?
• Can you share an example of a successful teamwork experience and your contribution to the team’s success?

Role-specific interview questions

• Can you walk us through your understanding of the role of PR in a company’s overall marketing strategy?
• Give an example of a successful PR campaign you created and executed, and what metrics you used to measure its success.
• How do you stay on top of industry trends and news to ensure your PR tactics are relevant and timely?
• How would you handle a crisis communication situation for one of our clients? Please describe your process and approach.
• In what ways have you leveraged social media to support PR efforts in the past, and what metrics did you use to measure success?

STAR interview questions

1. Describe a time when you worked on a project that required you to interact with multiple stakeholders from different departments. What was your role in the project, and what actions did you take to ensure the project ran smoothly? What were the results of your actions?

2. Share an example of a challenging media relations campaign you worked on. What was the specific Situation, what were your Tasks and Responsibilities in the campaign, what Actions did you take to address the challenge, and what were the Results?

3. Have you ever been confronted with a difficult message or communication challenge that required you to respond quickly and effectively? How did you manage the situation, what Actions did you take, and what was the Result of your response?

4. Tell me about a successful persuasive communication campaign you developed or contributed to. What was the specific Situation, what were your Tasks and Responsibilities in devising the campaign, what strategies or Actions did you use, and what were the Results?

5. Describe a time when you had to handle a crisis communication situation. What was the specific Situation or challenge, what were your Tasks and Responsibilities in the situation, what Actions did you take, and what were the Results of your efforts?