Interview scorecard template

Senior Dedicated Media Buyer interview scorecard

Evaluate Senior Dedicated Media Buyer candidates across 4 weighted areas: campaigns that performed, measurement and testing, audience and segmentation, and working with the business. Campaigns that performed leads at 30%, so ask for specific accounts they managed: monthly spend, platform mix (Meta, Google, TikTok, DV360), and ROAS, CPA or MER movement they. Use the rubric to compare role-specific evidence consistently.

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TL;DR
For campaigns that performed, look for evidence the candidate names real accounts with monthly budget figures, before and after CPA or MER numbers, and the bidding or budget changes that produced them. For measurement and testing, look for evidence the candidate describes incrementality or holdout testing, states significance thresholds and learning phase limits, and admits which results were inconclusive. Apply the written 1–5 anchors to every answer, record the evidence behind each rating, and use the factor weights to reach a consistent overall assessment.
Complete evaluation framework

What to assess and how to score it

Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.

01
Evaluation factor

Campaigns that performed

30% weight

Ask for specific accounts they managed: monthly spend, platform mix (Meta, Google, TikTok, DV360), and ROAS, CPA or MER movement they can attribute to their own decisions.

Evidence to listen for

  • Names campaigns or programmes they ran, with the metric they moved and the baseline it moved from
  • Distinguishes their own work from the team's or the agency's
  • Knows the audience and the offer, not just the channel
  • Can describe a campaign that failed and why

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

No numbers; describes activity rather than results.

2
Needs Improvement

Vanity metrics only; attribution to their own work is unclear.

3
Satisfactory

Real campaigns with some numbers; baselines often missing.

4
Very Good

Named campaigns with metric, baseline, and clear personal ownership.

5
Excellent

Names real accounts with monthly budget figures, before and after CPA or MER numbers, and the bidding or budget changes that produced them.

02
Evaluation factor

Audience and segmentation

25% weight

Probe how they build and test audiences: broad versus interest stacking, lookalike seeds, exclusion lists, retargeting windows, and when they moved spend to Advantage+ or Performance Max.

Evidence to listen for

  • Describes real customer segments and what differs between them, not demographic guesses
  • Has built lifecycle stages, journeys, or nurture logic that reflect actual behaviour
  • Knows where the audience data comes from and its limits
  • Writes for the segment rather than for everyone

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

One message for everyone; no segmentation thinking.

2
Needs Improvement

Segments by demographics only; no behavioural insight.

3
Satisfactory

Workable segmentation; lifecycle logic is basic.

4
Very Good

Behaviour-driven segmentation and lifecycle design with evidence behind it.

5
Excellent

Explains audience structure choices with reasoning about seed quality, overlap, and funnel stage rather than reciting default platform settings.

03
Evaluation factor

Measurement and testing

30% weight

Test measurement literacy: pixel and CAPI setup, GA4 versus platform attribution gaps, holdout or geo-lift tests, and how they judge creative winners past early noise.

Evidence to listen for

  • Tests deliberately rather than changing everything at once
  • Understands attribution limits and does not overclaim
  • Knows what sample size and duration a test needed
  • Can name a test whose result contradicted what they expected

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

No testing; claims credit for correlation.

2
Needs Improvement

Runs tests but reads them badly; overclaims attribution.

3
Satisfactory

Tests sensibly; rigour drops under deadline pressure.

4
Very Good

Disciplined testing with honest attribution and a result that surprised them.

5
Excellent

Describes incrementality or holdout testing, states significance thresholds and learning phase limits, and admits which results were inconclusive.

04
Evaluation factor

Working with the business

15% weight

Look for evidence they worked with creative teams, clients or founders on briefs, margin targets and pacing, including how they handled a month where spend outran revenue.

Evidence to listen for

  • Works with sales, product, or operations rather than throwing campaigns over a wall
  • Briefs designers and writers well enough to get usable work
  • Manages agencies or freelancers to a standard
  • Reports results to leadership without spin

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Works in isolation; reports only flattering numbers.

2
Needs Improvement

Limited coordination; briefs are thin.

3
Satisfactory

Coordinates adequately; reporting is honest if basic.

4
Very Good

Strong partner to sales and product; briefs and reports clearly.

5
Excellent

Cites concrete pacing or budget conversations, briefed creative from performance data, and flagged deteriorating accounts before the client noticed.

Evidence-led prompts

Interview questions for a Senior Dedicated Media Buyer

Use these prompts to surface evidence for the weighted factors above and compare candidates against the same role-specific criteria.

  1. 01

    Have you worked with a large budget for a media buying campaign? Can you share details?

  2. 02

    Can you discuss a time you had to balance a tight budget against high performance expectations?

  3. 03

    Can you describe a time you successfully negotiated media rates?

  4. 04

    What is your process for identifying the best media channels for a campaign?

  5. 05

    Can you explain your approach to media planning and buying?

See the complete Senior Dedicated Media Buyer question set
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