How to Identify and Attract Your Marketing Dream Team
When you’re looking to hire high-caliber marketing professionals, you can’t expect them to simply find your position on a general job board and send in their application. Highly skilled workers probably have great jobs already and aren’t looking to switch. So, as part of your search, you need to tap into the passive job market of people who might become interested once they hear about your opening.
Don’t Wait for Them to Come to You
Fortunately, the internet provides a wealth of ways to do this. You can search LinkedIn for marketers with job titles similar to what you’re looking for. With the results, you can either contact candidates directly or join conversations and engage with others in the profession to ask for referrals. Similarly, you can make connections with recruiting professionals in blogs, forums, and organizations that cater to talent acquisition. Some great resources include:
Many marketers also showcase their skills on social media. A search on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube can surface thought leaders and their portfolios.
Referral Networks
Attending marketing conferences and events can help you uncover more of those passive job seekers. They know the value of networking as well as you do, so you’ll likely find plenty of people who are willing to chat.
Also, don’t forget about referrals from customers and colleagues. You never know who might come up with the ideal candidate.
Identify the Skill Sets You Need
In building your dream team, you need to evaluate the talent you already have on board. Great teams have members whose experience and skills complement each other. Hiring someone new is an opportunity to add specialized skills or fill knowledge gaps.
No one is an expert on everything, but a high-caliber candidate should have deep knowledge and experience in a few key areas, as well as a basic understanding of a wide variety of marketing topics.
Depending on your needs, here are some of the marketing skills you may want to look for in order to create a well-rounded team:
- Planning and project management
- Media buying and PPC
- Social media management
- Marketing automation
- Content development
- Optimization
- Research and testing
- Analytics
- Graphic design
- Coding skills
Important Behavioral Skills
In marketing positions, as in most jobs, some people who have all the right technical skills still struggle to help their team succeed. That’s because they also need the right behavioral skills to be an effective contributor. Consider which behavioral skills are most important for each role on your team, and then look for them when you vet candidates. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Adaptable
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- As things change and evolve, how quickly can this person adapt?
- When things don’t work as planned, do they have the resiliency to learn and move on?
Analytical
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- Can they understand and dissect complex topics?
- Do they make decisions based on facts instead of jumping to conclusions?
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Determined
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- Can they perform even when the odds are stacked against them?
- Are they willing to do whatever it takes to make things happen?
Engaged
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- Are they curious about their craft, their industry, and the business?
- Can they bring what they’ve learned to bear in your strategic approach?
Organized
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- Do they plan work tasks and needs carefully and completely?
- Do they use their time and skills efficiently and effectively?
Fearless
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- Are they able to take on (and succeed in) projects outside their expertise?
- Are they willing to jump in without being told everything?
Creative
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- Can they come up with new ways to approach marketing, or are they stuck in routines?
- Can they generate new ideas quickly?
Team Player
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- When their ideas don’t get implemented, do they pout or embrace the decision?
- Are they willing to put team needs above their own?
Communicator
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- Can they sell an idea and draw others to the vision?
- Are they willing to debate their ideas while being open to others?
No candidate will have every desirable characteristic, but the best candidates will be strong in the behavioral skills that are most relevant to their role.
What Candidates Want
Once you have found your ideal marketing candidate, what will make them want to work for your company? Good pay and benefits are important, but they are no longer enough.
Today’s employees want more than a paycheck. They want a sense of purpose. They want to know their work is meaningful and makes a difference. They want to be part of a vibrant company culture. And they want opportunities to learn, grow, and advance. Think about how you can show candidates your organization will meet these needs and provide a rewarding and satisfying career path. That could include everything from a mentoring program to subsidizing employees’ continued education; from providing opportunities for volunteer charity work on company time to creating and funding an entire department focused on community outreach.
Marketing professionals thrive in an environment that values and rewards creativity. During interviews, show candidates examples of work your team is proud of on your website or in portfolios. Let the team members who created the work describe the impact it had, so candidates can see employees’ passion and enthusiasm.
Building the Best Team
There’s always room for improvement, so building your dream marketing team will continue to be a work in progress. Just as every new hire can add depth and breadth to your team’s abilities, every current team member can continue to sharpen their skills with new learning and development opportunities. When great work is being done by engaged, enthusiastic marketers, your team will truly be living the dream.
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Matt Shealy is the President of ChamberofCommerce.com. Chamber specializes in helping small businesses grow their business on the web while facilitating the connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.
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