In previous blogs I have talked about the importance of being both creative and analytical in marketing, not easy. Recruiting the perfect marketer or more importantly your perfect marketer isn’t easy either but when you find him or her it can transform your business.
So how do you spot the perfect marketer? Here are my top tips for finding yours:
Beware the jargon lover
The person who knows all the theory and buzz words but offer them their first campaign and they go white, procrastinate or find excuses for lack of progress.
Top Tip: When you are recruiting give candidates a timed task to complete during the scheduled interview. This could be optimising a Google campaign, writing a creative brief, creating an ad or eDM, anything that relates to the role they will play. This can also show you how they react under pressure.
The perfect blend
In a previous blog Marketing – Friend or Foe? I wrote about how we have seen the role of marketing change. Many roles within companies rely on a strong single minded approach and a talent in a specific area. Marketing requires more of a blend. Numbers people with a creative flair or creative people who are passionate about delivering cost effective revenue and sales. Not an easy balance to strike but vital to ensure a successful marketing function.
Top Tip: Good news, a candidate’s CV is a good first indicator. A good candidate will have evidence of both creative and commercial successes. This also gives you an opportunity to plan your interview accordingly and ensure your chosen candidate has the right blend for your company. Finally, an interview task can substantiate their ability in one or both areas.
“Marketing takes a day to learn. Unfortunately, it takes a lifetime to master”
Philip Kotler
Team Belbin
No matter the size of your team you will have a gap, otherwise why are you recruiting? Not just skills but team strengths. Your team may struggle to come up with creative ideas or struggle to successfully implement them? By looking at the gaps in the team you can determine who will not just fill the positon but complete your team. And don’t forget the part you play within the team.
Top Tip: You don’t need to spend a vast amount of budget on bringing someone in to do this (although formal training is very useful if you do have budget). You know your team and will know the strengths and gaps within it. The Belbin website provides information on the nine Belbin team roles and I have found this a useful tool.
“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”
Babe Ruth
Recruiting your superhero
The emphasis being on your, as this all comes down to your team and company culture. You need to find the person who will fit in relatively seamlessly. It is easier to train someone up on the gaps in their knowledge than it is to change their values. If they are a square peg in a round hole, at worst you are going to end up spending most of your time dealing with personnel issues, or at best having a team that is ok but that never flies.
Top Tip: Find out what their values are, what is not just important but vital to them? You will need a relaxed interview style, this needs to be a conversation not an interview question. You need to get to know one another and be confident that they are right for the team and vice versa. Pay attention and listen to your gut.
“You can’t do a good business with a bad person. Find the right people to work with and you can’t go wrong.”
Richard Branson
The introduction
I have seen talented people join a company and within a few months’ struggle, all because their induction was mishandled. Recruiting the right person is vital but so is their induction. Yes, it is up to the individual to ensure they have the right information but a well-structured induction plan with speed things up. People are the most expensive resource so why wouldn’t you get this resource working effectively as quickly as possible?
Top Tip: Set up introductory meetings with key people. This will give your superhero the information they need to manage their own development. Organise any training identified in the recruitment process to help them “hit the ground running”. No matter the level at which you are recruiting the basics remain the same, ensure your new team member has the information they need to drive their development and support them throughout. As Richard Branson once said,
“Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”
Richard Branson