Pinpoint what you are looking for in a new marketing role

Marketers fall into such a wide array of roles, from very narrow to very broad, and from entry-level to C-Suite. However, the qualities to look for in any marketing team member include:

• Creativity & passion for innovation
• Ability to collaborate
• Exceptional communication skills
• Critical thinking
• Adaptability
• Curiosity and interest in continued learning, since marketing tactics are always changing!

If you are hiring for an internal marketing team, your roles will probably correlate to how big your company is and the overall budget for marketing. Smaller companies tend to look for candidates that feel comfortable in a wide range of marketing areas: copywriting, SEO, social media, graphic design, and even video. Larger companies may want to hire candidates that focus on a specific channel or develop separate teams for inbound and outbound marketing.

The role might be campaign or account-based if you are hiring for a marketing agency. Especially for leadership roles like Chief Marketing Officers and Creative Directors, actively sourcing these candidates will help you find talent that meets your specific criteria and expectations.

Depending on your needs, you may want someone who is more on the creative side, more analytical, or more apt at project management. Work closely with the hiring manager and make sure you understand their needs and the parameters of the role so you develop a clear job description. From there, it's time to begin your search!

TIP: Are you also hiring for sales managers and account reps? Check out what you need to know to hire top sales talent!

Be where marketers are online

In addition to promoting your open role, you’ll also want to actively source candidates online. In general, marketers aren’t hard to find; by nature, they love communicating and sharing with others. Here are a few ways you can proactively seek out top marketing talent:

• Branch out from LinkedIn to other online communities for creatives like Upwork, Behance, and Dribbble. There are also tons of social media groups and Slack communities dedicated to marketing where you can find talent. If you are looking for someone in a certain region, research marketing-related job boards or Meetup groups in that city/region.

• Marketing is all around us. Which companies have content or strategies that stand out to you? Look within and outside of your industry for marketing that you find impactful and reach out to those who are a good fit for the open role. For instance, if a potential candidate uses Instagram to show off her work, consider reaching out to her there rather than email or InMail.

• Take advantage of automated sourcing tools like Fetcher! As mentioned earlier, marketers fall into a number of categories and their skills can vary. Save time by having the candidates who fit your specific parameters served to you. For example, you can tell Fetcher that you’d like them to have a certain number of years at an agency, or that they have 5 years of email marketing experience.

Engaging & Interviewing Marketing Candidates

Keep in mind, marketers know and appreciate good branding, so they’ll be paying attention to the way you present your company and communicate on its behalf.

When reaching out to candidates, make sure you are:

• Being consistent with the voice. If your website and social media pages use a distinct voice, be sure to incorporate it into outreach while still maintaining a level of professionalism.

• Showing, rather than telling, what it’s like to work at your company. Any workplace can tell candidates they have a fun, collaborative culture -- and marketers know this! To help them get an idea of what life will be like there, share employee reviews, videos featuring your team, and examples of both successes and challenges your teams have overcome.

• Personalizing your messages. Mention a specific piece in their portfolio, or an achievement they’ve listed on LinkedIn. Passive candidates aren’t necessarily looking for work, so letting them know you’ve done your research will help you stand out and build trust.

Along with asking standard questions, during the interview process:

• Ask them to complete a small task or project related to the job. This could be putting together copy, designing a graphic, analyze a set of data, or even outlining how they’d complete a new product or service launch. Ensure it's not too labor intensive; you don't want to make them feel like they are already working for your company before they even start!

• You can also ask them to audit your current marketing channels and provide suggestions. In addition to getting an idea of how their mind works, you will also see how they deliver feedback which is key for collaborative marketers!

• Take the opportunity to reinforce your company’s mission and brand. Have them speak with people on different teams that can reinforce what you’ve been communicating to them throughout the hiring process.

In June, LinkedIn reported that there were 381,000 new marketing jobs posted over the course of the past year. As a recruiter, this means that on top of creating a great candidate experience, you’ll want to make sure your compensation and benefits packages are competitive. Most digital marketing work can be done from anywhere, so consider that your candidates may prefer a remote role or hybrid schedule.

The payoff for attracting top marketing talent goes back to storytelling and incorporating the customers into that story. Marketers that are passionate advocates for your company will be able to translate your story in a meaningful way to your audiences.

Ready to discover your next great marketing hire? Schedule a demo with Fetcher to see how we can save you time while sourcing candidates you want to meet.