How to hire a marketing manager the right way

It would be simple to find out how to hire marketing managers in a perfect world.

It's as simple as posting your job opening on several job boards, receiving piles upon piles of qualified applicants, selecting the best candidate and making an offer.

It's actually a bit more complex than that. However, you can save yourself a lot by being prepared.

This article will discuss some of the things you need to keep in mind when you start the process to hire a marketing professional.

There are some challenges you might face when hiring a marketing manager

You need to know what skills your marketing manager needs, what tasks they need to complete, and what criteria will be used to assess their resumes.

Gary Nealon is the founder of Nealon Solutions. He identifies two factors that make a marketing manager job difficult.

One is the fact that marketing requires creativity, knowledge about social media platforms, analytical instruments, Google and Facebook ads and content marketing.

It is impossible to manage everything at once. This is why it is important for both you and your company to prioritize.

Candidates who have experience in the above areas are usually expensive. They may also be hired already. You will need to offer them something unique in terms of compensation and the projects they will be working on.

In addition to these skills, the person must also have the ability and capability to manage. It can be difficult to hire for leadership qualities because there are many soft skills that are more difficult to quantify.

Trust but verify

Verifying the achievements of candidates is a challenge.

You'll need to dig to find out if a candidate claims that they have increased the number of social media followers for Company X by Y.

Here's how:

Interview questions

Asking questions is the obvious way to find out.

Ask:

1. How they scaled the company’s social media following
2. Which strategies did they use?
3. If they worked as a team, or individually

If you are unsure about the accomplishments of a candidate, ask them for examples.

Use pre-employment skills tests

You can also use a skills assessment test. One company I work for offers assessments that you can use at top of your hiring funnel to ensure the candidates you are reviewing actually have all the skills they claim. This will ensure that you don't waste your time looking at resumes from unqualified candidates.

By testing my skills, I can save time in resume evaluation and have more time to review the resumes of those who are a good match.

• Attention to detail
• Numerical reasoning
• Cognitive ability
• Excel
• Critical thinking

Sometimes I ask candidates to take a personality assessment like the Big 5 (OCEAN). This is not to make hiring decisions but to help me plan my approach to the interview.

Definition of the Marketing Manager Role

Another challenge when looking for the right marketing manager is to define the role clearly.

Sometimes, companies searching for a marketing manager don't have the time or are too busy to find exactly what they want in a hire.

It is possible that they don't realize they are missing something until the first application arrives or when they meet the candidates for the interview.

Here are some ways to avoid it.

Consider first the responsibilities of your marketing manager.

These should be based on what you want and what the specialist will have to do.

Once you've identified the responsibilities, you can determine if you will need a full-time or contract-based marketing manager. Or a marketing agency that suits your needs better.

Once you have determined the requirements for a candidate and what role you are looking to hire, you can begin searching for the right candidate by using a job board such as FarFarJob.

How to choose a marketing manager with the right skills

You will need to keep a list of essential skills for the position of marketing manager at your company in mind when you are selecting from many candidates.

Lisa Schneider, chief digital officer at Merriam-Webster for example, stresses creativity and initiative. Her belief is that being able to think for yourself and come up with new ideas is more important than following established patterns and following guidelines.

These are other qualities that you might be interested in:

• Analytical Thinking
• Experience in Marketing Analysis
• Selling skills
• Ability to see the buyer's perspective
• Ability to train and hire talented people
• Strong storytelling and writing skills
• Planning and prioritization.
• Math and technical skills

Find a Marketing Manager by asking the right questions

Interviews should not be limited to questions about the candidate's education and experience. You should also inquire about their creativity.

Ask questions that will reveal if a candidate can think outside the box.

Ask them how they would promote your business.

As we have already mentioned, it is important to ask for examples whenever possible.

Marketing Manager Compensation

Before you start the hiring process, think about the salary that you are willing to pay the right candidate.

Use resources such as Glassdoor or PayScale to determine what a competitive salary would look like. According to Salary.com the median salary for a marketing manager in the United States was $104,940, as of May 18, 2020.

Consider the education of the candidate, the cost of living, additional skills, as well as the number of years spent in the field.

Remote work is possible if you are willing to allow candidates from areas with lower living costs.

Send an offer

After you have made the right choice, it is time to make an offer. If you have an HR department, put everything down in writing.

You shouldn't accept anyone from your shortlist until you are certain that your first choice will agree. If they don't agree, you can always move on to the next person.