6 Steps To Finding The Next Marketing All-Star

Published: January 1, 2016

Elissa FInk headshot1In the world of B2B marketing, we often talk about the importance of people — whether that means understanding your company’s audience, personalizing content or connecting with customers on an emotional level. But the “people” part of the marketing equation actually starts within the walls of your organization. In order to imagine and execute cutting-edge and compelling marketing campaigns, you need the right team members.

Identifying an up-and-coming B2B marketing star isn’t easy, and many companies get lost in checkboxes and resume requirements instead of being thoughtful about what hiring processes will breed success.

With that in mind, let’s break down six key steps to finding the next marketing all-star for your team.

1. Be proactive. It’s a crowded market out there and your competitors aren’t just trying to take your customers — they’re eyeing the same employee pool. To snag the best talent, you must be proactive. Relationships and networks aren’t built overnight, so you can’t wait until you have an opening to attend relevant events and meet impressive folks in the industry. Keep a consistent calendar going at all times to this end, and think outside your core B2B events. Be open to LinkedIn connections, and give talks at marketing groups to put it out there that you’re a great place to work.

Get the latest B2B Marketing News & Trends delivered directly to your inbox!

2. Don’t limit yourself to the candidate with the “perfect resume.” When I wanted to leave advertising sales and get into a marketing analytics software company, I didn’t have the perfect resume for it, but I had the drive. I showed the desire and enthusiasm for the job, I took relevant classes, I wrote a killer cover letter, and I did prodigious research on the company and industry. My future boss saw those things and took a chance on me. Since then, I make a point to look beyond the resume and into the person’s drive.

3. Ask the candidate to give you a demo. When it comes to the actual interview process, it’s time to get tangible. In the tech world, knowing the product is everything. To see which candidates have done their research and understand your company’s offering, ask them to give you a demo of your product. And if you don’t have a product that lends itself to a demo, have them talk to you like they would to a prospect by discussing its value proposition, use cases, etc. While the demo doesn’t have to be perfect, it will give you a good understanding of who grasps your product’s value proposition and key features right off the bat.

4. Create an exercise relevant to the position. Along the same lines, make sure the interview process includes an exercise that’s relevant to the position. While past work experience and education are a consideration, they’re less important than the execution of tasks that are actually part of the day-to-day workflow. Depending on the position, have a candidate write a press release, redesign parts of a sample website, design a demand-gen campaign, write a blog post, or something similar. This will show you who has job skills as opposed to a nice CV or strong interview skills.

5. Provide feedback during the interview. Job candidates love feedback because it helps them improve. During the interview, give the interviewee some tips and see how they react. This is the best way to jump into a candid conversation about the role and will help shed light on how open the candidate is to criticism, how quickly he or she picks up new concepts and what kind of vision he or she brings to the table. I also look for good back-and-forth question-and-answer opportunities. I want to know what they’re curious about and what kind of follow-up questions they ask. Encourage an open dialogue that would reflect a real company meeting.

6. Have a variety of interviewers. Of course, there isn’t an exercise for every aspect of the hiring process. Things like a willingness to learn and culture fit are intangible qualities. Some existing members of your team are better at spotting these things than others, which is why it’s important to have several different folks conduct interviews with several different aspects in mind. Have someone serve as the culture fit gut-check — perhaps a more junior team member. Then have another person serve as a gauge of attitude and potential — perhaps someone who is a little more established. The multiple inputs will ensure you have all the bases covered. If you receive serious doubts or nagging questions about someone, be sure to pay attention to that feedback. I’ve learned the hard way that those doubts you rationalize away or ignore often turn into sub-performing employees.

The bottom line is that hiring the right marketing employees isn’t easy and doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, but it’s also worth it. People are the backbone of your company and your marketing campaigns. Invest in all six steps to hire the next all-star employee.

Elissa Fink is Tableau Software‘s CMO. With more than 20 years of experience in helping companies improve their marketing operations through applied data analysis, Elissa has held executive positions in marketing, business strategy, product management, and product development. Prior to Tableau, Elissa was EVP Marketing at IXI Corporation, now owned by Equifax. She has also served in executive positions at Tele Atlas (acquired by TomTom), TopTier Software (acquired by SAP), and Nielsen/Claritas. Elissa also sold national advertising for The Wall Street Journal. She’s a frequent speaker and has spoken at conferences including the DMA, NCDM, PSAMA and others.

Posted in: Demanding Views

Tagged with:

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
B2B Marketing Exchange
B2B Marketing Exchange East
Campaign Optimization Series
Buyer Insights & Intelligence Series
Strategy & Planning Series