How to hire the best marketing manager

In a perfect universe, it would not be difficult to hire a market manager.

It would be easy to put your job posting on a few job boards and receive piles of quality applications from qualified candidates. Then choose the best candidate and make an offer.

While it may seem more complicated than that, being prepared will save you a lot.

This article will outline some considerations that you should consider when hiring a marketing professional.

How to Hire a Marketing Manager

Before posting a vacancy, it is important to have a clear idea of the marketing manager's skills, their tasks, and the criteria that you will use for evaluating resumes and interview performance.

Gary Nealon (the Founder of Nealon Solutions) identifies two things which make it difficult for a candidate to fill the position of marketing manager.

One is marketing. It requires creativity, knowledge and skills in social media platforms and analytical tools.

There are few people who can do it all. It is difficult to keep up with everything.

Candidates who are able to boast that they have worked in all the above fields usually cost you a lot. Also, most likely they are already employed so you need to offer something extra in terms compensation and the projects they will undertake.

A person must be able and able to manage, in addition, to all of these skills. The process of hiring leaders can be challenging because it requires many soft skills, which are difficult to quantify.

Trust, but verify

It is not enough to measure the accomplishments of candidates. Verification is another challenge.

It's not enough to simply say that a candidate has increased the number of followers on social media by X. You need to verify this claim and find out how involved they really were.

Here's how:

Interview questions

It is obvious to ask questions.

For example, you might ask:

1. Howthey scaled their company's social-media following
2. They used which strategies
3. They worked in a team or alone

If the candidate has an accomplishment you feel is indicative of their potential, make sure to ask for examples.

Use pre-employment skills tests

A skills assessment test is even better. One company that I work with offers assessment tools you can use to verify the skills of candidates you are looking at . You won't have to waste time looking through resumes.

I use skills testing to help me save time and time in resume evaluation.

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

I sometimes ask candidates to take a personality exam like the Big 5 OCEAN (although this isn't used to hire, but to get an idea about how they approach the interview).

Definition of the Marketing Manager Role

Finding the right marketing leader for your company can be difficult.

Companies looking to hire a marketing manager sometimes don't have enough time, or simply don't want, to pinpoint exactly what they are looking.

They might not realize it when the first applications arrive, or when they meet potential candidates at an interview.

Here's how to avoid that.

First, consider the responsibilities of the marketing manager at your company.

They should be based primarily on your objectives and the problems the specialist will need to solve.

After you've determined the role's responsibilities, it is possible to estimate whether a full-time, contract-based or agency-based marketing manager will be needed.

Once you have established what qualities you require in a candidate, and in what capacity you wish to hire them in, you can use a jobboard like FarFarJob to start searching for the right person.

How to select a Marketing Manager with the right Skills

It is important to make a list, or at least jot down, of the essential skills required for your position as marketing manager.

Lisa Schneider is the chief digital officer of Merriam-Webster and emphasizes creative thinking and initiative. She sees it as more important to be able work independently and develop new ideas than following established patterns or following guidelines.

Here are some other qualities to consider:

• Analytical thought
• Experiences in marketing analysis
• Selling skills
• Ability for buyers to view
• Possibility to hire, train, or lead talented people
• Storytelling and strong writing skills
• Planning, prioritization and measurement
• Technical skills

Ask the right questions to find a marketing manager

Interviews should include questions that are not limited to the educational or work history of the candidate, but also about their creative thinking.

Ask questions that will help you determine if a candidate is able to think outside the box.

You might ask them how they would promote a particular business (or yours).

As I mentioned earlier, make sure you ask for examples when needed.

Marketing Manager Compensation

Before you even start to look at the potential salary of the candidate, it is important to determine the amount you can afford.

Glassdoor or Payscale can help you determine what a reasonable salary would be. Salary.com estimates that the median American marketing manager salary is $104,940. This data was as of May 18, 2020.

You will need to take into account the education and cost of living in your local area as well as any additional skills, experience, and years of work.

Remote work can be an option, as you may find the perfect candidate in an area where there is less cost of living.

Make an offer

Once you've made your choice, it's now time to offer. Make sure you get everything down on paper and ask HR to review it (if your HR department has one).

Do not accept any person on your short list unless you're certain your first choice will accept it. You can then move on to your next choice if they reject you.