Kristin Seemen – What to keep in mind while recruiting in the marketing field?
Marketing plays a crucial role in building a company's reputation and visibility. Being easily found and recognized is important, as it gives potential clients a glimpse of the company’s value proposition. Therefore, a skilled marketing professional is vital for shaping the company’s image and driving growth.
Kristin Seemen has been recruiting marketing positions for nearly four years, working with companies such as Põhajala Teetalu, Myfitness, and Everaus.
In this article, Kristin shares key practices to help companies identify the right marketing candidate.
Building a brand and expanding the client base
Marketing serves as a company’s primary communication channel with its clients, shaping how potential customers perceive the company and whether they become long-term clients. A qualified marketing specialist can create a strong and attractive brand image that not only draws in new customers but also retains existing ones.
Company's goals and growth
Marketing efforts play a significant role in supporting a company’s growth and increasing its market share. Thoughtful market analysis, strategic planning, and campaign execution enhance a company’s visibility, which in turn leads to better sales results. While an effective marketing strategy often evolves through trial and error, a lack of expertise can turn experimentation into a risky and unpredictable process.
Assessing the candidate’s skills and strengths
As the marketing field grows in popularity, more specialists enter the job market each year. When recruiting, it’s important to assess the candidate's skills, strengths, and weaknesses to understand whether they have a broad understanding of marketing or specialize in areas such as email marketing, social media, or SEO.
Unsplash, Jakub Żerdzicki
For marketing leadership roles, it's essential to determine whether you need a hands-on leader or a visionary focused on creating and optimizing processes.
A qualified candidate should not only possess theoretical knowledge but also have practical skills to implement strategies in a real-world business environment.
Experience and practical assignments
To assess candidates’ practical skills, it’s useful to use real-world scenarios or ask about their past achievements and experiences to understand their suitability and strategic thinking. For example, you might ask how they would handle sudden changes in a marketing strategy or how they would resolve a crisis situation.
To further differentiate suitable candidates, it’s advisable to include a practical assignment as part of the recruitment process. This can give you insight into the candidate’s problem-solving ability, business mindset, and creativity.
Values and cultural fit
The goal of the recruiter is to help the company find someone whose skills and experience precisely match the company’s needs. It’s essential that the new hire shares the company’s values, fits well into the team, and is able to contribute added value to the business.
A good marketing candidate dares to think big, propose new ideas and approaches, and help the company stay aligned with its growth targets and market trends.
Conclusion
Recruiting a marketing specialist or leader requires a thoughtful approach to steer the company toward targeted growth. Evaluate the candidate’s ability to create a strong and attractive brand image specifically for your company. A carefully planned recruitment process will ensure that the new marketing hire can meet the role’s expectations and bring added value to the entire team.
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