Hiring the Right Social Media Manager
In just a few short years social media has become a vital tool for most businesses. Social media platforms are rapidly taking over company websites as the first touchpoint a business has with its clients. In the old days, about 10 years ago, a lot of companies relegated social media to the unpaid intern, and often got their money’s worth. Today social media’s growing importance means that you need to hire a skilled social media manager.
The perfect candidate will have a diverse skill set. Communications, public relations, marketing, management, content creation, and design are just a few of the skills. As you can imagine it can be challenging to find someone with such varied strengths. These three tips will help you find the right person for the job.
Identify the Skills Needed
The first step is to compile a list of the skills you’d like to find in the perfect candidate. Keep in mind that you’re not likely to find this perfect candidate. As you are searching, rate each skill in order of importance to help you identify the best possible candidate rather than the perfect one. The nature of your company may require you to identify skills that are unique to your business. That being said, here are baseline skills that most organizations should look for.
SEO
Marketing
Management
Writing
Graphic Design
Public Relations
Google Analytics
Digital Advertising
Set Expectations
Like any position you should have a thorough written job description along with goals and milestones. You should set stretch goals, but not stretch them to the point of being unattainable. Explain your expectations clearly early on in the interview process. It’s critical that both you and a potential candidate agree on the job description and the metrics. If there is a disconnect it is best to discover that early in the process.
Ask the Right Questions
Social media management is a relatively new field and you may have to dig a bit to uncover a candidate’s relative experience. The best time to do this is during interviews. Of course, you should inquire about specific hard skills, however you can discern much of this via their resume. The most important questions will be more abstract. For example, ask them, “How would you leverage your experience to create an overarching social media strategy for our company?” Focus on open-ended questions that require the candidate to look forward at how they will approach the position.
Your social media manager will in many ways be the voice of your company. They are highly visible to the general public as well as your employees and owners. Take the time to choose the right person for the job and it will pay dividends.
Danielle Foppe is a Recruitment Manager at Business Centric Technology. If you are interested in learning more about how to get the best IT talent in the Dallas metroplex, contact Danielle specializes in recruiting IT talent in Dallas, Ft. Worth and North Texas. If you are looking for a rewarding career contact us today.