As a Digital Marketing Consultant for mid-level growth internet technology companies, many of my clients ask me to help them hire full-time digital marketing positions, as part of the marketing strategy. I guess it’s easier to have a marketing person reach out to another marketing person, rather than an HR person. Also, I can spot more quickly, if the marketer is inflating their resume with certain skill-sets to get an interview, rather than a HR person, since I do many of the day-to-day marketing activities myself for my clients. Lastly, LinkedIn has made it very easy to find talented digital marketers easily.
What I have found in the 7 years that I have been helping in the recruiting process, is the most successful hiring managers, hire people that are smarter than themselves. Now, I’m not implying that these hiring managers are ‘dumb’ or less than average in their work, but they are hiring people that are true experts and have been successful in their careers, allowing the marketers to thrive, unlike some hiring managers that are threatened by gifted marketers that excel in their positions.
Just remember, if you’re the hiring manager, people that do well in their positions are less likely to leave a company and make you look better in your position, since it’s your team that is propelling the company forward in its marketing efforts, and ultimately, in increasing its revenues. Hire people smarter than you, because I guarantee, it can make the difference on how fast your company will grow exponentially.