Having a strong social media team is important especially now that social media as well as online reputation are what people have to judge a company in today's world. Most social media teams are outsourced out as having a few people in house doesn't make sense as far as cost goes and they do not have to worry about quality of work as this is what they specialize in. Hiring strong social media talent can be quite difficult to do effectively and within budget. The following are some ways to ensure solid talent and hires that won't have you regretting your choice in a matter of months. Finding the right employee for a business is hard regardless of the industry so these tips will help the process.
Contract To Full-Time
The easiest way to see if a person is qualified for the job is to give them a small contract of a few months to see if they are someone that should be hired on as a full-time employee. This will give the company the chance to see how the contractor could work with long term clients and if they understand what they should be doing for a certain campaign. Many people label themselves as social media gurus while there are very few people who have reached guru status. If the potential hire has been a contract employee for other agencies then it is possible to get a recommendation from them. Hiring from an agency is better than hiring a person who was working at a business in social media as the agency works with multiple clients so the workload won't be a surprise.
Look For Somebody Interested In Multiple Things
Someone who is applying for a job as a social media company that covers a wide range of different businesses should be interested in multiple things. If they aren't interested in many things, they should be willing to learn. Posting with lingo of an industry or an insight can help a social media account be turned into a thought leader especially if it already has clout in the industry. A great social media manager or staff on an account can help drives sales as well as leads to a company. Doing this will not only convert those who do not believe social media is important as well as ensure a client for the long term. A well-rounded person is going to be more likely to have a few more life experiences or interests so keep this in mind if people seem to be just as qualified, give the well-rounded person the shot!
Ask For Samples
While many companies do require a person to sign a nondisclosure agreement especially if they are at an agency, what can be done is showing results with names blacked out. Some companies will not be fine with this but some will especially if the employee seeking a job left their company on good terms. Having people write social media copy at one of the rounds of the interview process based on some predetermined requirements can show how the social media employee can think in a pinch and see the quality of their social media copy. Ask the social media job candidate how they would go about tackling a certain campaign to see if they have the knowledge to take a project on. These types of things will help separate the people who worked at their parent's business as the social media "manager" and those who have relevant experience.
It is impossible to make the right hire each and every time but these tips that have been mentioned can increase the percentage of great hires. The days of having a gut feeling about someone are over, put them to the test before investing the company's time and money.