3 Tips for Interviewing and Hiring in Inbound Marketing

Working for a growing Inbound Marketing agency often means wearing many hats. Aside from my day-to-day responsibilities as an Account Manager working to bring successful digital marketing strategies to my clients’ overall business, I’ve been spending some of my working hours to help with our recruiting efforts. From coffee dates with potential candidates, to meeting with fresh-faced college students at formal career fairs; I’ve spent a lot of time lately discussing what it means to work at an Inbound Marketing agency and offering tips for hiring success.

Below are 3 tips if you’re a candidate searching for a job in Inbound Marketing, or if you’re on the employer side looking for great talent:

#1: Focus on the website

For the candidate: Spend time on the potential employer’s website. Do they offer downloadable and educational content? Hint: If they’re an Inbound Marketing agency practicing what they preach, they should! Download (and read up) on everything that is available to you. This will help you in the interview process but may also put you ahead of the pack – because the employer can track what you’re doing online if they utilize a marketing automation platform.

For the employer: If you’re using marketing automation you can track your potential employee’s activity on your website. An easy way to do this is by requiring resume submission through a form – thus giving your hiring team access to all the pages and collateral that potential employee viewed/engaged with. An easy way to sort your list – start with the candidates that spent the most time finding out who YOU are.

#2: Engage on Social Media

For the candidate: Take time to follow the company’s social channels and share their content. This can help you stand out – if you’re going to meet them in person for the first time at a career fair, networking event or conference, introduce yourself first via social media to be more memorable.

For the employer: You should be looking for employees that live and breathe digital marketing – if they won’t spend time researching you on social media to get the job - it’s hard to envision them as going the extra mile on social media to engage with clients or on behalf of clients. Look for the candidates that go the extra mile here.

#3: Guest Blog

For the candidate: Practice what you preach! A great way to show that you understand the content marketing space and have a strong writing background is through guest blogging. This shows that you’re well networked in the industry, that you know how to play the game, and gives you a great writing sample to show your chops. Share links to your guest blogging posts in your LinkedIn profile and within your resume or cover letter.

For the employer: In today’s competitive landscape, you’ll want an employee that goes above and beyond. Guest blogging is a great way for your employees to build industry authority and expertise, but it will also show your organization as a thought leader if you’re hiring talent that is aggressively sharing their opinion on what you do.

Of course, there are other factors to consider whenever making a new hire, but these are three simple ways to be, or find, a stand out contender. What ways have you made yourself a standout potential when searching for a job? What other ways do you pinpoint top talent when you’re hiring? Leave us a comment to share!

Read another blog post by Nadine:
How to Engage B2B Customers Online
How Multiple Blog Voices Breeds Readership Success