Uncomplicate- How to hire for a marketing generalist
Uncomplicate by Freshworks brings you crisp and insightful videos which will focus on answering one tactical question around sales & marketing, support & collaboration, employee engagement, and growth.
Marketing is crucial when it comes to amplifying the work you do as a startup. And hiring the right people for this role is critical.
It is often best to start off with a bunch of generalists as opposed to specialists. Generalists are people who can wear many hats—be it video production, writing or branding. While marketing specialists, who have a deep knowledge of one type of marketing, bring in that rich experience and expertise, they can be hired at a later stage to bring depth to a specific role.
But hiring generalists for a thriving startup is no easy task either. You need the right fit. How exactly do you find them? Phil LaChance, PR Manager at Seamless.ai, has some practical actionable tips to find the best candidates.
Phil has a set process— he has a Google survey doc ready with all the relevant questions for the candidate for a certain role. But more importantly, he looks for people who come with at least two-three years of experience so that they can jump right into the role without much training. Phil also does something very simple to weed out the uninterested or the less motivated candidates.
“The best people we have hired, we’ve always asked them to send a video. It weeds out who really wants the job and doesn’t. People don’t even take time, they write one sentence,”said Phil.
But what if you are looking to hire a fresher?
“How determined are you to learn this process….has to be big on energy. I have a no BS rule…(the person) wants to be around our community…this is really critical,” said Phil.
Do you have any other tips to share? Please leave them in the comments.
