How to Recruit A Marketing Manager

Hold the ping-pong tables and video games: recruiting for marketing roles shouldn’t rely on happy hours or entertainment in the office. Instead, focusing on your company’s brand, culture, interview process and perks will get you much farther. In today’s recruiting world, it’s easy for companies to feel pressured to keep up with the tech giants of the world. But, as a Marketing Manager myself, here are the qualities of a company that matter most to me when applying for a new role.

How to Hire a Marketing Manager

1. Brand: When I researched a company and discussed it with my family and friends, had they heard of it? What were their takes on the company? What sort of experiences did people have as a client or employee there? When I began my last job search, I looked for open roles at companies identified as a best place to work for by Forbes and (not surprisingly) Glassdoor. I relied heavily on these rankings and reviews to create a spreadsheet of “dream companies.” I then looked for any roles I could apply to in the hope of getting my foot in the door. Regardless of the role, if the brand was strong enough, I was more than willing to work in any department just to get in! Key takeaway: Your employer brand absolutely matters to candidates (and sometimes more than the role itself).
2. Culture: Because culture is a significant part of a company’s brand, it was a specific area I researched as much as possible during my job search. If the brand was attractive to me, I would first reach out to anyone I knew who was connected to a company to get the “inside scoop” and hopefully an internal referral. I would take a look at the company’s Glassdoor, Facebook and career pages to see how the company described itself and what images they included. Were there pictures of the office or the teams of people there? What were people wearing in the photos the company? Would jeans and a t-shirt be expected or a faux-pas? Could I see myself there? If the answer was yes, I’d begin drafting my cover letter and looking for referrals. Key takeaway: What you post on your Glassdoor profile, careers page and social media profiles often dictate your culture to candidates.
3. The Interview Process: When I got over the initial job searching hump and it became time to interview, the process itself had a great deal of influence over my decision to move forward. Were there any odd-ball interview questions? Was the person interviewing me engaged in our conversation? Did the people working there seem to like what they were doing? Did they have the freedom to try new things or was the work pretty tightly managed? Also, the length of the interview process mattered. The speed of interviews and decisions indicated the level of interest a company had in me. The process essentially mirrored a first date; if we met and I didn’t hear back from the recruiter within a few days, I would assume the worst and obsess over what went wrong. If the role was of high interest to me, I would send a “checking in” e-mail. Key takeaway: To avoid losing talent, recruiters need to keep candidates updated on next steps and keep the interview process timeline short.
4. Career Path: At first, I never asked about career paths in interviews because I was afraid a company might look upon ambition negatively. I thought being too ambitious and not focusing solely on the opportunity at hand would be a red flag to interviewers. Instead, I asked each person I spoke with about their background and entry into their own role. Had they been promoted from within the company? If so, how long was the process and what challenges (if any) did they face? I always wanted to know what exactly each person did to get where they were today.  Key takeaway: If there is a clear career path at your company, promote and discuss it with candidates. They don’t just want to see themselves at your organization in a year – they want to know they’ll have a place to stay for five years or more.
5. Perks that Matter: As I noted, you do not need to buy a company hammock or foosball table to attract top talent. Instead, concentrate on the following three perks:
   1. Health Benefits: As soon as an offer was made, I turned to my parents and trusted friends to determine if the proposed health benefits were attractive. Would I be able to see a preferred doctor or just go without and suffer? A company’s health benefits were one of the first things I needed to feel good about before signing a contract.
   2. Stock Options: I used this as an indication of how much a company really valued me. Would the company provide me with stock over time? This perk didn’t necessarily make or break my decision to join a company, but undoubtedly had a huge impact on my enthusiasm for a company or position and me being a part of things for the long haul.
   3. Free Food: I know this perk can be a huge expense to employers, but knowing that you have free lunches at work can make a world of difference in a candidate’s mind. I would even recommend foregoing kitchen snacks and drinks and putting that budget towards daily lunches. Not only does this reduce stress (and terrible dietary habits) of employees, but it also provides teams the opportunity to connect with other departments and chat over a good meal. I’ve had many important discussions during catered group lunches here at Glassdoor that ended up really helping me in my role.

I hope that this provides transparency into a candidate’s mind and helps as you look to recruit marketing professionals! Here's a great marketing manager job description to help you get started. As you look to hire these individuals, consider posting a job on Glassdoor. You can try our new Job Slots offering free of charge for seven days. Check it out today!