Top 3 Traits of a Successful Marketing Candidate

When interviewing marketing candidates, you will have a list of skills, experience and requirements that candidates must meet in order to be considered. But what about character and personality traits required for success? Those may differ based on your organizational culture, but every marketer should exhibit three important traits, no matter what the job function or the culture of the company.

One: Creativity

When we think of creativity in marketing we typically think about snappy copy and viral ads. But every marketer, whether they are working behind-the-scenes in an analytic capacity or on the front lines developing campaigns, should be creative thinkers and problem solvers.

Marketing campaigns rarely go 100 percent according to plan. Budgets change. Clients and stakeholders have differing priorities from the marketing team. Technology evolves. It takes creativity to overcome challenges in every aspect of marketing, so it is extremely important to identify creative candidates for every marketing role.

Two: Goal-Oriented

Every marketing initiative must include goals. Marketers have to know what they are striving for in order to get there. Successful marketers live and breath by goals, both strategy-related goals and career-related goals.

Professionals who don’t take goals seriously or who lack an understanding of just how important goals are won’t know where to expend their energy, what to measure, or how to gauge success. Every marketing interview should include discussions about goals. How does the candidate set goals for work and for their career? What goals have the achieved and exceeded over the last year? What goals have they strived for but missed? Questions like these can help gauge how a candidate feels about working with goals.

Three: Not Afraid To Fail

Marketing is a field that is always changing thanks to technology, evolving consumer tastes, and more. Marketing is also, despite what we might like to believe, not an exact science. It is nearly impossible to predict – even with exceptional modeling technology – how customers and prospective customers will react to a specific marketing strategy.

Successful marketers must lack a fear of failure because failure is inevitable. Strategies will fall flat. Campaigns may inadvertently offend. Consumers may simply buck all conventional knowledge and react in unpredictable ways. And people make mistakes. People who stick to the “safe bet” every time and don’t push limits might meet expectations, but they will not exceed them. Look for candidates who aren’t afraid to be bold when boldness is required, who can back up bold choices with sound logic and data, and who can recover quickly from inevitable missteps.

Are You Looking for Top Marketing Talent?

If you are looking for top marketing talent for your ag business, contact the agricultural industry staffing experts at Morris Bixby Group. We can quickly connect you to professionals who have the skills and attributes to make a positive impact on your team.

|

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *