Commercial Hiring in MarTech is hard – here’s why

 22nd May 2019

Some companies make hiring mistakes and never learn from them. Don’t be like them.

It’s 2019 and digital marketing has now become entirely dependent on technology. Marketing technology or ‘MarTech’ as we know it, is now enabling us to streamline marketing operations with solutions that harness technology to achieve our sales goals. And given the prominent role in which MarTech plays within most business’, it’s clear to see why the demand for exceptional talent is at an all-time high.

But where there is demand, there is competition. Hiring skilled experts is hard because there are many pull factors involved when attracting and attaining top tier candidates. Without having an in-depth understanding of this candidate led market or an idea of what these people expect from an employer, could be damage your hiring process. And could be costing you a lot of valuable time and money.
 

Here’s some of our recommended do’s and don’ts when hiring for your commercial MarTech function.

Marketing vs. technology

Firstly, let’s identify the core skills you need to look for in a MarTech candidate. Hiring candidates with strong experience is critical but a candidate who can adapt and apply this experience to your business is equally crucial. Not only this, choosing a candidate with strong marketing knowledge is just as important as one that has a great technology background. For example, can a technologist understand the sales needs of a business to create a marketing driven solution that is grounded in technology?

• Do involve a practical test during the interview process, where candidates can be assessed on their marketing and technology knowledge. This is a good opportunity to see whether a candidate will be able to adapt their skills and remain composed when executing new tasks.
   
• Don’t expect a MarTech candidate to be easily won over, or immediately sold on the role before the interview process begins. Since this is a marketing-based role, you must ensure that you market the role in an effective manner. We suggest highlighting all of the progression opportunities, company culture and benefits you can offer the interviewee, at each stage of the candidate’s journey.

No time for games

Limbo is a fun party game, isn’t it? It’s exciting to see how low people can go as they walk to reach the other side of the. What isn’t fun, is when businesses apply this same principle to its contract negotiation process. When it comes to the offer stage, it’s best to present all your cards on the table before the negotiation process begins.

• Do communicate with transparency. If you know the candidate is expecting a pay package that’s outside of your budget, we recommend directing their attention to mentorship opportunities and perks that can add value to the candidates career and work life balance.
   
• Don’t save the best until last. Pitch a salary package that is competitive and in line with market rate. Low offers will be immediately rejected and will communicate a lack of commitment to the candidate.
   

Keep it short

Things move quick in Martech. An interview process that is more than four stages and takes over one month to complete is wasting your candidates’ time. But how can you shorten it? Perhaps, there are too many cooks in the kitchen. A good start is to identify which necessary stakeholders must be involved in the decision-making process, and keep this group engaged from start to finish. Here’s a few other points to keep in mind:

• Do establish a meaningful recruitment process that has purpose. Every question should have the intention of filtering qualified candidates who are best suited for the role, your culture and needs of your company.
   
• Don’t neglect your job adverts and the role in which it plays in the interview process. Detailed job adverts that include a clear outline of the opportunity and available role, will effectively prepare the candidate for their interview and set clear expectations regarding how the process will be conducted.
   

Is it time to make a pivotal move in your MarTech career? Whether it’s hiring new talent or finding you your next role, our expert team are here to help you. Get in contact with us here or browse all of our available jobs here.