How do you hire a content manager?

Defining your content needs based on your brand (& marketing) strategy is absolutely the first step. The second: ensuring your department has the right organisation and tools (implemented) to support the goals of the department and the work of the new hire - and her team. Do you have sufficient data-and-insights gathering capacity to track performance and iterate? Do you have an email marketing automation system in place to build those dialogues with your audiences? A digital asset management system? Specialist profiles that can work to develop that content - as the engine that keeps the machine running?

The first thing is to know the need such as What kind of content do I need (e.g., blog posts, website copy, social media content)? Then, I follow a process with the help of our HR Head: Write a clear job description Spread the word Post the job description on relevant job boards or use your network. I prefer LinkedIn. The LinkedIn post gets huge impressions. The friends' tag helps to get a broad reach of the post on LinkedIn. Review resumes and cover letters Look for candidates with experience in your industry and content type. And finally, we conduct interviews Ask questions about their experience, writing style, and content strategy ideas. That's it.

By defining your needs and analysing their expertise, you can make the job easy for both. Content Managers you have experience, knowledge and skill of any particular industry understand the mindset of the audience, their needs, what they are searching for and how you can fill the gap of demand and services. Content Managers can moentize your content in best possible direction.

When you have a clear understanding of what you're looking for, you can write a job description that is more specific and targeted. This will help to attract candidates who have the skills and experience that you need. By defining your needs upfront, you can avoid wasting time and resources on candidates who are not a good fit for the role.

Just like content, the content manager's style and perspective should match your own. Of course, a clear description of expectations from the job will make it easier for both parties. Apart from that, a content manager should be able to visualize the final output as per the latest trends and draw a strategy accordingly.

As a journalist, I used to look for skills beyond just writing or grammar. While these are general must haves, with tools like ChatGPT available, the most important thing is the ability to understand and simplify complex subjects. Content marketers today should have at least some interest in the topics they’re writing about. Another important skill is to be able to talk to experts, and find insights. Content marketers who are too dependent on the Internet may go out of style soon, and will struggle to keep up as companies progress.

Look beyond the technical know-how and SEO optimization, and ensure your candidates have a strong writing perspective. Great content isn’t about ticking boxes, it’s about engaging and connecting with your audience. Asking to see sample writing on subject that the candidate is passionate about will be far more indicative of their skills than a technical piece on mar tech. You can teach a writer how to leverage data, but it’s much harder to teach a data analyst to write engaging content.

Don't go for the degree, go for skills - and I'm talking about relevant skills. Maybe do a day or week trial to see if the person is a good fit for your business. The work ethic can only be judged once the person works with you.

Una estrategia que me parece valiosa es revisar lo que hacen creadores de contenido de industrias diferentes a la tuya, muchas veces caemos en la repetición de tópicos o enfoques debido a que nos centramos en referentes similares, podemos encontrar ideas valiosas y relevantes mirando lo que hacen personas de perfiles completamente diferentes. Es importante perder el miedo a experimentar para generar contenido valioso y atractivo para las audiencias que consumen lo que generamos; muchas veces hace falta mirar allá afuera para renovarnos.

Content ist nicht nur das reine Erstellen von Texten, Bildern und Videos. Technische Punkte wie SEO und weboptimierte Bildbearbeitung gehören genauso zum Jobprofil, wie ein gutes Wissen in Rechtsfragen rund um Datenschutz und Persönlichkeitsrechte. Der Job ist viel mehr als bunte Bilder und schöne Worte.

A great way to test problem-solving abilities is to give candidates an already-written content and ask them how they would improve it. In most cases, people will stop at editorial or technical aspects, but once in a while, you'll find a remarkable talent able to understand the piece as a part of a bigger whole. This approach includes sharing different ways to upscale the given content potential, considering your industry and services. Those people are gems! Yet, I believe this exercise only works properly when higher ranks are willing to take advice and make further changes to improve the final experiences. It's teamwork, after all!

Please don't ask a potential hire to do a full content audit - that's asking for hours of free labor. What you can ask them for is a very specific, time-bound content plan for a specific piece of content - for instance, how they would handle a white paper launch or a podcast episode. Look for a distribution mindset as well to make sure you get the big picture and the most bang for your buck.

I honestly feel the same role has different job descriptions. Some want their content manager to be a jack of all things SEO while others expect technical ability and coding. And not all candidates have the same skills or experience in years that can be universally applied. It is important to be clear about these in your JD with a careful evaluation of the skills gap within your marketing team. Do you have sufficient writers? Then ask for a content manager who has good peer reviewing skills to bring the quality upto the surface without having to actually do the lion's share of the writing. Hire based on what you don't have rather than blind skills listing.

I will provide them with two topics and give them 2 days. I want them to email me ideas related to these two issues. I also want the tools they used

I'm generally more interested in how people solve a problem, how they handle the relationship with other stakeholders, and whether they can take ownership of a task/project. The easiest way to find that out is not necessarily by asking them to complete an audit, write a full blog, and draft a content plan (without taking more than 4 hours). Instead, I would devise a few scenarios that could be real at the organization and ask them to talk about how they would go about them.

Scan for more than technical writing ability here. You want to know that this writer read your existing work - your website, blogs, social media - to get acquainted with your brand before diving in. This will show you how resourceful your candidates can be! And this goes beyond nailing your brand voice. That'll take practice. There's a strategic problem-solving element to studying your backlog. Content repurposing, repackaging, and redistribution have become integral to modern content strategies. Learning how to work smarter, not harder with what's already there is a huge asset to a scrappy team.

When evaluating candidates, it's important to consider their adaptability & proclivity in taking to new tools and technical learning. While there are mixed perspectives on generative AI for content, we must recognise and accept its place in content creation and management. As more and more hybrid content crops up, the need for faster, more intuitive and flexible content managers will grow.

Si bien las habilidades técnicas priman muchas veces, y al final lo que queremos es tener a las personas más talentosas, el feeling con esa(s) persona que seleccionamos debe estar al 100%, porque no hay nada que dificulte más un proceso creativo y/o de gestión de contenido que no entenderse con quien saca las ideas. Lo personal entra a jugar… al final son humanos interactuando, no robots.

Content Marketing erzählt aus dem Herzen des Unternehmens. Daher muss es nicht nur fachlich sondern ganz besonders auch menschlich passen. Wenn die Chemie stimmt und ein Kandidat den nötigen fachlichen Sachverstand mitbringt, sollten Noten und Abschlüsse zweitrangig sein.

The biggest piece of this task is finding someone you vibe with! It sounds a little "woo," but if you don't enjoy their content, their energy, or wouldn't hang with them - they won't get your voice right. Get referrals from people who love their content team. Word of mouth will always win! And don't assume a big agency is better. Small businesses or solopreneurs who are building community and content may surprise you.

I have experienced several onboarding processes similar to the Titanic disaster during my professional journey. Therefore, I do not recommend such chaotic experiences to anyone. However, these experiences taught me valuable lessons and helped me avoid making the same mistakes while training my team and hiring new talent. A well-prepared onboarding process is essential for team building, skill development, and professional excellence. It includes creating playbooks, following best practices, developing a strategic view, setting short and long-term goals, and establishing rituals for the new hires. These elements are equally important as the hiring process itself.

Leveraging Confluence and preparing related documents is our secret sauce when it comes to onboarding a new content manager. It's not just about welcoming a new team member; it's about setting them up for success. Confluence acts as our central hub, hosting all the essential documents, guidelines, and resources they'll need. It's about a seamless transition, ensuring they hit the ground running. With this approach, our onboarding process becomes efficient, structured, and conducive to the new content manager's rapid integration into the team. 📚🤝🚀

During onboarding, consider implementing a mentorship program where the new content manager shadows an experienced team member. It can help them understand the dynamics of your organization more effectively. Provide the content manager with a detailed content calendar and editorial guidelines from day one. It can streamline their workflow and ensure consistency in content creation.

Don't overwhelm the new hire with knowledge about your business/product during the onboarding. Their fresh eyes could bring incredible value in the content space. If you box them into "what has worked so far", you'll quickly lose that freshness as they try to stick to the plan to make a good impression.

From the vantage point of effective content management, hiring and onboarding the right content manager represents the pivotal bridge between vision and execution. It entails crafting an enticing, equitable offer that mirrors the role's significance while laying the foundation for a seamless onboarding journey. This journey is more than just paperwork and introductions; it's about equipping them with the knowledge, tools, and support they need to flourish. The secret sauce? Clearly defined objectives, transparent expectations, and ongoing feedback loops that not only ensure performance but also cultivate satisfaction. In essence, it's about nurturing a content champion who embodies your company's values and aspirations.

In a flooded marketplace, a smart brand differentiates itself from the competition with authentic content. Your content manager should have the expertise to do that, as well as to position your brand as a leading authority in your industry.

A content manager serves as the voice of your brand. Beyond grammar and vocabulary, they understand the nuances that make your audience engage. When you're selling shoes, the tone must be relatable, exciting, and tailored to potential buyers. A content manager's expertise lies in translating your brand's essence into words. They align your messaging with your audience's expectations, ensuring it resonates across social media, websites, and marketing materials. This consistency creates trust, and brand loyalty, and ultimately, boosts sales. So, when hiring, look for not just linguistic proficiency, but someone who can breathe life into your brand through their words.

Creating content is a very iterative, agile process, where you can never take for granted your audience's expectations, needs, or even persona. It is essential to frequently re-assess the metrics, the strategy, to question what is working well and what needs to be re-challenged and improved. I think it is easy to define and nurture a strategy while ignoring signs of decline in engagement. A great practice is to be proactive in testing new formats, new tones, new ways of writing and gathering information while staying close to your audience by often asking for feedback and evaluation.

I 100% agree with Kirsten and Aman... to be successful, a content manager has to bring a relentless curiosity to understanding the avatar that the brand is serving, and creating content that will best connect with that avatar.

One thing I've found helpful is to review my systems and operations. If ever there is a breakdown in the process or I don't love the final result, it's much easier to address the system then criticize the creator. Once strong systems are in place, all contributors understand what is expected and can judge themselves against the standard before submitting the final piece, whatever format that may be.