Finding talent for any position you’re trying to fill can be difficult and exhausting. Finding a leader with digital knowledge and a high level of drive can be even more difficult. It’s true, that our digital world has increased the digital talent pool in the last 5 years, but still…these people are rare and in high demand.
I have learned from experience that when looking for digital talent, posting a position in the paper or online usually gets you little to no potential candidates. You almost have to define the person you are looking for and use your resources to get them.
So, let’s first establish what the “ideal” candidate looks like…they may have qualities such as: Aggressiveness, Order-Organization, High Self Confidence, High Proactivity, and Critical Thinking….very typical for sales. However, one of the most important qualities is a true and genuine “Passion for Digital”. You can’t teach passion. Either a candidate has it, or they don’t! Also, digital product knowledge and their ability to teach and educate clients on digital products is also a must-have. Digital is complex and foreign to those that are not used to selling or buying it. So, if you have a candidate that is excited about digital, believes in it, and actually teaches you something you didn’t know during the interview….he/she is a keeper.
After you’ve defined your ideal candidate…now what? Where are they? Finding the person is like a treasure hunt…a commitment, a real commitment.
It’s almost like you have to hand pick or search out your ideal candidate and snatch them up. Use personal connections, agency connections, competing media company reps…ask your close clients who sells digital to them and sells it well…Find out who is selling digital in your market? LinkedIn is also a great resource for finding people. You can post your job and then specifically advertise to your target profile in a geographic location with your job posting. It’s Fantastic.
Good Luck!
My company, Digital Tulip https://digitaltulip.com works with broadcast and media companies nationally to create digital business strategy. I’d love the opportunity to learn more about your digital initiatives as well as share information and address any questions you might have. Let’s talk soon!
Kristy Lowery, Digital Sales Consultant
11.8.13
