What makes marketers tick? Learn how to sell your organisation in an interview

Marketing candidates have mastered the art of selling a brand or business, ensuring they are appealing to consumers, customers, and clients. This knowledge not only makes these professionals highly valuable to an organisation, but it also makes them very challenging candidates to persuade during the hiring process. Therefore, showcasing your business in a positive light during the interview stages is crucial if you want to attract and hire the top marketing talent that is available in today’s market. If you are disingenuous, lacklustre or boring throughout the interview, then marketing candidates will be the first to look elsewhere for a more exciting prospect. 

So, how can businesses perfect their employee value proposition and attraction strategy when hiring marketing candidates? 

Brand

Most marketers that we speak to list brand as one of the top three factors when identifying companies that they could see themselves working for in the future. They need to feel inspired, excited by and engaged with a brand. This isn’t just referring to the external brand, but also the internal company culture. Your brand needs to be viewed as appealing internally, one that will allow candidates to be creative.

Creativity

A lot of marketers want a role that allows them to channel their creativity. When attracting a marketer, it is important that they feel they are joining an innovative brand and team that will allow them the opportunity to work and think creatively. 

Excitement

Many marketing candidates who are looking for their next career opportunities highlight the fact they want to work in a place that excites them. Marketers need to feel passionate about what they do. It is also very important to these professionals that their line manager, and the wider organisation, backs them in terms of being and working creatively. 

Trust

Trust can be linked to flexibility in the workplace. People want to feel like they are trusted to deliver in their role. This includes being trusted to work remotely or flexibly as and when needed. Top candidates don’t want to be micromanaged. Marketers will get frustrated in a company culture that doesn’t allow them to do their job and work in a way that they feel most comfortable. 

Innovation

Marketing channels are forever changing, and top candidates want to work for an organisation that is at the forefront of their sector. If a candidate is looking for a role that will help them to develop their career, they do not want to join an organisation that is doing the same thing that they’ve been doing for the last five years because they are reluctant or fearful of change. 

Don’t overpromise

One way businesses can really fall down during a hiring process is overpromising. There is a thin line between presenting the best parts of an organisation and lying. If hiring managers lie about what it is like to work in the company during an interview, then they are setting the candidate up for disappointment. If you promise a candidate dynamic working and after six months they haven’t been allowed this flexibility, it is likely they will look elsewhere and leave.
Further to this, occasionally during hiring processes, organisations can come across as arrogant. This gives the impression that your business would be difficult to work in. In the candidate-driven market of today, people want to feel engaged during the recruitment process, rather than interrogated and belittled in an interview.
Businesses need to be honest about the challenges that they are facing as well as sell the benefits of the organisation to candidates. If the candidate is aware of a particular challenge before joining, this can be positive. Typically, marketers don’t want to work in monotonous roles, aim to tell the candidate about exciting projects you are currently working on. Highlighting and demonstrating your vision and mission in action will encourage them to think more about the work they could do for your business. 

What does a good opportunity look like to a marketer?

If you are currently recruiting for marketing positions, it is important to attempt to see your opportunity from their point of view. A top marketer will be looking for certain things in a potential business, so discuss these elements during the interview. 
Outline what your team and company culture is like as this will enable them to imagine themselves in the role. Be sure to highlight flexible working or dynamic working opportunities that would be available to them, as this would show that you trust your employees. It is no doubt that the candidate will be looking to the future to scope out the longevity of the role. They will want opportunities for growth, with a personal development plan and a succession plan. Applying all of these elements to your recruitment process will showcase your organisation as a positive and prosperous place to work, which will attract and retain top marketing talent available in today’s market.
If you are looking to hire top marketing talent please get in touch with one of our specialist recruitment consultants today for a confidential discussion.
Amie Hemson
Managing Consultant, Michael Page Marketing
T: +44 118 955 9085