At this year’s CMA Digital Marketing Conference, I spoke with Charlie Gray, Head of Staffing and Human Resources, North American Advertising Sales, Google. We discussed Google’s practice of hiring generalists as well as some of Charlie’s tips for the recruiting process.
Editor’s Note: I managed to capture 9 out of Charlie’s 10 hiring tips. I can’t find the 10th one – even after checking the DMC Twitter Stream. If anyone has it, please leave it here!
- Just do it. Hiring is like dating. Get out there and go.
- Decide what you really NEED. What is the MOST important of all the things you want in a hire. Focus on native skill (easier to teach someone industry specifics rather than how to sell (e.g. natural sales people are better than "taught" sales people))
- Increase the pipeline.
- Avoid the overly familiar – don’t always hire the same thing. Hire someone who is contrary to you.
- Don’t just hire by yourself. You need to involve a lot of people in the process. Although returns on collective wisdom start to diminish after 4 or 5.
- Prep for interviews! You must do the work.
- Hold out for the right candidate.
- But, you may have to take a calculated risk on a person.
- Once you get them, figure out how you keep them so you don’t have to do it again!