It always amazes me how people can get jobs by purporting themselves to know things, rather than having actual abilities.  I know I have made hiring mistakes with people like this…have you?  When hiring, it is imperative that you make sure someone knows how to DO the work. What if it was their manager or editor or coworker?  What if their portfolio has been heavily edited by someone else or is full of pieces by the “department” but not by the individual? 

Always get multiple references from reliable sources and unless you have first hand knowledge of their abilities, give them a test.  Check them out on LinkedIn…who do you know that they know?  Do they have a lot of referrals?  What do their personal social media profiles look like?  Why did they leave their last job?  Don’t just rely on that person’s answer, dig deeper into who this person is by asking mutual contacts for details.  The best case scenario is that everyone says the person is awesome.  Worst case scenario is that you save yourself time, money, and liability by not hiring a dud.

Perhaps the candidate wowed you in their interview by using all the right words.  They said things like “SEO” and “target audiences” and “integrated strategies.” Sometimes the biggest duds can give the best first impressions.  Unless you are hiring for a bullshitter, then by all means, just go on first impressions. Otherwise, test your candidates!  Can they spell?  Can they make good strategic decisions?  Would you trust them with your dog, let alone your company Facebook page?Design your test based not in a live environment, but based on a situation they may encounter.

Sample scenario: Our company is launching a new Facebook game. It’s targeted to this demographic.  Take two hours to research and present me with: a social media launch plan, a web advertising plan, and include sample tweets, Facebook posts, web ad copy, and keywords to target.

Then sit them in a cube outside your office and tell them to get to work.  If they know what they are doing, they should at least have an idea of where to start.  If they panic, run for the hills, or give you a cut and paste document with paragraphs from Wikipedia…well then you may have a problem.

Making a bad hiring decision costs you money and time…two things that are so precious when it comes to promoting a company, engaging customers, and maintaining a positive online reputation.  Don’t take your chances and go with your gut…back up your intuition with facts.

What do you think?  Any other advice for hiring in the social media or digital marketing arena?