Unless you’re hiring for an entry level job with little experience then I would suggest finding someone who has some kind of experience. Look for experience in related fields like customer service, pr, etc. Also, be a bit weary if their resume says they have 5, 6, 7, 8+ years experience in social media. True it’s been around in some form for longer than just the last 2-3 years, but watch for what they’re claiming and be sure it can be verified.

Are they constantly arguing with others online? Do they never seem to be able to admit that they were wrong or see something from another persons perspective? Do they just cause problems instead of solutions? What do they do and what kind of interactions and engagements do they have on their own profiles? Standing your ground and defending your view is one thing, being a jerk or cyber-bully (yes it even happens among adults) is another.

How do they describe themselves? Do they have bad or offensive pictures on their profiles (worse than just having a few beers with the guys)? Do they link to and share offensive content? Are their profiles not even completed? Using pictures that are not them? Are they misrepresenting themselves?

This is the one you really have to be careful about. They may sound like they know what they are talking about, and they may have everything up to snuff on their profiles and everywhere else, but they could still be full of hot air. The only way to know that is to look at them overall. Look to see if they’ve done guest posts on other blogs, look at the comments they leave on blogs, read through their twitter stream, check out who they speak with regularly, etc. and you’ll be able to see what they’re really all about.

This is #3 in a series of 3, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still subscribe to the blog via RSS or email (top left of the blog). It’s been a pleasure guest posting this week, I hope you enjoyed the content.

image by Beth Rankin

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Monday we started this series with What to consider before hiring for social media, and today we’re continuing with 10 Things to Look For in a social media based employee. On Friday we’ll end the series with 10 Thing to Avoid.

When looking for a social media based employee you really want to get someone who understands it all. You want someone who understands what’s going on and know why the company should be involved beyond “because everyone else is”. You need someone who knows that there is more to it than just Facebook and Twitter, and understands how it all plays into the company’s image and it’s goals.

Here’s a list of 10 attributes that most social media applicants should have. Now of course the attributes you’re looking for in someone might change a little based on your niche, your company, and your individual goals, but overall these should apply to anyone you want who’s not just managing, pushing, and updating content.

Active
This one should be obvious, but make sure they are very active in the space and use it for more than just playing around with their friends. There is a huge difference between having a Facebook page and being an active member of the online community. Do they blog? Do they use Twitter? Do they have a LinkedIn account? What kind of things do they talk about on them? What information do they share?

Results driven
Unless you just want someone to manage your content and push out stuff then you need someone who is going to be looking at the bigger picture. How social media plays into the company goals, how to get there, and is concerned with making things work and customer engagement.

Knowledgeable
Just because someone has a Twitter account doesn’t mean they know how to use it for business purposes. Have they done it before? Do they run a blog and talk about it on there? Are they involved in any groups? Check to see if they have the knowledge necessary to be an asset.

Written communication skills
The vast majority of communication online is typed so checking this is crucial. Do they have horrendous grammar? Do they have trouble expressing themselves in a written format? Send them an email or two and see what their response is. Is it quick and to the point, or do they ramble on meaninglessly?

Customer service & people skills
The lines between PR, marketing, customer service, etc. are beginning to blur. Check for their people skills, their ability to work with angry customers and resolve issues. They need to be able to handle these situations and keep a good face when doing it.

Strategic Thinking
Do they just sit down and say “You guys need to be on Twitter and Facebook” but don’t have a good reason why? If so, move on. You need someone who can see the strategy behind social media and how it applies to your specific business and integrates with your other marketing, customer service, pr, sale, etc. efforts.

Motivation
A lot of social media is going to be self start mixed with some experimentation. They need to be proactive and search, listen, build plans, react and help grow the business in that area. If they just sit around and wait to be told what to do then how will you ever see the results you’re looking for?

Curiosity
This doesn’t mean that they have to be on the bleeding edge of every new social technology out there, but they should be trying things out. Testing and experimenting with new technologies is how they’ll know if something is a right fit for the company and how they’ll discover better ways of doing things.

Connected
Are they connected to only their friends, family, and maybe former employers online? Or are they out there connecting with people outside of their specific sphere? How have they built their online relationships? If they haven’t worked on building their own personal networks outside of their “comfort zone” how can you expect them to do the same for you?

Hard Working
A good indicator is what they do in their free time. Do they work on projects, write ebooks, author  a blog, build houses for the homeless, volunteer at a shelter, run a book club, do something other than just watch TV & play video games? Anything that shows they are a hard worker outside of work is usually a good sign that they will work hard for your company while at work.

What do you think of these initial 10? Do you think there are other qualities you should look for in employees when hiring for social media? Love to hear what you have to say in the comments below.

This is #2 in a series of 3, so be sure to bookmark the blog, or even better subscribe to the blog via RSS or email (top left of the blog) to ensure you get these and future posts, and I”ll see you in 2 days.

Thank you for reading,
Josh “Shua” Peters

Josh “Shua” Peters is the co-author of TwittFaced, a freelance internet marketer and trainer (with a heavy focus on social media) who has worked with companies of all sizes from Fortune 500 to non profits, single owner businesses, and everything in between. He blogs at Shuaism and can be regularly found on Twitter, FaceBook, and LinkedIn.

image by That Canadian Grrl

Twitter Update:
On Twitter I asked “What are some positive  attributes a social media based employee should have?”, and here are the replies from somevery smart people.

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Recently I wrote a short piece about hiring for social media for the SMCSLC, and with 85% of US companies looking to increase their spend on social media this year you can see why it’s such a hot topic right now. Many companies are currently figuring out how to find quality people because the right person will make or break your social media implementation and usage.

You need the right person with the right knowledge, the right skill set, and very important, the right personality. Since social media is all about the interaction and connections having someone with a personality that fits your company and will shine in their interactions is now incredibly important.

When you’re getting ready to hire someone to handle your social media you need to ask yourself a question. Do you want to hire someone to just simply manage content & hope for some kind of results or do you want to hire a dynamic and knowledgeable person who is going to work on your company’s social media both inside and outside of the company? The first one has “Intern job” written all over it and has a low chance of seeing much success. The second option has “professional” written on it and has a greater chance of having real success.

At first it might seem like a daunting task because you may not know exactly what to look for, especially when it seems like everyone with a Twitter account and Facebook page is a “social media expert”. I’m here to tell you that unless they have the “experience” part of the expert down they aren’t. There is a lot of noise online and unfortunately it’s always going to be like that. Especially in the fields of emerging technology there always has been and always will be a little bit of trouble sifting through the noise. However, with a few guidelines you’ll be able to pull the wheat from the chaff with a fair amount of ease.

First is that there is no governing force out there that is certifying people in social media, so don’t fall for it. If you see that they are a “certified” social media expert, strategist, consultant, communicator, etc. don’t take that as being anything special. It’s not. Just because someone paid some unaccredited group a hefty sum to give them a certificate doesn’t mean they know anything at all.

When certifications will start to matter is when they get involved with major academic or professional institutions, like what the University of San Francisco or Full Sail University (which is affiliated with USF) are doing with the internet marketing certifications. If the certification comes from some random group that seems to have just “sprung up” then it’s no different than someone just making it up.

Second, just because they have profiles online doesn’t mean they know how to use them properly or for business. Look at their entire presence online and see what they do and say. If you take a good look you can see what they are all about and what they really know.

I’ve worked with Fortune 500 companies, single owner businesses, non-profits, and everything in between. I’ve helped manage social and internet marketing campaigns that dealt with hiring agencies and people to work on various aspects, I’m a published author on the subject of social media (TwittFaced) and I’m here to help. It’s not just what I do, but it’s what I love to do.

I’ve put together a list of 10 things to look for and 10 things to avoid to get you started, and on each I would love your feedback and to have you add to the lists. This space is changing all the time and we are all discovering together, and this is one of those instances where we can all learn more together.

The next 2 posts will serve as a guideline to help steer you in the right direction so be sure to bookmark the main site, or even better subscribe to the blog via RSS or email (top left) to ensure you get these and future posts.

Thank you for reading,
Josh “Shua” Peters

Josh “Shua” Peters is the co-author of TwittFaced, a freelance internet marketer and trainer (with a heavy focus on social media) who has worked with companies of all sizes from Fortune 500 to non profits, single owner businesses, and everything in between. He blogs at Shuaism and can be regularly found on Twitter, FaceBook, and LinkedIn.

image by sanberdoo

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