Hiring a Marketer - Should You Hire Experience or Potential?

A marketer is an important part of your business. He or she is especially vital when the business is just starting out and needs to be promoted in all the right ways. That's why you need to make sure you hire the right person for the job.

When hiring a marketer, you have two options - hiring someone who is experienced in the field, or hiring someone with talent and potential but little on-the-job experience. Both have their pros and cons.

Hiring Based On Experience
At first glance, it makes sense to hire based on experience, especially for a start-up company. You want someone who knows what he or she is doing to market your business and make it noticeable to potential customers and clients. Hiring someone with experience means they have been around the block a few times and probably knows what works and what doesn't with regards to marketing. In addition, someone who has worked with several companies may be able to bring fresh ideas to your company.

However, there are some drawbacks associated with hiring for experience. For one thing, an experienced marketer will generally demand a much higher salary than someone who is entry-level. For companies who are just starting, a marketer with 5 or 10 years of experience may not be in their budget.

In addition, many times people feel that experience automatically guarantees quality and expertise. However, this isn't always the case. There is no real correlation between age and expertise. A good marketer requires talent, and talent can come at any age.

Hiring Based on Potential
It's important to know that hiring based on potential does not mean your marketer will be completely clueless. For example, if you hire an entry-level marketer with a degree in marketing and a year or two experience under his or her belt, you're hiring someone who knows the basics and perhaps a bit more. Someone with potential will most likely be fresh out of college, so the things he or she learned in class will still be fresh. In addition, most programs require an internship of course, which will give you someone with some experience at an entry-level salary.

Many people hire based on potential not only because of the potential, but because of the energy and new outlook the candidate can bring the company. As mentioned before, age or number of years of experience does not necessary guarantee talent. A successful marketer must have talent, and experience does not guarantee that.

Obviously, if you hire based on potential rather than talent, you won't be hiring someone who has a lot of real, on-the-job experience. However, you will be hiring someone that may be easier to work with as he or she has less set ideas. Many times, a marketer will stick with the tried and true rather than trying fresh ideas. Someone with potential is more apt to be adaptable and willing to learn and try new things.

Which Is Right For You?
Whether you decide to go with experience or potential depends on your needs as a company. If you decide to go with experience, you'll be hiring someone who knows what he or she is doing and has the track record to prove it; however, you'll be paying a price for it as well. Hiring based on potential means working and growing with someone who could be of real value to the company