What makes hiring for marketing leadership roles so difficult? To put it simply, hiring for an evolving position is a moving target. The fundamentals of marketing—identifying, upselling, and engaging customers—still exist, but the leader’s role has shifted.
In the past, leaders were tasked with directing cost centers and finding customers. Now, they must lead profit centers, chart a course to the future, and create an innovation agenda for the company. As marketing leadership roles take on more responsibilities—including customer experience, pricing, product, strategy—jobs must be scoped in a way that’s clear for leaders and consistent with the company’s goals.
However, instead of trying to clarify job roles, organizations often fall into the trap of calling them “customized” and allowing candidates and employers to negotiate employment terms—a process which, if not done precisely, can result in vagueness and misalignment. This sets leaders and companies up for disappointment when expectations aren’t met. Additionally, it’s nearly impossible to evaluate mistakes and ROI for undefined roles, which can cost the organization time and money.
The key to avoiding this misstep is to do research before posting the role. Understand the behavioral traits and skills required for the job.In today’s rapidly evolving market, it’s critical to hire leaders for both hard skills and soft skills. But don’t stop there. Solicit feedback from leaders in your network to gain valuable perspectives that will help you refine what you’re looking for. The ability to learn and be agile allows executives to extend the scope of their jobs and value to the company.