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By Author: Larry Tang
Total Articles: 512
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It's always tough to create a team, a team of people who can communicate and identify opportunities as well as deliver promises. Employee turnover is one of the major issues at any company. So, how do you find the right kind of staff to create your Search Engine Department?

The first step would be to identify yourself; what type of an organization you really are. Are you an internet marketing agency, a full service marketing firm or a consultant? Once you place yourself in the right category, the people you should associate with will be limited.

Anybody could go online and read about SEM. Knowledge or reading definitely does not constitute experience. There's a huge difference between reading how SEO works and implementing SEO on a 1-month-old website with the 4 year old version of OScommerce installed. This basically means you need individuals who have been there and done that. Who do you really need? A client services professional, a programmer, a sales manager, marketing coordinator, a copywriter or somebody who does all the dirty work such as data entry and manual submissions? The considerations will change ...
... according to job title and your requirements should change as well.

Don't take anybody's word for it! Ask questions, dig deeper and make sure that the most knowledgeable individual in your organization reviews all candidates. Ask specific questions, for example, if you are interviewing for a Paid Search Management Specialist position, ask them about the highest conversion rate they have ever achieved and which search engine do they like the most. Ask them how they achieved the conversion rates and why they think it performed so well. Also, I use the method of confusion; ask them a weird question to see if you can catch them off guard and measure their reaction. I ask a question like, How many people were online today? It's important how they reply because if they're really ever in a situation to answer a question that does not make sense, they will give the right kind of answer. My answer would be, I have no idea, I would have to look at stats. and no guessing.

You should always look for individuals who understand the numbers. Statistics is everything in the world of SEM; conversions, CTRs, ROI and all other web metrics. Focus on individuals who have a broader perspective rather than people who repeat the same news in the industry. What if... is a good way to start a sentence in creative marketing and not many people use it nowadays. Communication and connecting with clients is essential and the staff should always bring a value to the team.

So how do you find these perfect employees? That will be tough as education is limited in the field of Search. There are very few colleges and universities offering programs. MBAs and Marketing degrees do not cover specific areas of competence for online marketing. Stay connected; follow message boards and industry leader websites such as SEMPO and SES. The gentleman you meet at a conference or an event might be your next Marketing Director. As limited as labor is for the industry, I believe there are enough people in the market.

Strong writing skills, fundamental understanding of Web Design and Interfaces, basic IT understanding, Internet business and marketing models, metrics and stats are essential factors that you should require from your staff. Try to have as much communication as possible in your organization as this will ensure that no task is solely completed by only one individual. This way, you will distribute knowledge and experience between different departments. Do not just look for a search person or an SEM Expert; look for someone with ambition and intelligence and education. As long as he can communicate and learn fast, search is not hard to teach. Let your staff grow with you.
Optimum7.com is an Adwords Management Company with primary focus on Small and Mid-Sized Enterprises (SME's). Optimum7.com offers a rich consultative approach that our clients find refreshing. We actually listen to our clients to learn exactly what their problems and objectives are.