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Strategic Planning
Tips on Hiring Communications Staff
Introduction
Hiring a new employee can
be a tricky process. Employers are faced with the
challenge of not only identifying whether a candidate
fits in with office culture, presents a professional
demeanor and executed the activities described in their
resume, but also determining whether they hold the
requisite skills to grow in the job. Below are five core
competencies to look for when interviewing potential
employees.
1-Experience: Both in leading and supporting an
initiative or program from beginning to end is
invaluable. Working on both sides provides perspective
and understanding on how to balance the amount of
energy, time and resources required to develop and
implement programs.
2-Culture: A team player who views communications
as an integral part of the machine, whose goal includes
getting everyone to have ownership of the project, i.e.
comfortable putting their ego aside. The individual
should have high quality communications and relationship
building skills - written and verbal - which is
evidenced by their prior work experience.
3-Strategic Planning: The ability to develop a
plan that can be executed within the budget is critical.
Is the candidate comfortable making choices about the
strategy, able to multi-task and work with different
audiences at the same time? This is essential for
foundations and non-profit communications managers.
Whether an individual is in the field for 2 or 20 years,
knowing how to put a plan together to guide choices and
decision-making is essential.
4-Knowledge Sharing: Knowledge is an essential
and often under-utilized asset within foundations. The
communications officer that taps and builds a culture of
knowledge sharing will find stories and identify ways to
build markets for ideas and amplify the lessons learned.
In some agencies, the focus is building platforms for
grantees to share their knowledge. The key emphasis
shouldn't be on the technical side of storing and
managing information. Instead, the focus is on creating
a plan for how to capture, share and apply that
knowledge to enhance the learning and effectiveness of
the organization.
5-Willingness to Learn: A good communications
manager is willing to learn about the issues and stay
informed of trends in practice that relate to the
organization's mission and programs. The candidate
doesn't necessarily have to come from the issue arena --
in fact, someone with fresh eyes and a new perspective
may be just as beneficial to your group. However, once
that person comes on board, they need to continually
learn and stay on top of the field of practice, even if
they approach it as an outsider. This will allow them to
not only be better at communicating to the outside, but
it can also help this person provide internal counsel on
strategy and assist in identifying potential
opportunities.
Conclusion
There are plenty of superstars out there just
waiting to be hired. By knowing the
important factors to look for in a new hire, you will be
better able to build a winning team for your
organization and create a positive working environment.
Keep up the good work!
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