Transformation time: How to hire the best digital talent

Digital transformation is on the mind of many business leaders these days. It’s not simply a buzzword, there are very real changes happening within organisations that require digital talent, and hiring needs are changing and shifting to reflect this new trend.

A survey of CMOs by Gartner found that by the end of 2017, top marketing spends will be on websites, digital commerce, and digital advertising, signalling that digital is a priority, regardless of industry or business type.

Roles in search, online advertising, social media and content, and performance marketing have become essential elements of any team. Once those needs are established, the question becomes: How do you, as a business, find the right people?

Overall, digital talent is a dynamic, forward-thinking group, and it’s important to get the recruitment process right.

How Digital Talent is Changing Recruitment

In general, digital candidates have different priorities from more traditional candidates. They are laser-focused on the short-term. What’s the impact they can have on the business within the first 90 days?

Because of this short-term focus, digital candidates focus on the attractiveness of the immediate projects they will handle, as much as the overall role itself. Timelines are shorter and results are measured sooner in the digital world. This creates a natural focus on major projects to work on and problems to solve, rather than on a large, generalised job scope.

Instead of asking digital candidates the old routine question: ‘Where do you see yourself in 5 years?’, you may need to ask the question: ‘Where would you like to be in 5 months or 1 year?’.

Networking takes on a new level with digital candidates, as they are well-connected with others in their industry. As a result, they know what their current market value is. With that knowledge, they are generally comfortable with asking for exactly what they believe they're worth. On the other hand, they are more inclined to consider equity as part of their salary structure.

The best digital candidates will receive several offers during a job hunt. Because of this, the impressions and feelings they get about a company during interviews can be just as important as the offer itself.

They also place a greater importance on feeling valued by their potential future employers. This is where company culture, the interview environment, employer branding and non-monetary benefits can make or break a deal.

How to Attract Digital Candidates

Keeping the above in mind, what’s the best way to attract the best digital candidates in the market? It’s all about planning and ensuring that your recruitment process is well thought out before even starting to look at CVs. Here are a few tips to ensure your hiring process goes as smoothly as possible.

Set well-defined recruitment targets.

This includes having a clear job description agreed upon by reporting lines and engaging an external recruitment expert to avoid misalignments at the end of the process.

Ensure your salary budget is set.

Be realistic about market rates when setting your budget for salary, and realise it may be necessary to offer bigger packages to attract the right talent. Keep in mind factors such as a scarcity of local talent, as well as aligning your offer with how impactful the new hire can be to the organisation, instead of focusing solely on cost.

Keep the recruitment process short.

Keep your hiring timeline as short as possible, creating a smoother experience for the candidate. This will show the agility of your company, and how easily decisions are made. Because candidates are usually highly-sought after, this will also ensure you won’t lose a great candidate to another company that is able to make the offer faster.

Think long-term growth

Digital professionals look for the immediate impact, and as a result, are always looking forward. Have a structure in mind for career progression and growth, which will entice these digital professionals to stay longer than the first exciting project. They want to grow quickly – let that be with your company.

In the end, digital candidates, like most job seekers, are looking for promising opportunities within a company where they see the potential for growth and to make an impact.