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“Anyone can do SEO” is a well-known statement among offline businesses. But is it true? No. SEO is an official trick that can efficiently help websites/pages get in touch with their target audience and increase their revenue. Since SEO is so important and not everyone can do it, hiring a suitable SEO candidate is advised. Here are eight tips for finding the right SEO candidates in the next hiring cycle.
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What are SEO candidates?
Simply put, an SEO candidate is a person who excels in making your website/content more searchable for your company’s target audience. A perfect SEO candidate will specialize in testing and analyzing the given website (mainly) to make relevant changes.
With the increase in daily internet users, page optimization is now a necessity that requires constant updating. An SEO Specialist will help improve user experience, grow traffic, and positive brand awareness. But, the end goal remains the same- Increasing sales, revenue, and profit.
It also raises a question regarding the right profile for an SEO candidate to look for. The right SEO candidate will eventually work closely with your company’s marketing and technical team. The person will work across all the public platforms to achieve the desired goals faster.
The Right SEO candidate’s Profile
Keeping your expectations low is taught to us from a young age. While looking for the right candidate to take on your website and optimize it, it is essential to have clear goals. Note down the experience and expertise you are looking for in a candidate.
Although it is impossible to have the exact and perfect experience, it will help to have criteria as guidelines while hiring or outsourcing SEO. For example, knowing that you need a Saas technical SEO expert, not a content SEO candidate. One key aspect that you’ll find in your perfect candidate is that they want to keep learning.
With time technologies are changing, and with technology, SEO is changing. An SEO candidate who wants to keep learning is someone who will develop with coming technologies while providing desired results. Here are eight tips to help you find the one for you.
Tips to Find the Right Candidate
Conduct a deep analysis
A deep analysis of the person you will hire is critical. This analysis will tell you about the candidate’s work and his shortcomings as well. Maybe being too opinionated is not a problem for the other company, but it is for you.
The hiring process is majorly dependent on a person’s personality, communication skills, and influential power. When you conduct a deep analysis, you’ll be able to notice the unseen gaps. Sometimes a person is all talk and has no results.
The analysis will reveal if the promised results are received. This is one of the most crucial steps that you will take to stay objective. A biased approach will only help your business, so follow this tip and find out the truth.
Choosing the right skill assessment
Skill Assessment is the most underrated and easiest way for you to screen potential candidates. Once you have decided what exactly you need and posted about the same, there will be a lot of queries.
Potential candidates would approach you with their resumes with different skills, detail-oriented resume formats, and information.. Not every piece of data will be helpful to the organization, and many people do not update their resumes as per the job requirement.
The easiest way to tackle this problem is by giving a seo assessment test. Provide it as a screening process so that you don’t have to waste your time and energy sorting out resumes (manually without a resume parser or an AI resume screening tool) for the next step. It will ensure unbiased and effective candidates move forward.
Get a sense of their entire process
People are much more than what they tell you and what they know about themselves. I am always right, but it might not be an actual move when we see it from a third person. 2 perspectives of people decide how they coach decisions and projects.
For example, if I do not believe in on-page SEO, I will only work on off-page SEO, which might still be effective but not to the extent when combined with on-page SEO. Limiting beliefs sometimes also limits a company’s potential because of the employee behind it.
Be mindful while hiring SEO candidates and get a gist of their SEO process for the company and the website. Make sure that the process does not hinder other employees’ engagement. Reward the best employees with health benefits and other perks so that they won’t leave the position.
Tap into your network
Your network is your net worth. It is a very famous quote but can also be used in this sense. You can always trust someone referred to you rather than someone who approached you.
Use your network the right way and let them know you are hiring. This will ease the recruitment process by potentially connecting you with qualified candidates who come recommended by trusted contacts.There is a chance that someone might have the person you’re looking for. This can mean a former employee, a friend, or simply an internet connection.
Yes, objectivity is still there. But as a human, you will have a soft corner for someone you know or who is close to you. You will repeat the same steps, but in the back of your mind, there will always be the thought that they were recommended by the people you trust.
Have a pre-decided list
Let’s take an example of your personal life. Before grocery shopping, what do you do? You make a list. Alist is simply a way to ensure that you do not forget anything essential. Other items are merely a way of satisfaction for you.
Similarly, when you are hiring an SEO candidate, make a list. This list will include your exact requirements and expectations from the hiring person. After a detailed consultation with the relevant team, it will be easy to make.
Make sure only to include the position’s needs. The add-ons are better to have. But this should not be your hiring criteria. The list is for your convenience. One hundred things going on in mind, so a human brain is bound to forget something. Make a list and have less stress.
Play ‘dumb’ like a pro
This tip may sound unusual at first, but it is not. If someone can explain a concept to a person with no idea about the same, the idea is clear in his head. Try to convince the candidate that you are not someone who knows a lot about SEO.
Use this theory in your hiring process and let the candidate help you grasp the whole idea. Think about it; you only got chosen because you were a pro, and now it is your decision that will evolve into another pro. A rather exciting opportunity, isn’t it?
A person can act humble or act arrogant. When the candidates realize that the details are unknown, although you know what SEO is, they’ll do something. This will be the time you will get to know the actual knowledge of the SEO candidate.
Conduct a personal SWOT analysis
SWOT analysis is a detailed management approach of a person. When we were teenagers, what we wanted to do was find ourselves in everything we did. As an adult, it is crucial to know yourself and how you can use your weaknesses and strengths in your favour.
If you let your candidates take a personal SWOT analysis, it will help you. You will know how the candidate sees himself and if the person is confident enough. On the other hand, the candidate will realize the areas they need to work on.
Keeping SWOT analysis mandatory will ensure that the company and candidate are the right fit for each other regardless of perspective and background. It will also help you make changes in the team or provide leadership opportunities in the future.
Reviews are your best partner in crime
Reviews can be your best enemy and your worst ones. If you think that someone is perfect for the job, do a review check. Most of the time, the review you give us unexpected information makes us rethink our decision.
Likewise, if a person has not had the number in the round communication part, the reviews show high reserves and conversions, and you will rethink. Communication matters but the technical skills matter as well. In this type of case, it is better to go to the fore or ask a subject matter expert.
One of the many effective ways to deal with such a situation is to connect directly with the team working with the candidate to know if the SEO candidate will be a good fit. In this way, reviews can be your best partner in crime, providing you with insider insights.
Hiring the Best SEO Candidate
No one is 100% perfect or technical. The expectation of the ideal candidate might seem like an exaggeration. Use tips in the best way possible and keep your “perfect candidate” profile as a guideline. You hold power to hire the best SEO candidates for your company depending on its size and needs. So, are you ready to hire the Hulk of your team?
Nikola Roza
Nikola Roza is a blogger behind Nikola Roza- SEO for the Poor and Determined. He writes for bloggers who don't have huge marketing budget but still want to succeed. Nikola is passionate about precious metals IRAs and how to invest in gold and silver for a safer financial future. Learn about Nikola here.