Here’s something to ponder. I was talking with someone yesterday who is thinking about hiring a person to be his Community Manger. He feels the prime candidate is perfect for the job except for one thing, he’s never managed a community before, not in the traditional sense. Should he hire the person he knows is a perfect fit for his community, or the person with several years experience managing an online community? My answer? It depends.
Before being hired as Community Manager, my only experience was building up a blog network and community from scratch. On my resume it doesn’t look like much, but the reality is it took several years and some mad skills to get ‘er done. So should your Community Manager have resume filled with impressive names? Let’s explore this:
Can he: (and by he I mean he or she)
- Communicate effectively with all people?
- Take a suggestion or question and run with it, getting the best results?
- Talk so that others listen?
- Create something positive from something negative?
- Draw people in to the conversation?
- Rock the social networks?
- Have lots of people following him, not because it’s the cool thing to do, but because he’s a darn nice guy?
- Create an interest around your brand?
An impressive resume is just that, a piece of paper with lots of stuff on it. If your gut tells you the best person for the job is someone who hasn’t done this sort of thing before, but will totally rock it, go with your gut. It’s not about names, it’s about people. Look beyond the obvious to find the true attributes of a good Community Manager. The ability to effectively communicate and build a friendly community of like-minded people. You don’t always need a degree for that.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Even experienced community managers had to start somewhere, right? I do think that a community manager role is something that the right kind of person can step into, without necessarily having years of experience. It just depends on a) on the potential person being hired b) the community.
But I like your advice to the hiring manager: Go with your gut. If this person has the right skillset and is enthusiastic about jumping into this community, s/he certainly could be a great hire.
Hope it works out!
Bryan | @BryanPerson
LiveWorld
I’d add one more item: Is the prospect passionate about your product/brand. A good community manager has to be doing it as much for their passion as their paycheck. Passion is authentic and that will come through. It will also help the person see the community as people not consumers.