It’s hard to believe, but as of this month, I’ve been the owner of an SEO and online marketing agency for 10 short, yet very long years.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably “in the industry,” or at least aspire to be — so you don’t need me to tell you how difficult it can be to attract and retain quality employees in an ever-evolving, high-stakes and fast-paced work environment.
It’s certainly something my leadership team and I have spent countless hours trying to figure out. It’s also one of the questions I get asked most often from colleagues in the industry: What makes a great employee?
Though qualities like knowledge of HTML or information architecture are useful, the one thing SEO and digital marketing rock stars all have in common is that they seem to have certain “intangible” qualities. Personality traits like self-motivation, leadership and the constant thirst for knowledge top the lists and seem to be a predictor of long-term success.
While the Millennial generation, or Gen-Y, has a bit of a negative reputation among older professionals, there are many qualities that make them great employees — and make the digital marketing industry a perfect fit.
They’re looking for a challenge, to be constantly learning and to connect their work to a greater purpose. When hiring Millennials, keep in mind that you need to do your part as a company to engage these high-potential individuals.
Gen-Y will soon make up the majority of the workforce around the world. Recent research shows that by and large, Millennials are misunderstood by managers. Whether your company, like mine, already consists of a majority of Millennial employees or is on its way there, clearly defining the “intangibles” that your company values most will aid you in your hiring and retention.
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