Hiring top talent who stay with your agency and consistently deliver results is crucial for building a successful and sustainable business. However, it’s not as simple as finding someone with the right skills and bringing them on board. To ensure that you’re hiring people who will thrive in their roles and stick around long-term, you need to follow a systematic approach. Let’s break down the secrets to hiring and retaining top talent that will drive your agency’s success.
1. Hire the Right Person from the Start
The foundation of a successful hire starts with ensuring that you’re bringing the right person into the organization. This seems obvious, but many marketing agencies often fail by prioritizing hiring quickly over hiring effectively. The right hire isn’t just someone who has the technical skills to get the job done—they also need to have the soft skills that align with your company culture.
Technical Skills: Before anything else, the candidate must be able to execute the tasks they’ll be responsible for. Don’t just rely on what’s listed on their resume; make sure to test their abilities during the interview process. Assign them a real-world task related to the job to gauge their skills in action. For instance, if you’re hiring a copywriter, ask them to write a short piece on a topic relevant to your industry. This way, you ensure that they have the competence to deliver results.
Soft Skills: Beyond the technical side, it’s crucial to assess their interpersonal and soft skills. How well can they communicate? Do they work well in teams? Are they adaptable and willing to learn? Ask behavioral interview questions like, “Tell me about a time when you had to manage a difficult client situation” to get a sense of their emotional intelligence and problem-solving capabilities. Skills like these are vital for their long-term success in your agency.
2. Train Them Effectively: Shadowing is NOT Enough
Once you’ve hired the right person, the next critical step is training them properly. Many agencies make the mistake of thinking that having new hires shadow experienced team members is sufficient training. But shadowing alone doesn’t give the depth of understanding needed for true success.
Live Training & Classroom Instruction: Your training program should include a mix of live, hands-on learning, and structured classroom-style sessions. Live training helps new hires get familiar with real-world scenarios, while classroom sessions provide the theoretical knowledge they need to succeed. These sessions should cover everything from understanding your agency’s mission and values to mastering the tools and processes they’ll use daily.
Testing and Feedback: Tests should be built into your training process to evaluate how well new hires are absorbing the material. These assessments don’t need to be formal exams, but you should be checking their knowledge and skills regularly during the onboarding period. Whether it’s giving them small projects to complete or having them demonstrate their understanding of a tool, testing ensures that they’re truly ready for the role.
3. Continuous Performance Reviews and Feedback
Once training is complete and your new hire is settled into their role, the work doesn’t stop there. Regular performance reviews are key to helping your team members grow and succeed. Meet with them at least once a month to provide feedback—both positive and constructive.
Monthly Performance Reviews: In these reviews, be clear about what they’re doing well and where they need to improve. This constant communication helps employees stay on track and ensures that they’re meeting expectations. It also gives them a chance to voice any concerns or ask for additional support if needed. Providing feedback on a monthly basis keeps the lines of communication open and helps prevent small issues from becoming larger problems down the road.
Clear Metrics for Success: During these reviews, make sure you’re referring to specific metrics and KPIs that matter for their role. Whether it’s client satisfaction scores, lead generation numbers, or the timeliness of deliverables, having clear and objective performance indicators ensures that the feedback process is fair and effective.
4. Create a Growth Plan with Clear Opportunities
One of the biggest reasons top talent leaves a company is the lack of growth opportunities. If your best employees feel stagnant in their roles, they’ll inevitably start looking elsewhere. This is why creating a growth plan is essential.
Clear Career Pathways: When you onboard a new hire, show them the potential career paths within your agency. Discuss what it will take to move from their current role to the next level, whether it’s a promotion to a senior position or the opportunity to lead a team. Be transparent about what they need to achieve and how long it typically takes for someone to move up within the agency.
Opportunities for Skill Development: Invest in your employees’ professional development. Whether it’s sending them to conferences, offering courses, or giving them access to industry webinars, show your team that you care about their growth. When employees see that you’re investing in them, they’ll be more likely to stay and grow with your agency.
Final Thoughts
Hiring top talent who stay and deliver results is not just about finding the right people; it’s about setting them up for success and keeping them engaged long-term. By hiring based on both technical and soft skills, training your employees properly, providing regular feedback, and offering them clear opportunities for growth, you’ll build a team that’s not only effective but also loyal to your agency.