Question directed to SEO firms

Just out of curiousity... when looking for new people to join your firm, what do you prefer? Someone with alot of hands on experience in the industry or someone with a IT/marketing college degree?

 

Someone who is always willing to learn

 

For some reason everyone with a degree who has ever worked for us was lacking major self-motivation. I prefer people without a degree, but like to see success in their past jobs no matter which field (the go-getter types).

 

good to hear

There was actually a writeup in the BRW earlier this year talking about the top 100 young rich list here in aus, and how something like more than 50% of the entreupreuners had no degree, so everytime I hear someone with the mentality that having the degree means everything, I think about that for some motivation

 

If I was to hire someone, I would hire someone that had street smarts and a lot of creativity... You don't have to know a thing about SEO to become an SEO expert. That is something that is very easy to train. It's hard to train someone on creativity and street smarts, you just have those or you don't. And I feel someone that comes up with a creative plan is much better than someone who has a lot of experience in projects that had great plans.

 

I no longer hire people, (we sold a business, and decided not to grow beyond myself & my wife as we wanted the freedom that brings with it) but I do outsource the odd piece of work here and there. I used to employ lots of people (well about 40 or so) and I can say that the single most important factor for my employing them was the fact I beleived in their ability to do the job!

I perposely worded any adverts I had, Age not important, sex not important, Qualifications not important. Do not apply for this job unless you think you can fit right off, or are happy to adapt to our way of doing things. I myself have no real qualifications, but I do have the ability to see opportunity and to adapt and learn. All I looked for in people was the basic traits of successful people being inteligence, enthusiasm, ability to see opportunity, and a wilingness to look at things from a totally different angle than their own. Personally, when someone came to me and told me all about their qualifactions I got bored stupid (then again I was already most of the way stupid anyhow so didn't have far to go lol.)

Qualifications are Ok, but I was far more guided by the reaction to the pressure I put people under when they came to see me. I am a bad man, and I would often sit in our reception where any potential candidates would also wait. I know this might be a little underhanded, but it is in the best interests of all concerned. One thing I used to do was to leave an almost finished jigsaw puzzle on the coffee table, you will be surprised at how much you can learn from watching people wait.

 

To me; someone that has a high decree showed he was a go-getter on at least 1 field. A decree is as important as being succesful in 1 field. So 1 person with a decree and success story of 1 job, is equal to someone without a decree and 2 similar success stories.

 

Dirkjan I disagree with you here. A degree shows an ability to learn a subject, but success in the workplace is a different quality altogether. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that people with a degree are less able, law of averages they are going to be MORE able.

For me though in a small company the ability to work in a team and fit in will deliver more results than a loner who is shit hot at their job with a degree. You can get a degree without having to speak to another person, but it is rare you will get success int he workplace with that trait.

 

I happen to have an MBA degree, but despite that I come down on the side that says a degree isn't important. Intelligence is important, but a lot of stupid people have degrees.

What you need, and is often very hard to find, in a small business is people who are excited by the work and not just looking to make a living on a 9 to 5 basis. People who are turned on by the company's goal and dreams and want to be part of it.

What you never need is a "yes man". What you need is someone who is pushing you one moment, and bringing you back to reality the next. I always say I'm never looking for employees, I'm looking for partners. The kiss of death for me is an employee who says "just tell me what to do".

Now the real question, as the OWG has suggested, is how do you interview and identify these type of people?

 

I have a degree in business law that I truly hope to never have to use. I find that the majority of my knowledge in the realm of SEO and such has come from success and failure. I try something and it doesn't work or I try something and it does. Sometimes I think an idea is worth failing a few times in order to have a major success with it. It's really more about creativity and knowing your target audience than anything. I don't think that there's any one method that works for every site. However, I have gotten pretty good at signup generation during the 8 years that I have been doing marketing online. So, now I really focus on community and forum growth as my target for marketing and I have much greater success with that than anything... I think you have to consider your people based upon their ability to learn and if they have a degree, they are already too cocky and they are so closed minded it's insane. I have tried out maybe 15 people with degrees and every single one has failed to suit what I needed and were essentially worthless in the field. You can't go to college to learn internet marketing because it changes too quickly...

 

Perhaps thats how they work in the UK. In Holland a degree is everything about working in groups, in teams, and being able to work together.

 

Possibly differenet cultures and systems then

 

I am the only person where I work who doesn't have a degree...
I'm also the youngest.

I was pretty lucky to be given the opportunity to get in here. The company is part of a VERY large media agency - IMO this is the only thing that matters... I have the name on my CV... It speaks for itself now.

Because I don't have a Degree, I could be quite biased in terms of who to hire. But in my opinion, a degree does show something in terms of staying power (You've got to stick at it for 3 years at least)...

Like someone mentioned, SEO is an easy thing to teach - If you have a half decent brain - you can learn it all pretty quickly...

I guess the distinguishing factor between SEO's, is ingenuity. You need to have ideas to stay in this game.

Like someone else mentioned in another thread - An agency that can do it all (Design, site build, SEO - the lot) is the one to look out for. And I think that who you hire can have a huge impact on the service you offer.

 

I think it depends on the personality of an individual rather on whether they have a degree or not.

 

When computers and the Internet are involved, I look for a person who is constantly willing to learn. Remembering that the web is still very young and, especially so when it comes to online selling and interactive media, I look for someone who is willing to go the "extra mile" by reading and exploring. Without that, it is so easy to fall behind the competition. IMHO.

 

There are a few things which no school can teach you such as
creativity, ambition, energy and committment. What I have seen more than anything while I was in College was a bunch of guys who couldn't quite figgure out what they want to do with their lives. THose are the ones who will always have to be pushed in order to be productive. I'm nobody's daddy and nobody's mommy either