It wasn’t that long ago that large firms like Precision Strategies were testing potential hires on their ability to write copy in 140 characters. That was what was required back in the day when pithy comments on Twitter could elevate or sink a client.
“That is obsolete now,” Cate Domino, a SVP of digital at Precision, recently told C&E. “But what isn’t obsolete is the ability to get a point across very safely, and in voice and on message and getting the key information out there.”
Domino is currently hiring for a number of positions, and has been pondering with her team just what makes a good digital hire. She says they concluded: “You have to hire a good writer and then teach them to mold their writing to fit the platform of the day.”
Domino added: “The platforms are constantly changing. Best practices in email are constantly changing — and [so] being a fast learner and adaptable is really important. At the end of the day, if you are strong at content creation broadly, you’ll be able to move with the times.”
Levi Debose, content director for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, said that hiring for an agency role is different than hiring for a campaign role. But in either case, a good assessment involves really delving into what sorts of tasks the potential hire is able to take on.
“[You] have [to have] a really honest conversation with people and hear what they’re interested in and then be clear about what our needs are and why we’re looking to hire — where the gaps [are] that we’re currently trying to fill,” Debose said. “And then also where are the opportunities for us to meet in the middle and collaborate and … build something together.”
He noted that while good writing is an important quality for any digital hire in 2024, so is having an interest in other aspects of content creation.
“At least they are interested in and can help out if you need to caption a video, or can understand how to make a few cuts in the video to make it just a little bit more presentable … Even small things can really help us out.”
