Article
The marketer’s approach to recruitment: skills first, titles second
The world of marketing has never evolved this fast. New channels, tools, and technologies emerge every month. Job titles that once made sense now tell you almost nothing about what someone can actually do.
That’s why traditional recruitment, based on fixed roles and credentials, is failing today’s marketing teams. The companies that build the strongest marketing organizations are those that look beyond job titles and hire for skills, mindset, and potential.
“Companies need to be aware of which are must-have skills and which are nice-to-have. You can easily invest in the latter, but you have to acknowledge this early in the recruitment process.”
From job title to skill set: why it’s time to rethink hiring
Marketing roles have become deeply fragmented. The “Digital Marketer” of five years ago could have handled everything from social media to SEO. Today, you’ll find specialists in content creation, marketing automation, growth analytics, and conversion tracking. That means job titles are losing meaning. Depending on the company, a CRM Manager might be shaping strategy or deep diving into data.
Hiring by title alone often leads to mismatches. People who check the right boxes on paper but don’t fit your team’s needs or dynamics. Instead, companies should start mapping skills and behaviours: what tasks need to be done, which skills support them, and how candidates adapt to changing environments.
Why marketers are best placed to recruit marketers
Recruiting marketers requires understanding more than just tools or job titles. It’s about recognizing how marketing really works in practice. The best recruiters in this field can see beyond technical skills to spot traits like a performance mindset, customer empathy, and cross-functional collaboration.
A strong marketer isn’t defined by knowing Google Ads or HubSpot. It’s defined by how they translate insights into impact, connect with audiences, and work seamlessly across teams. That’s why mindset and adaptability are just as important as technical expertise when assessing marketing talent.
“Marketers can identify which skills are transferrable, because we’ve been in those roles ourselves. As marketers, we understand what can be learned and what can’t.”
How to assess marketing potential
If you want to adopt a skills-first approach in your own recruitment, try shifting your process. When you assess how people think, not just what they know, you build teams that can grow and adapt.
The long-term benefit
Adopting a skills-first hiring mindset may take more effort upfront, but the return is undeniable. You’ll make fewer hiring mistakes, shorten onboarding time, and build a marketing team that grows alongside your business. Instead of chasing short-term fixes, you’ll invest in people who evolve with your strategy, your tools, and your customers.
Marketing will keep on changing. The organizations that thrive are those that recruit with the future in mind. Because recruitment isn’t just about filling a vacancy. It’s about building resilience, adaptability, and long-term capability into your team.
At THoM Talent Search, we help you identify and hire marketers who don’t just fit your organization today, but who have the mindset and potential to drive it forward tomorrow.
Let’s discuss your needs
Robine Goris
Talent Search & Freelance Business Partner
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