How to Hire a Community Manager
So, you want to hire a community manager to help raise brand awareness for your company and better connect with your consumers. There‘s just one problem: You’re not sure how to hire a community manager.
What qualities should you look for when hiring? Where can you find a community manager? Why do you even need one? Well, you‘ve come to the right blog because I’m about to explain all of that and more.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about how to hire a community manager.
Why hire a community manager?
81% of consumers need to trust a brand to consider buying. The primary function of a community manager is to build rapport, trust, and community with a brand’s audience.
Naturally, a community manager will help your brand forge trust with your consumers, leading them to purchase your products and services.
“Consumers make decisions based on opinions from people they know, like, and trust,” says Erica Finley, HubSpot‘s Principal Marketing Manager of Community.
She says, “Word of mouth has never been more powerful, and seeing real-life use cases, being able to ask questions, and hearing earnest reactions to products and services are no longer just ’nice-to-haves.'”
According to Finley, community managers “carve out dedicated spaces that folks can lean into for inspiration, advice, entertainment, and more.” And all this occurs while raising brand awareness.
So, now that you know the perks of hiring a community manager, you just need to find one. But where?
Where to find a community manager
The good news is there are multiple places to find great community manager candidates. Here are a few of my favorites:
Community Club. This nonprofit offers an excellent resource for connecting with experienced community managers.
CMX Hub. This website includes a job board where you can post and search for community management positions. It’s especially valuable for finding candidates who are specifically looking to grow in these roles.
LinkedIn. LinkedIn allows you to explore potential community managers’ profiles, experiences, and endorsements. You can also post your own job openings and join numerous groups dedicated to community management where professionals discuss industry trends, share advice, and exchange job opportunities.
Facebook Groups. Facebook is home to community management groups, some location-based while others are industry-specific. These groups are excellent for posting job openings, asking for recommendations, and connecting directly with potential hires.
Upwork. Upwork is great if you are looking to hire a community manager on a contract or freelance basis. You can create a job post that outlines the project you’re hiring for and the qualifications you need.
Qualities to Look for in a Community Manager
“Community managers are often mediators for community conflicts and may be required to draft crisis communications,” Finley says. “They have to be curious and adept at conducting research, both online and via people-centric methods like focus groups.”
Community managers also sometimes act as content creators and may be called to create entire calendars based on a specific persona or theme concerning the brand.
“They are public speakers who often serve as emcees and facilitators for community events,” she says. “The list goes on/”
In short, community managers must have the following qualities:
Public speaking skills
Conflict and crisis management skills
Curiosity and thorough research skills
A knack for creativity and content creation
How to Write a Community Manager Job Description
All right, the two Ericas (Finley and I) explained why you should hire a community manager, where to find one, and what qualities they should possess. Now, we must dive into writing a community manager job description.
Essentially, your job description should include the following:
Who/what your company is
What your goals are
How a community manager will help achieve said goals
What qualities and experience does the manager need to be successful in the organization
Let’s look at this community manager job posting from Scale AI.
Scale AI starts by explaining the company’s goal and how the community manager fits into their vision:
“Scale’s Generative AI business unit is nascent and is currently seeing historic levels of growth. As a Community Manager, you will spearhead initiatives that will connect with the thousands of Contributors on our platform.”
In other words, Scale Ai is seeing unprecedented growth and needs a community manager to nurture its growing audience.
Then, the company explains what the community manager will do, such as:
“Collaborate with the Operations, Support, Communications, and Marketing teams to create and execute community engagement campaigns and content.
Develop and execute community engagement strategies to increase participation and satisfaction, including overseeing community platforms like Reddit and Linkedin and managing our internal Slack community.
Be responsible for community support to answer questions, complaints, or comments on our platforms and social media channels.
Organize virtual events to foster a sense of community, monitor community feedback and sentiment to proactively address concerns, and manage and grow our online presence across various platforms.
Finally, the job posting lists the skills and background experience needed to succeed, including:
“Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Finance, or related field and 2+ years Communications, Marketing Operations, Field Operations, Program Management, Project Management, or related experience
Managed the social media presence of a technology product.
Strong and clear communication skills, both verbal and written – able to synthesize complex details into accessible and digestible content.
Ability to analyze quantitative metrics and adapt strategies accordingly.
A strong orientation towards outcomes and a willingness to roll up your sleeves to get the job done.
Passion for creating a positive and engaging community experience.”
10 Interview Questions to Ask Community Manager Applicant
Whether you‘re interviewing for community manager positions or you’re looking for a community manager for your organization, here are some interview questions to know:
1. What skills and qualifications do you have to prepare you for this job?
2. How do you measure your success as a community manager?
3. What strategies do you or would you use to strengthen our brand’s tie to our community?
4. How would you build our community from the ground up? What strategies would you use?
5. How do you stay up-to-date on the latest best practices in community management?
6. What has been your proudest accomplishment as a community manager?
7. What does community mean to you?
8. Do you have experience using social media to build or maintain a community? Explain.
9. How can you guide members of our community to our website to purchase a product or service?
10. How would you describe your management style?
Whew! We covered a lot in this post about community management, the skills it takes, where to find community managers, and how to create job postings for the role.
Now, you‘re ready to either level up your craft as a community manager or you’re prepared to hire one for your organization.
Either way, good luck!
