This question was asked of me recently and I naturally thought that others would have the same quandary.  Many people know what Social Media can do for their business and know that someone must be hired to do it.  But, what qualities should you look for in the right candidate? 

First, start by defining what your goals are for this position.  Sales, customer service, driving traffic to the site?  From there you can begin to align the candidates with the goals and objectives.  For instance, if the goal is to drive traffic to your site a blog will be a key component of the strategy.  So, the candidate needs to have strong communication skills.  They will become the voice of your company.  Ask for writing samples to see if their written voice could communicate with your core audience.  This person should also be analytical in nature.  Someone that isn’t afraid to gather the numbers and translate what they mean in an informative, understandable way.  

It is also important to inquire as to how much time they currently spend online daily.  If they are not accustomed to that it may seem a little overwhelming to be tethered to their laptop.  It is also incredibly important that they can successfully manage their time online.

Social Media is a relatively new field.  There are so-called experts coming out of the wood work.  Who can blame them?  This is really powerful stuff.  The most important thing to remember is that this person will be doing a little bit of everything really.  Their position will often times be the first person a prospective customer sees.  Do you want this person being the point person for your company?

Many things can be learned (some need more training that others) in Social Media.  Align the talent to your objectives, and you should be successful.

I would love to hear if you have any feedback or additional suggestions on the subject.