a tech-geek may not be the best choice when looking for someone to handle your social media

Experience may be more important than skills

Have you ever seen a 5 year old work an iPhone, iPad or computer? They’re amazing. They have absolutely no fear of technology. In fact, I’d guess that anyone born after 1980 or so feels pretty darn comfortable with all forms of technology because they’ve never known anything else.

But tech-mastery alone may not make them a good job candidate to be your social media coordinator.

Yes, you need to know technology to do it well, but the perfect candidate also needs a more well-rounded background, since social media really encompasses public relations, customer service, crisis management and branding. That’s a lot of responsibility.

Here are a few great reasons why a tech-geek may not be the best choice when looking for someone to handle your social media:

  • They may know technology but they may not know credit unions, which requires a special perspective
  • 20-somethings aren’t always mature enough – and your CU’s communications need to connect with everyone, young and old
  • They may not have a complete understanding of your credit union’s brand and that needs to be central to your messages
  • Excellent writing skills are as essential as tech know-how
  • A sense of humor is important, but make sure it’s one that your members will appreciate.

So remember to look for experience rather than a specific skill set. It may be far easier to teach an older dog one new trick than to teach a puppy how to navigate a whole new world.

Brian Wringer

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