Single-channel experts? Getting left behind by most (non-enterprise) marketing teams.
Hiring for experience only? There’s more to the top-tier marketer these days.
Analytical vs. creative? There’s room for both, but the scale is tipping toward creativity.
Whether you’re building a PPC team for an agency – a big part of my job – or for an in-house team, your approach should reflect the rise of AI.
That means factoring in changes in bidding algorithms, LLMs, and creative tools.
If you’re still hiring like it’s 2017, you’re leaving your competitors room to gain at your expense.
This article tackles the attributes I’m looking to hire for in the AI age – and why I’m prioritizing those attributes over what I might have looked for pre-Performance Max, Advantage+, and ChatGPT.
Ambition to learn
As recently as three or four years ago, I considered hiring candidates for my performance marketing team who specialized in a single channel (usually paid search).
Today, I can’t conceive of doing that.
AI isn’t just LLMs. It’s been steadily infiltrating ad campaigns across all major platforms for years.
In the process, it has erased many of the advantages that advanced, channel-specific marketers once had.
These days, it’s much more impactful to take a holistic view of multi-channel campaigns than it is to carve out a bit more performance by, say, splitting out an ad group.
In other words, marketers who focus on users and their journey – no matter where that journey happens – are better positioned to succeed than those stuck in a channel silo.
Yes, keeping up with one channel’s updates, betas, and reporting features can be a full-time job.
And specific channel expertise can still be valuable for keeping the whole team informed.
But marketers who aren’t devoting part of their time to gain at least fluency on all relevant channels are throwing up a big red flag.
Dig deeper: How to build a high-performing paid search team
Curiosity with a big dose of skepticism
We all know people who treat access to emerging AI tools like new birthday presents, but there are plenty of cautionary tales that come with eager over-adoption.
Approach each new tool with healthy skepticism – just as you would with “helpful advice” from Google reps – and ask targeted questions to understand how it works.
- What data is it pulling from?
- What model is it built on?
- Is it incorporating all the variables you might encounter in your accounts?
- Does it just look pretty, or is it built on a solid base that will enable all kinds of growth permutations?
One of the things we’re telling clients right now, no matter how impressive a tool looks at first glance, is to avoid long contract commitments.
At the rate AI is evolving, a year-long contract for any tool will probably look like a poor investment in a few months as competitors emerge with better technology, lower pricing, or both.
Experience – but not rigidity
Yes, experience absolutely matters, but it can also lead to stubborn over-reliance on methods and techniques that may now be outdated.
Applicants who demonstrate experience that informs their marketing fundamentals and a willingness to adapt to conditions as they change offer a great combination.
However, I have encountered applicants who have plenty of experience but also resist change when that change diverges from their demonstrated strengths.
In other words, if experience is something you have to un-train, the applicant might not be a good fit for a team with big growth goals.
Dig deeper: 5 undervalued skills to complement PPC management
Clear, empathetic communication
This has always been important, but today it’s also a counter to the flood of bot-produced content and interactions taking over the industry.
Think spammy LinkedIn comments, automated live chats, and AI-generated meeting minutes replacing real, well-taken notes from an actual attendee.
In an agency, the ability to understand and anticipate client needs – from a business perspective and the personal perspective of main client contacts – is fundamental to great partnerships.
I won’t leave it to AI to address those needs with thoughtful, thorough communication and by adapting things like account KPIs to fit changing business scenarios.
The same applies in-house: empathy and strong communication between teammates and managers are essential for building successful, high-functioning teams.
Creativity in a vacuum
Optimization is never easy.
Analytical skills, years of experience, critical thinking, and many other elements go into recognizing opportunities to drive more scale and performance.
But for many people, optimizing an existing campaign is less of a challenge than coming up with something from scratch.
This takes me back to the point about channel specialization.
A candidate with deep paid search experience but little exposure to paid social hasn’t proven they can develop creative concepts.
That skill is absolutely essential on platforms like Meta, TikTok, and even LinkedIn.
Even if you’re at an agency and working with in-house creative resources, you need to be more prescriptive than “come up with ad creative.”
One key to unlocking growth is ideating a variety of themes to test – not just running A/B tests on small elements like background color.
This approach helps you uncover fresh insights into what’s resonating with your ICP.
Dig deeper: 7 power moves to accelerate your PPC career
Wrapping up
Apply the same healthy skepticism to your own hiring decisions.
Thanks to ChatGPT and similar tools, I’m seeing more applicants with experience in engineering prompts for LLMs than actually running ad accounts.
For example, I might get solid work on an interview project like “Document your approach to the following scenario,” only to get blank stares when I ask follow-up questions.
Prompt engineering is valuable, but without foundational marketing skills, adaptability, and creativity, a candidate will struggle to succeed in today’s market.
At this point, I assume AI has a hand in much of the content I review from applicants.
It’s up to the interviewee to prove they have the experience and strategic skills to actually do the job.
We’re not hiring based on what worked yesterday – we’re building a team of marketers ready for what’s next.
In a time of rapid change, those who combine foundational marketing skills with curiosity, creativity, and adaptability won’t just thrive – they’ll help shape the future of the field.
Dig deeper: ChatGPT for PPC: 17 strategic prompts you can use today