10 Sample Marketing Job Interview Questions & Answers From HubSpot's CMO

November 09, 2015 at 02:00PM

Alright, everyone: I'm about to let you in on a few of my best-kept interviewing secrets. In this post, I'll uncover the questions I use when interviewing candidates for inbound marketing positions.

These questions are meant to assess candidates not only for their marketing talent, but also for who they are as people.

Keep in mind that the best candidates aren't just qualified to do the job you're trying to hire them for. You want to look for people who are also passionate about marketing, fit with your culture, and show potential for growth at your company. 

Here's a quick look into my interview approach, followed by some of my best interview questions for you to adapt for your industry and hiring needs.

Get more interviewing and screening tips for building your marketing team by downloading our free guide here.

My Interview Approach

During interviews, I put a lot of stake into each candidate as an individual. My goal is always to find someone amazing who also has great long-term potential, no matter where they are in their career.

To uncover this, I like to ask questions that get at the core of who they are, how they think about things specifically, and how they've gotten things done in the real world. I then balance these questions with case-style questions, which usually involve a hypothetical business situation, because they give the candidate an opportunity to show how they think about and work on problems.

Below are ten real interview questions I ask candidates for marketing jobs. Keep in mind that I don’t ask all of these questions during a single interview. In fact, one case-style question can evolve into a discussion lasting anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, so I often only have time to cover two or three questions during one session.

Before the interview starts, carefully choose the questions you want to use based on the person's role and background. For an inbound marketing generalist, you could ask any or all of these questions. For someone with a more specific role on a larger inbound marketing team, like a blogger, you could focus only on the questions about blogging and content creation.

10 Real Interview Questions I Ask Marketing Job Candidates (And the Answers I'm Looking For)

Case-Style Questions

1) "Draw a funnel on the whiteboard showing 10,000 visitors, 500 leads, 50 opportunities, and 10 new customers (or any other numbers you think are interesting). Now, pretend you're the CMO for the company, and you have to decide what your marketing team should do to improve on these metrics. Which areas of the funnel would you focus on, and what would you do differently to change these results?"

The Follow-Up: The follow-up here is simply pushing on the candidate's answers. Typically, they'll pick one part of the funnel to focus on. (And if they don't, I like to push them to do just that.)

Once they pick one area, I ask them follow-up questions like: "Which tactics would you think about changing?," "What have you done in your past role that's worked?," "Do you think our company has any unique advantages to get some leverage out of that stage of the funnel?" I don’t just want them to tell me to "improve the visitor to lead conversion rate" -- they need to tell me how.

If I have time, I'll tell them to pretend they've implemented their ideas, and I'll ask them to go back through the whole funnel and explain how they think each of those initial metrics have changed.

What to Look For: Everyone on the marketing team needs to be able to understand how to think about and optimize the funnel. Here's where you assess their thought process, whether they have an intuitive sense of what good and bad conversion rates are, and whether they understand how the funnel steps are connected.

You'll also gain some insight into whether they understand which different tactics you can use at each step to improve that particular step. (For example, if they say the lead-to-opportunity conversion rate is bad, the right answer is not to write more blog articles.)

2) "We have two potential designs for the homepage of our website, but we don’t know which one to use. The CEO likes one, and the COO likes another. Half the company likes one, and the other half of the company likes the other. Which one should we use?"

The Follow-Up: This type of question should elicit a ton of questions from the candidate, like who the target audience for the homepage is. If it doesn't, then they're either making up their answer or don't have enough knowledge to address the situation. Follow up by answering their questions with hypotheticals and seeing how they work through the problem.

If they do pick one side or the other and give you a reason, ask them what the goals are for the homepage. Then, ask them how they'd determine which homepage meets those goals best. From there, tell them that Homepage A performed well based on one of the criteria, and Homepage B performed well based on another one of the criteria. This way, you can assess how they make choices when it's not possible to get data that's 100% conclusive, and they have to choose between two, imperfect variations.

What to Look For: While it might seem like this question is all about design, what you're really doing is understanding how candidates approach a conflict of interest. Do they care what each of these people think, or do they go to the data for their answers, such as through A/B testing, user testing, and customer interviews. The best candidates introduce logic and marketing methodology into their answers, while removing opinions. I also like when candidates say you should be constantly tweaking and improving the homepage, rather than always doing a complete redesign every nine or 18 months.

3) "Let's say you have an Excel spreadsheet with 10,000 leads from a few months back -- long enough that those leads' sales cycle has passed. The file contains information about each lead, like their industry, title, company size, and what they did to become a lead (like downloading an ebook). Also in the file is whether they closed as a customer and how much their order was for. Can you use this information to create a lead score? How would you do it?"

Note: I often start this question by simply asking, “How should you create a lead score?” This is how I sort out the people who don't take a data-driven approach. Folks who answer, “You create a lead score by talking to the sales team and then assigning five or ten points to each of the criteria they say they want” are actually wrong. That is not a data-driven approach to lead scoring, and it is way too simplistic to work effectively in most cases.

The Follow-Up: Most people will answer by talking about "looking at the data" and "sorting the data." Push them to tell you how they'd do that in Excel (or another program if they prefer something else). It's not practical to just "look" at the data when you have 10,000 rows -- you need to use statistical analysis. 

They also might zone in on one factor, perhaps industry, all alone. If they do that, you should ask them what they would say if the small companies in one industry are good leads, but the big companies in another industry are also good leads? Basically, just keep pushing them until they're at a loss for what to do next.

What to Look For: This case-style question is meant to test a candidate's quantitative abilities, and I'd only ask it for people applying for certain marketing roles (like operations). Here, I'm trying to figure out how the candidate thinks about analyzing data and what their sophistication level is around data.

Most people don't get very far and are either unwilling or unable to look at more than one variable at a time, or understand how to analyze a lot of data in a simple way. At a minimum, you want to find candidates who:

• Look at the leads who closed in one group and compare them to the leads who did not close
• Look at multiple variables at a time
• Use statistical functions in Excel or another program to do that, like summary tables, pivot tables, and so on

If you find someone who starts making a coherent argument about why you might want to use logistic regression, factor or cluster analysis, actuarial science, or stochastic modeling to figure this out ... refer them to me.

Additional Questions

4) "Why do you love marketing?"

Or, "Which aspects of our business are you passionate about?" You want to hire someone who's both qualified and has the desire to do the work. Otherwise, why would they work for you instead of the company next door?

Part of their answer will lie in their body language and enthusiasm. The other part will lie in how concrete their answer is. Get at the details by asking a follow-up question, like: "Let's say you're at home, kicking around, and doing something related to marketing. What is it that you're doing?" Perhaps they're reading their five favorite marketing sites, or analyzing traffic patterns of websites for fun, or writing in their personal blog, or optimizing their LinkedIn profile. Whatever it is, you want to be sure they're deeply passionate about the subject matter you'd hire them for.

5) "We have a new product coming out in three months. What would you do to launch it?"

This'll show you how well a candidate understands all the different tactics of inbound marketing and how to tie them together into a holistic plan. It'll also give you insight into how creative they are and whether they can come up with new and interesting ways to do marketing.

6) "Our CEO wants you to evaluate our blog. What would you say?"

Before giving you an answer, the best candidates will come back and ask you about the blog's metrics, how many leads and customers it generates, what the goals are for it, how much you're investing in it, and so on. This is also a great way to test whether they actually prepared for the interview by reading your blog.

7) "What do you read, and how do you consume information?"

Marketing is changing constantly at a rapid pace -- so anyone in a marketing role needs to know how to stay on top of and adapt to these changes. Do they know where to look for industry news? Are they familiar with and subscribed to top marketing blogs? What do they do when they see a change has taken place, like when Google updates their algorithm?

8) "What is one of your hobbies? How do you do it?"

This question will help you assess a candidate's ability to explain a concept they know intimately to someone who isn't as familiar with it. If their hobby is training for a marathon, ask them what advice they'd give you if you woke up one day deciding you wanted to train for a marathon. Are they able to communicate it clearly?

One candidate taught me how to make tagliatelle, which is hand-cut Italian pasta. She gave me the full run-down on how you make the noodles, how you form them and cut them, and which ingredients go into the sauce. She relayed the step-by-step process to me in a way that was very clear and understandable. I felt like I could've gone home and made tagliatelle myself. Not only did this tell me she knows how to convey information clearly, but it was also gave me insight into her personality and interests.

9) "Between videos, ebooks, blog articles, photos, podcasts, webinars, SlideShare, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest ... there's a lot of potential content our team should produce for inbound marketing. How do we do it all?"

The wisest candidates know you should not do it all, but rather, you should start with the content that's most important to your prospects and customers. They should also have a plan for talking to customers and prospects by way of interviews or surveys to figure out which social networks they use and which types of content they prefer.

10) "Let’s pretend we have very convincing data that shows none of our potential customers use social media. Should we still do it? Why?"

Look for candidates who understand that being successful in social media is important even if your customers aren't there today. Here are a few reasons qualified candidates might cite:

• Your customers will be there in the future, so you should get started now.
• You'll gain industry clout. After all, journalists and influencers in your industry are probably using social media -- and it's important for them to follow you even if they don't ever become customers.
• Social media activity impacts your organic search presence, helping your content rank higher in search engines.
• You'll have more control over your online presence.
• Your competitors are likely using social media.
• It may cost less to generate customers via social media.

The Candidate's Follow-Up

Most candidates know to follow up with each of their interviewers in the form of a thank-you note or email. But part of my assessment is the depth at which candidates follow up with me. The most impressive follow-ups are the thoughtful ones, where candidates call upon details of our discussion to show they're really engaged in the interview process. Perhaps they did more concrete thinking about a specific question I asked, and they send a long email including research on a question they don't think they nailed. Many times, they'll send me a light strategy document with ideas and/or research on something we talked about. These candidates tend to stand out.

Well, the cat's out of the bag. You'll have to use these marketing interview questions as a basis to create your own, similar questions that are relevant to your industry and hiring needs. Good luck, and happy hiring!

What are you favorite questions to ask during the interview process? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

 

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What Successful Business Leaders Eat for Breakfast [Infographic]

November 09, 2015 at 12:00PM

Picture this: You're running late for work, your hair is a mess, and you're convinced that your car keys actually grew legs and wandered off without you. Do you stop everything and grab some breakfast?

Approximately 31 million Americans -- that's nearly 10% of the population -- are guilty of skipping their morning meal. The trouble with that is hunger can prompt us to feel more emotional, which often manifests as stress or anxiety, according to appetite behavior expert, Paul Currie. Not a good look.

While we'd argue that it's a good idea to grab a bite to eat in the morning, you don't have to just take our word for it. Read through the infographic below from Make It Cheaper on the breakfast habits of seven successful business leaders -- from the head of BirchBox Man to the Facebook CEO himself. (And check out this infographic on foods that impact your productivity for even more tips.)

What does your morning routine look like? Let us know in the comment section below.

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How to Reduce Employee Turnover: 5 Tips for Keeping Your Best Talent

November 08, 2015 at 02:00PM

This post originally appeared on Agency Post. To read more content like this, subscribe to Agency Post.

High staff turnover can be a problem for any company. Teams typically rely on each and every member to keep things moving forward, so when someone leaves, it can often disrupt progress.

Not to mention, you've invested time, energy, and money in recruiting and training. When someone leaves, you need to repeat the process. 

Retaining employees -- like retaining clients and customers -- is one of the best ways to keep your team on track towards their goals. So how do you create an environment that makes people want to stay? How to you keep your best talent?

We've detailed five tips for creating more loyal employees to help your business avoid turnover. 

5 Tips for Creating Loyal Employees

Staff Loyalty Tip 1: Improve Your Benefits Package

Not every company can compete on salary alone. But the truth is that there are many benefits above and beyond money that make your team feel valued and happy.

Some of the benefits you can offer include:

• Flexible work hours, such as enabling staff to start or finish at different times to fit their schedule.
• Remote working options so that members of your team can stay home with a sick child or skip the commute a few days a week.
• A shorter work day or half-days in the summer. 
• Fancy coffee, smoothies, and other snacks to keep the energy levels up.
• Extra vacation days so your team can come back to work refreshed and reinvigorated.
• Quality equipment and furnishings. Creatives love to work on nice computers and ergonomic chairs. Spare no expense when it comes to the right gear.
• Initiatives that align with staff values. One of my friends works at a PR firm that has a zero-waste policy. They make a huge deal out of being environmentally aware. This is an important perk for her as someone who is conscious about this cause.

Staff Loyalty Tip 2: Create a Staff Onboarding Program

One of the reasons many people look for greener pastures is because they don’t feel invested in the company they’re working for. They don’t understand their role in the overarching company goals.

The good news is that changing this mindset is easy, but it should be done as soon as the new team member starts at the office. Part of your recruitment policy should focus on how to bring a new employee into the organization so they feel included and invested in the success of your agency from the beginning.

When a new hire joins your team, you should:

• Have a formal welcome meeting so he or she can be introduced to the team.
• Send an information pack containing important details for staff, such as instructions for the photocopier, alarm, expenses, etc.
• Give a presentation or workshop about the history, goals, and strategic direction of the agency. Ideally, this should be done by the owner or CEO. 
• Plan an informal get-together. A welcome outing or lunch can help someone to build connections with other members of the team
• Pair the employee up with a buddy or mentor who can teach them the ins and outs of life in your office.

Staff Loyalty Tip 3: Provide Opportunities to Grow and Learn

A huge part of growing is being able to take ownership of projects and improve your skills and abilities in other areas so you can stretch the boundaries of what you’re capable of. To keep talent, you have to keep them engaged and interested. 

Consider what type of learning opportunities you can provide at your firm. This could include:

• Funds to attend conferences
• Workshops on different aspects within their discipline
• Time to attend free or inexpensive local events and networking opportunities
• Time to attend webinars and online learnings about different subjects
• Time to work on fun and challenging in-house projects
• Opportunities to take ownership of projects and leadership roles within the team
• Understanding of company strategic objectives and the opportunity for people to take an active role in figuring out how to achieve them.

Staff Loyalty Tip 4: Allow People to Build Their Personal Brands

This quip of advice is especially true of creative talent like designers and developers. Many creatives have their own vision of how they want their personal brand to evolve. If they don’t feel as though they’re getting enough of the type of work they want, they’re going to look for new opportunities.

You want to ensure that they are being assignment projects that provide them with room to grow and exerpiment. You can also facilitate this by:

• Allowing your team members to take credit for work when possible (for example, a written bio at the bottom of a blog post).
• Inspiring staff to take ownership of projects that are a particularly good fit for their skills.
• Avoiding micromanagement. Offer your advice on critical aspects of the design, but let your team take the reins and become the stars.
• Talking to each team member individually about their goals and future plans as a designer, writer, etc., and help them initiate projects to move them closer to their goals.
• Enabling team members to include pieces in their portfolio, as well as share work they’ve produced on sites such as Behance and Dribbble. 

Staff Loyalty Tip 5: Reward Hard Work

Rewards aren’t so much about the gift itself, but rather about the recognition of a job well done. Everyone likes to feel appreciated and to know their contribution matters. So what kind of rewards could you grant even on a small budget?

• Take the team out for a lunch or host an afternoon get-together after completing a complex project.
• Acknowledge hard work in front of the rest of the team, so they can see that you stand behind their efforts.
• Start each meeting with some reflection on great work done in the past month.
• Make sure employees have one-on-one time with managers each month to discuss goals, strategies, and progress. Ensure this time is positive. Focus on what is working and what has been successful.
• Frame feedback and criticism in a constructive way. Don’t allow people to feel as if they’re being “ganged up” on.

Keeping your talented team members is about more than paying them a competitive salary -- though that definitely helps. Your people want to be creatively stimulated, nurtured, and above all, appreciated. How you do that is up to you, but what’s most important is that you provide the tools and direction for your team to find satisfaction in their positions.

What policies do you have in place at your company to help with retention?

 

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Mastering Medium: How Today's Hottest Publishing Platform Rewards Quality Content & Conversation [Podcast]

November 08, 2015 at 12:00PM

It's not easy to get your company noticed these days. Attention spans are shorter, and companies are publishing more content than ever before.

So what should companies be doing to rise above the deluge of content online? 

The folks at Medium think they've found the answer. Part platform and part publisher, the company's out to change the way people create and discover content on the web.

This week on The Growth Show, we chat with Sophie Moura, head of B2B partnerships at Medium, to get tips for building a content strategy on the platform. Some episode highlights include:

• Why quality stories and comments are key to Medium's success
• Why businesses should consider Medium as a distribution channel
• Tactical tips for getting noticed on Medium

Click the play button below to listen to this episode in your browser, or subscribe on iTunes to download episodes directly to your phone:

Check out the latest recaps of The Growth Show episodes by clicking here.

Image credit: Medium

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13 Habits of Incredibly Curious People (And Why It Matters In Business)

November 07, 2015 at 02:00PM

This post originally appeared on HubSpot's Sales Blog. To read more content like this, subscribe to Sales.

Do you actively express interest in wanting to know more about something? Are you constantly testing your campaigns to uncover trends and patterns? Do you find yourself asking a lot of questions?

People that are curious by nature tend to fall into this category. And they're often the kind of person you want on your team, representing your company, and building out your brand. Why? Because they work hard, they learn, become more efficient, and ultimately solve problems -- both for themselves and for the customer.

Are you curious to discover just how curious you are? We've explained 13 habits of curious people, and why they matter in business.  

13 Habits of Incredibly Curious People

1) They love to learn.

Curious people tend to be avid learners. In the professional world, learning from what worked and what didn’t in a variety of scenarios is important to continuously refining your process. Whether it’s the blog title they choose, the email subject line they employ, or the time in which they publish your social media posts, curious people want to experiment, learn, and optimize.

As LifeHacker points out, being curious means having an active mind. You’re not satisfied until you learn all you can about your process, and have the requisite data to start doubling down on what works and forgetting about what doesn’t.

2) They live to solve problems.

Every potential customer has a need. When they begin to research a product or service, they’re doing it because they want to improve on something. If you’re curious, you love this: You want to know their goals, how they plan to get there, and how you can help.

It’s a sign you’re curious if you think about a customer’s success as if it was your own. How do you get them to where they want to be? What resources can you create to make their lives easier?

3) Questions don’t scare them.

Curious people embrace questions. When approaching someone new, they aren’t afraid to ask questions and solicit feedback that they think will make them better. If you can learn from it, you’ll embrace that initial awkward moment and take in the information.

After some practice, these people become familiar with the unfamiliar. And this is a huge advantage for anyone in any business setting, as unfamiliar moments are the rule, not the exception.

4) They'll talk about anything.

Studies have proven time and time again that maintaining a healthy level of curiosity about different viewpoints enables people to more easily form and maintain social relationships. According to Ben Dean, Ph.D, curious folks are often above-average listeners and conversationalists.

Being a great listener and conversationalist goes a long way. Curious people focus on the person they’re connecting with, and talk about what they’re interested in, struggling with, and aspiring to.

5) Virtually nothing bores them.

Curious people are always investigating something new and as a result are constantly building knowledge. No matter the situation, they can find something interesting to explore.

Curious people tend to maintain high activity levels and discover interesting facts about their industry. While others are procrastinating or pumping out the same old content, these people are reading books, and learning new methodologies.

6) They question everything.

Why should we settle? In this HBR article, Warren Berger encourages company leaders to create a culture where every practice is questioned. He emphasizes the importance of questions in order for a company to “innovate, adapt to change, and maintain an edge in fast-moving, competitive markets.”

Curious folks aren’t afraid to question old tactics, and this helps them continuously optimize their practices, messaging, and habits.

7) They don’t mind extra hours.

Curious people want to figure stuff out. When something piques their interest, they stick around until they discover more about the issue, or get to the bottom of the problem. And if the resolution won’t be uncovered for an hour or two after 5 p.m. rolls around, curious people settle in for the long haul. 

8) They're self-motivated.

Being consistently interested in new things means you’re self-motivated to put in the time and effort to learn. You don’t need anyone to tell you that you have to do something; instead, you’re focused on doing it because you want to. Being curious and self-motivated also means you don’t get down when something goes wrong -- instead, you’re all the more motivated to solve the problem.

9) They keep it positive.

Believe it or not, curious people tend to be more positive than their less-curious counterparts. While others can be set back by rejection, they take it in stride. They aim to discover what went wrong or what they could improve on, and then take action. 

10) They're naturally empathetic.

As Greater Good points out, empathy and curiosity are linked. The more empathetic you are, the more curious you’re likely to be.  

In a business setting, empathy helps you connect with you audience in a real and authentic way. An empathetic person can instantly step into anyone’s shoes and identify with their pain points.

11) They love to achieve.

While most folks are afraid of what lies ahead, Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer found that curious people anxiously await their opportunity to move forward. When others become satisfied with their position, curious people continue to boldly move forward and take the next step. It goes without saying that an achievement attitude is essential in the professional world, where reps are held to quotas as well as other concrete metrics.

12) They're creative.

Creativity and curiosity have been linked in several studies. The Huffington Post noted that creative people are "insatiably curious.” Instead of zoning out, curious people observe and look at things differently. In business, they are the ones who experiment with new techniques and think of different ways to cater to their audience, often winning the attention of potential customers as a result. 

13) They stay in the moment.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, curious people are present and stay in the moment. As studies have shown, thinking about several things at once can negatively affect your learning. Multitasking creates an inability to be fully present and take in everything that is happening in front of you. On the other hand, because curious people are so interested in what they’re doing, they find it easier to be present and focused.

How curious are you? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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How to Market to Goldfish: What Decreasing Attention Spans Mean for Marketers [Infographic]

November 06, 2015 at 06:00PM

We're easily distracted these days. For instance, did you know that the average person picks up their phone more than 1500 times a week? And that 95% of ... oh look, a cat! 

Holding concentration in the digital world is difficult. In fact, it's gotten so bad that our attention spans have, on average, shrunk to 8.25 seconds -- that's shorter than a goldfish.

And if you're struggling to keep people on your site then you're not alone. Typically a person will leave a web page in just 10-20 seconds -- which isn’t a very long time to convince them that they should be using your services.

So when it comes to marketing to your audience, how do you capture their attention long enough to take notice of you? Take a look a look at this infographic from Wyzowl to discover the facts about the shortening human attention span and what marketers can do about it.

How do you hold your audience's attention? Let us know in the comment section below.

 

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Job Expectations Around the World: What Do People Care About Most? [New Data]

November 06, 2015 at 02:00PM

Companies are always looking for ways to hire exceptional employees. In fact, finding and hiring top talent was one of the top challenges marketers reported in 2015.

But what do job seekers actually look for in a new company? How concerned are they about the culture at your company, or how much they're paid, or whether they're working in a particular industry? And how do these priorities differ depending on where you are in the world?

To help answer these questions, we pulled some data from our 2015 State of Inbound report, which comprises research we collected from 4,000 marketers and salespeople around the globe.

Specifically, we asked these folks to rate the following priorities, in order of importance: culture, compensation, work-life balance, quality of sales leadership team, company performance, industry, perks (like tuition, child care, and so on), colleagues/team, and opportunities for growth.

Turns out, it isn't all about the ping pong tables. Here's what we found.

What Do People Around the World Consider When Looking For a New Job?

According to our research, in every region of the world, people are primarily looking for opportunities for growth when they look for new jobs.

We also found that, in every region of the world, employee perks like tuition, childcare, and so on were at the bottom of the priority list.

Image Credit: The 2015 State of Inbound Report

Here are our results broken down into more detail, by region:

In Australia and New Zealand (ANZ): Most people (27%) prioritize opportunities for growth, followed by company culture and work-life balance, which tied for second place (21% each). There's a significant drop-off after that, with compensation in third place (9%), then industry (8%), and company performance (7%). Folks in Australia and New Zealand are least focused on employee perks (1%). 

In Asia-Pacific (APAC): Most people (29%) prioritize opportunities for growth. Their next priorities are culture and compensation (both 15%), followed closely by work-life balance (14%) and then company performance and industry (10% each). People in Asia-Pacific are least focused on employee perks (1%) and the quality of the sales leadership team (2%).

In Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA): Most people (29%) prioritize opportunities for growth, followed by work-life balance (20%), culture (15%), and then compensation (13%). Respondents in this region are least focused on employee perks (1%) and the quality of the sales leadership team (3%).

In Latin America (LATAM): More people in Latin America prioritize opportunities for growth (31%) than anywhere else in the world. Work-life balance takes second place in this region (21%). After that, there's a significant drop-off to compensation (11%), and then culture and company performance (10% each). Folks in this region are least focused on employee perks (3%) and their colleagues and teammates (3%).

In North America (NORTHAM): People in North America prioritize opportunities for growth less than in other regions of the world, and these growth opportunities are tied for first place with company culture (20% each). Not far behind is compensation (18%), followed closely by work-life balance (16%). Marketers and salespeople in this region are least focused on employee perks (1%).

Key Takeaways

1) Prioritize employee growth.

A huge takeaway here is that no matter where you are in the world, if you want to hire top talent, you must invest in opportunities for your employees to grow.

In fact, according to a LinkedIn survey of 7,350 members across five countries, the #1 reason workers quit their job was because they sought greater opportunities for advancement. The best job candidates are attracted to companies that give them room to grow, develop their skills, and move up in the organization -- and if your company doesn't offer opportunities for them to do that internally, then they're going to look elsewhere.

But we know that many employers find it challenging to balance employee development and growth with more immediate concerns, like making deadlines and focusing on direct revenue producers. Luckily, Harvard Business Review found that the vast majority (as much as 90%) of learning and development takes place on the job, rather than in formal training programs. This means continuously giving employees new challenges, developmental feedback, and mentoring. It also might mean investing in management training, as "employees' direct managers are often their most important developers," according to HBR.

2) Build a thriving culture.

Another takeaway? It's important to build a thriving culture and allow your employees a reasonable work-life balance. Both priorities took one of the top three spots for most regions of the world, especially Australia, New Zealand, North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Why is there such an emphasis on culture nowadays? As HubSpot's co-founder and CTO Dharhmesh Shah explained in a LinkedIn article, product is to marketing as culture is to recruiting. "Just like attracting customers is much easier with a great product, attracting amazing people is much easier with a great culture," he wrote.

Additionally, a well-defined culture helps you avoid hiring people that end up being bad fits -- which can have a corrosive impact on your organization, even long after they're gone.

3) Allow flexibility in the workplace.

As for work-life balance? Well, it tends to mean different things in different areas of the world. For some, great work-life balance is France's labor law that requires folks to disconnect from work emails and calls after-hours. For others, it's Denmark's notable initiatives for paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child. And, of course, there's always the argument over who has the most vacation days. (Turns out the winners include Austria, Portugal, Germany, Spain, and New Zealand.)  

At the end of the day, though, it's all about offering flexibility in the workplace. "Flexibility . . . and being able to balance work activities with non-work activities can end up making employees more productive," wrote HubSpot's Erik Devaney in his blog post on work-life balance. "And that’s good for business."

4) Focus less on perks.

Finally, while tuition money, gym memberships, and catered lunches are all fun benefits to offer employees, they aren't the reasons candidates choose to work where they work. In fact, it's the least of their concerns when looking for a new job, regardless of where they live. While perks tend to get hyped up in the media, it's more important to focus on the specific things folks in your region of the world are looking for when they seek out new job opportunities.

What do you think about these findings? How do they reflect or differ from your own experiences? Share with us in the comments.

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