Ellie Mirman's Startup Marketing Blog

I got this simple tip from a coworker years ago and, to this day, I still use it. It was the first time I was learning how to run one-on-ones - not because I was managing anyone, rather, I was working so closely with this mentor and friend that we held two-way one-on-ones with each other. This proved to be quite useful as I started to manage direct reports.

There are many ways to evaluate resumes and job applications. Skills, experience, references, career progression. But there's one quality that tops the list. One quality that is a great sign of a quality candidate who can have a positive impact on your marketing team.

The #1 quality of a good Marketing resume? Results.

Unfortunately, there are many resumes that lack this results-orientation. For a hiring manager like myself, that makes for a quick filtering process. But it also hits a nerve, because I know that marketers should be - and are - better than that.

"Choose your non-negotiables." I heard this piece of advice a few times as I was going through my recent job search. I was lucky enough that I had multiple options of companies I could join and I was trying to sort through the different opportunities. As I met with venture capitalists along the way - to get suggestions on companies and other tips - I heard this particular tip on how they think about investing and how I could think about choosing my next role.

There's no perfect opportunity. No perfect role at a perfect company that has the perfect team, perfect market, perfect product. Every opportunity has its winning attributes as well as some things it lacks. The same goes for investments. One startup might have the most experienced and promising team. Another might have a great product with incredible traction and revenue growth. There are a number of different factors by which to evaluate a potential investment.

1. Team - experience, intelligence, passion, industry insight
2. Growth - customers/users, revenue
3. Industry - market size, growing industry, competition
4. Terms - deal (compensation package for the job seeker, investment/valuation for the investor), role (day-to-day responsibilities for the job seeker, board involvement for the investor)

Have a new marketer joining your team? Need to get them up to speed on... everything? Well, here's your list of everything. This is a curriculum I've compiled for my new team members after hiring a dozen or so marketers. This will ensure you don't miss a critical piece to getting your new hire up and running quickly!

Company

1. Tell the founding story and the mission of the company
2. Describe the culture and the employee values
3. Support your descriptions with videos and articles about the mission and culture, along with case studies to showcase customer success
4. Recommend key blog articles that give insight into the industry and common topics

Product

1. Do an in-person or provide a recorded demo of your product - both high-level and deep-dive
2. Provide sample or demo access to your product so that they can explore it themselves

In my seven years at HubSpot, I felt more like an owner than an employee. It might sound a little strange, as I started as a junior marketer and it’s always been clear who the founders and executives are, and I was neither. But I felt like an owner. I was committed like an owner. I thought about HubSpot in my off-hours (if you could even call them that). I worked so passionately that, when one of my projects didn’t get launched, I was legitimately heartbroken.

HubSpot was masterful in establishing this incredible commitment from its employees - remarkable in today’s age of no-bullshit millenials. Looking back, here are the key elements I experienced in making employees feel like owners.

This week marks the start of a new adventure for me. After seven amazing years at HubSpot, I left to start the next phase of my career at Toast, a restaurant management software company.