As a hiring manager, what do the best demand generation candidates have in common?

For me, the best demand generation candidates are growth-oriented, have customer empathy, and have a strong quantitative bent. For growth-oriented, this means that they likely have some combination of the following: Natural curiosity - What's working/not working? Why? What can I do differently? Self-awareness - What could I/we have done differently?  Drive - A desire to make their numbers, regardless of the circumstances For customer empathy, this means that they understand who the customer is, ...Read More

The best demand gen candidates understand two things deeply: the sales funnel and how to work cross-functionally. You can use tools like Notion to build campaign briefs or use Notion AI to help with content and research, but those things only go so far. What really makes someone stand out is their ability to build campaigns that actually move deals forward. That requires understanding how buyers move through the funnel, and just as importantly, how to partner across sales, product marketing, and ...Read More

The common traits that all of the best demand generation candidates have is a growth mindset and the ability to combine both data/science and creativity in their approach at work. Demand generation requires a growth mindset because you constantly need to test and iterate and use your learnings to make the next idea or next piece of your strategy better for your customers. And with this style of thinking, you need inputs from both data/science but also an excellent gut instinct and a creative app ...Read More

Good DG Managers are able to connect data (i.e. core DG KPIs) with the business, which enables them to focus on the strategy and tactics that drive greater business impact. Good DG Managers are always in testing mode and adjust plans and tactics accordingly. Good DG Managers believe in the value of both branding and performance marketing; and they know how to align them. At its core, as mentioned in another question, good DG managers understand that the decision-making process is not linear, and ...Read More

The best Demand Generation candidates possess a unique blend of strategic thinking, creativity, and executional excellence. They deeply understand the product, messaging, and audience, enabling them to craft compelling go-to-market strategies. Creativity is key—they generate innovative ideas to activate campaigns and drive engagement. I was once tasked with building a campaign for a software product we were selling in the Retail space. To activate this beyond the run of the mill webinar and cont ...Read More

Whenever there is an open position on the Demand Generation team, we go through an exercise to understand the overall technical skill set we want this person to have, and we review the team’s current strengths and weaknesses. We often look for someone who can lift the team up. That being said, when I interview, I find strong candidates have the following qualities: Initiative—They are always trying to push themselves and run programs that do better each time. They have a mindset of constantly pu ...Read More

The best demand generation candidates have curiosity in common. The demand gen space is constantly evolving. If you are not curious, it’s difficult to keep up. How do you stay curious and motivate curiosity? Keep reading, learning and exploring topics of interest. Embody a testing mentality. Develop new skills. If you pair curiosity with trainability, you have gold. It’s not a requirement to have an advanced degree to have a demand gen career. Many of the skills can be developed through free res ...Read More

The best candidates do a few things during the interview process: They answer the question asked, with specificity. Don't stay theoretical in your answers - choose a specific project you worked on and explain that project and what you did in your answer. They ask thoughtful questions. These questions show that they are thinking about the business and the role. It could be anything from current campaigns, to team structure, to average deal sizes and revenue targets. They are humble and willing to ...Read More

The best demand generation candidates have curiosity in common. The demand gen space is constantly evolving. If you are not curious, it’s difficult to keep up. How do you stay curious and motivate curiosity? Keep reading, learning and exploring topics of interest. Embody a testing mentality. Develop new skills. If you pair curiosity with trainability, you have gold. It’s not a requirement to have an advanced degree to have a demand gen career. Many of the skills can be developed through free res ...Read More