Marketing Recruitment: What Makes a Good Marketer Move?

In marketing recruitment, ask someone what would make them consider a new role and the first answers are usually predictable: salary, progression, flexibility and title.

All matter. But from the conversations I’m having across the Marketing market, they’re rarely considered in isolation.

More often, candidates are asking: is this genuinely a better move for me?

Reputation carries weight

A strong brand can get attention, but company reputation and word of mouth can outweigh almost everything else.

Candidates talk. They hear which businesses develop people, which managers are good to work for and where the reality doesn’t match the external image.

How people leave matters too. The way someone is treated on their way out, particularly after years of good service, travels.

I’ve seen candidates consider businesses they wouldn’t normally look at because someone they trust has spoken highly of them. Equally, a great role and salary can struggle to overcome a poor reputation.

Employer brand isn’t just what a business says externally. It’s what people who’ve experienced it say when you’re not in the room.

It’s not all about salary

Salary matters, particularly if the increase is significant. But the number can also represent how valued someone feels.

An extra $5k may not change a decision, but an offer below what someone believes their experience is worth can completely change how they feel about an opportunity.

Titles can have a similar influence, particularly for marketers who’ve grown within larger Tier 1 organisations where progression is tied to established structures. Getting that next “Senior” can feel important and occasionally there might be a little LinkedIn ego involved too.

The challenge is that Marketing titles vary enormously. A move that looks sideways on paper can actually mean a larger portfolio, greater commercial responsibility or more senior exposure.

People management is another common motivator but creates a catch-22: many management roles want someone who’s already managed people. Businesses prepared to recognise leadership potential and provide that first opportunity can access a different talent pool.

Give people something to join

Growth. Transformation. Building something. Launching into a new market. Developing a team.

Candidates want to understand why a role matters and what they can become part of beyond simply replacing someone who’s left.

The manager can be equally important. Working for someone who’s “been there and done it”, who they respect, connect with and can learn from, can outweigh salary or title.

The process says a lot

One of the clearest correlations I see in marketing recruitment is between how decisively a business moves with a candidate and that candidate’s level of interest.

When a process loses momentum, doubt creeps in. Candidates compare it with other opportunities and their current employer. When a business moves quickly and communicates clearly, they feel wanted.

Fairly or not, the hiring process is also one of the few examples a candidate has of how the business operates internally. How are decisions made? Are people aligned? Is communication clear?

Speed doesn’t mean rushing a hire. It’s about maintaining momentum and making people feel valued throughout the process.

Flexibility is really about trust

I’m hearing less fixation on exactly two or three days at home and more about whether a business genuinely accommodates life outside work – whether that’s children, further education, caring responsibilities, pets or sport.

I recently saw a great candidate choose an opportunity partly because the business supported their further education. It was a small accommodation that made a big difference.

That’s genuine flexibility to me: not a prescribed number of WFH days, but trust that someone can manage their commitments and still get the job done.

Ultimately, it’s about feeling valued

Ultimately, there isn’t one thing that makes someone move. But there is a common thread: people want to feel valued and like they’re moving towards something worthwhile.

For businesses, understanding what that means to the individual you’re trying to hire can make all the difference.

For candidates, it’s worth looking beyond salary and title and considering where you’ll be valued, challenged and given room to grow.