News Source: http://www.bruceclay.com
Published: Apr 04, 2008 - 03:05 am
Story Found By: TimDineen 1514 Days ago
Category: SEM
Highlights:
Technical Acumen
Analytical Mindset
Mad Research Skills
A Think Outside The Box-er
Ethics
Optimizable
5 Comments
Comments
I’m just going to add one: Interest.I’ve worked with some capable people who were intelligent and fit the bill otherwise, but didn’t really seem passionate about the subject. I’d consider that a requirement in this industry.
I would also add the ability to re-learn. With SEO and SEM changing so quickly, we often need to come up with new ideas and learn better ways of doing the every-day stuff.
Yes, along those lines, the one thing I think is really missing is the ability to adapt, and *adapt quickly*. You have to be willing to let go of whatever you thought you knew yesterday when something changes today. Not everyone can do that. (Heck, I have a hard time with it myself) But it’s necessary.
another quality would be "plays well with others". as an in-house SEO, you’re going to be working cross-functionally with a *lot* of other groups (C-level execs, engineering, ad operations, etc). you need to be able to educate, build consensus, and present convincing arguments backed up by objective data in order to get your projects prioritized. building strong relationships with other teams is key.
Communicate. No loose cannons on board doing their own thing because it seemed a good idea, without telling anyone else. Such as changing the URL structure for a site! Had that issue last month. :)