One of your goals (aka resolutions) for this year should be to hire a full time employee to manage your website.I realize that hiring someone for this type of job will be unusual for a retail jewelry store owner, so let me explain what types of experience and skills someone will need, and how to identify them on a resume.
Here what you should look for once you do decide to hire an employee:
1. They must have a smartphone. It doesn't matter if it's an iPhone or Android, but honestly it shouldn't be a Blackberry. Not only do they need to have one, but they need to already be active with apps on the phone. You don't want them to learn to use a smartphone while they work for you, this is a required skill.
Why is this important? Because your employee needs to test your website and all social accounts from their phone regularly to guarantee that you always look good via mobile. The employee will also need to activate all the social push notifications for your accounts so they can stay on top of social engagements.
How to do ask them: During the initial telephone interview you should casually ask what smartphone they have.
2. They must already have accounts with the following systems: Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest. If they do not have accounts then they are clueless about social networking. Again, there is no room for on the job training for this. They either know it or they don't. On the other hand they will have to learn how to use the Business Page versions of each of these social networks, and that's what you will pay them for.
How to ask them: Just ask them directly. Tell them that you will want to grant them access into your store's social network accounts and you need to make sure they know how to use those systems already.
3. They must know how to take video on their smartphone or with a small, simple video camera. With these videos they will need to upload them to YouTube and set up a video channel for your store. I'm saying this is a "must" because video is a winning strategy for any business. Even if you don't plan on doing video immediately I don't want you to be stuck with an employee that's clueless about video.
How to know if they are qualified: Just ask them directly what video making experience they've had. A candidate might tell you that they've taken video at family events, but you specifically need to know if they have videos on YouTube. You could also look for video editing software listed on their resume, which include Adobe Premiere, Pinnacle Studio, Avid, iMovie, Final Cut, Movie Maker, and many others. They are a good candidate if they know how to use editing software.
4. They need to not be afraid of photography. You will need to supply them with a light box and a dedicated camera to take jewelry photos. They will need on the job training for jewelry photography as well.
How to know if they are qualified: Ask them if they've ever use a camera other than the one on their smartphone, and write down the name of the camera they mention. Then go and look up the details of that camera for details like "digital SLR" or "35mm". Someone with experience with 35mm or SLR cameras will be able to work with jewelry photography; but honestly, any willing person can learn to take jewelry photography in a box.
5. They need to have decent writing skills. If they can't write an essay about a random topic then they will not be qualified to write product descriptions or blog posts for you. Trust me on this, the success or failure of your future website hinges on whether or not you can get a qualified person to write for you.
How to know if they are qualified: When they apply for the job you should first send them some questions via email and have them reply. Here are 3 things I would ask them: Who do you like to spend your free time with? Tell me a little about whatever you are you reading right now. Tell me about your favorite vacation and what made it so memorable.
If their reply is poorly punctuated and badly written, you need to move on to the next applicant. Employees don't need to be professional writers, they just need to be able to express themselves correctly and tell their stories naturally.
6. They need to have a basic understanding of image editing using any type of software. The most popular is Adobe PhotoShop but even Microsoft Paint will work. The basics include cropping and resizing. During the interview you simply need to ask what image editing software they've used. If you don't recognize the program you can write the name down and do a Google search on it after the interview.
I didn't mention anything about web programming or design. This employee is purely for maintenance and updating the website. It would be helpful if they knew a little about HTML programming, but I assume your content management system will remove the need for much technical knowledge.
So there you have it; go write your help wanted ad which states "Seeking employee to manage content on our website and interact with our customers through social networks. Please email your resume to ______." If you want to hide your identity then you should use some other email than your store's email address.
