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How To Hire a Senior SEM Manager

Complete with job descriptions, skill profiles, and interview templates. Use this Senior SEM Manager hiring guide to help you make the right decisions, fast.

Senior SEM Manager Recruitment Guide

What does a Senior SEM Manager do?

A Senior SEM Manager is the lead developer of search engine marketing tests and regularly reports on the impacts and results of search engine marketing programs as well as strategic recommendations that improve the overall SEM performance and results.

The Senior SEM Manager leads and oversees the day-to-day SEM processes for various marketing search engine campaigns and implements new or revised keywords, copy, bid, landing pages, and other related SEM approaches and strategies.

Day to day tasks of a Senior SEM Manager

Skills assessment

Senior SEM Manager definition

A Senior SEM Manager is tasked with the monitoring of SEM campaigns. They perform advanced research and analysis on search performance metrics such as quality score and competitive analyses after which they make recommendations on tracking and data improvements.

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HIRING PROCESS

Senior SEM Manager Hiring Process

Step 1: Understand the role
Step 2: Source Applicants
Step 3: Skills Assessment
Step 4: Interview
Step 5: Hire

Build the Ideal Candidate Profile​

To find the best person for the role, you need to understand what the role involves. You can complete this with the hiring manager to define the role, its contribution, and the skills needed.

Write A Job Description Based On Skills

Once you understand the requirements for the role, you’ll need to understand the skills for success. You can then write an effective job description to promote your role.

Selecting The Ideal Candidate

See which applicants have the right skills for the role. Send all your applicants a Vervoe skills assessment from the expert library, or customize one for your organization.

Interview Top Performers

Your skills assessment results will identify top performers. Focus your time on interviewing those that have met or exceeded your requirements. Assessment results will also help guide which skill areas to focus on in the interview.

Making An Offer

Once you assess your candidates against these skills, you’re ready to offer the top performer(s). You should base your offer on the value that the candidate would bring to your team and your business as a whole. It is also important to ensure your compensation and benefits packages are competitive in the industry and help you attract and retain the top talent.
Build the ideal candidate profile

Skills needed for a Senior SEM Manager

A Senior SEM Manager must be data focussed and understanding running end to end campaigns, utilizing in depth marketing analysis metrics.

Pro Tip

For senior roles, you’re likely to receive a larger number of applications than you would for a junior position. Ensure you provide details about what it’s like to work for your company, and what your company values are so applicants know whether your company is the right fit for them.

WRITE A JOB DESCRIPTION BASED ON SKILLS

How to write a Senior SEM Manager job description

Once you’ve determined the skills required for the role, you can write the job description to advertise for your position. Here’s what to include in your Senior SEM Manager job description:

Job Title: What position are you hiring for?

Summary: What makes your company unique? What would it be like to work for you?

Responsibilities: An overview of the role’s day-to-day activities, and how the position contributes to the organization

Requirements: Skills a candidate must have to perform the job successfully

Benefits: Details of compensation, benefits, and any perks on offer

Pro Tip

In building your candidate profile, remember you’ve already identified what skills are needed to succeed in the role. Here’s where to list your “must-have” skills and maybe a couple of “nice-to-have” skills. For example, a Senior SEM Manager must understand the metrics behind website optimization, and it would be nice to have affiliate marketing experience.

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SELECTING THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

Sample skill tests for a Senior SEM Manager

Create a free account today to access the full assessment and more from our library

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Question 1

SEM

Question Type: Audio

What is SEM’s role in an integrated, multifunctional marketing plan?

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Question 2

Campaign Management

Question Type: Video

Describe a situation where you have used tested and proved hypotheses to recommend performance optimizations.

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Question 3

Marketing Analytics

Question Type: Text

Below are the stats from the previous month and halfway through the current month for a SaaS company that you are working with. What high-level conclusions can you draw from this data, and what would be an achievable number of new customers for the full month?

INTERVIEW TOP PERFORMERS

How to interview a Senior SEM Manager

Once your Vervoe skills assessment has surfaced the most qualified people for your open role, you can focus on interviewing these candidates. The interview should focus on any skills that require development that were highlighted from the skills assessment.

Now you know that candidates can do the job, the interview becomes more of a relationship building exercise where you can get to know the candidate on a more personal level, understand their motivations, and how they would fit in with the team.

Making An Offer

How much does it cost to hire a Senior SEM Manager?

The US average for a Senior SEM Manager according to Indeed amounts to $70,571. According to ZipRecruiter, the majority of Senior SEM Manager salaries currently range between $56,000 (25th percentile) to $82,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $101,000 annually across the US.

Senior SEM Manager Salary United States

Senior SEM Manager salaries in the United States range from $48,933 – $66,754 (USD). SEM Manager salaries in the U.S will vary depending on the location and scope of the role.

Source: Salary.com

Senior SEM Manager Salary United Kingdom

SEM Manager salaries in the United Kingdom range from £27,500 – £80,000 (GBP). SEM Manager salaries in the UK will vary depending on the location and scope of the role.

Senior SEM Manager Salary Australia

SEM Manager salaries in Australia range from $94,000 – $111,000 (AUD). SEM Manager salaries in Australia will vary depending on the location and scope of the role.

Source: Glassdoor