ADAPTING TO LIFE IN A MAJOR DIGITAL AGENCY

Angela Knibb is the Head of Search at growth specialist and independent search agency, MC&C in London. Whether performance or brand, MC&C combines data insight and strategy to create and execute innovative marketing solutions that drive growth. 

After almost eight years with her previous company, she took on the roles as Head of Search a in August 2018, and our UK Digital Recruitment Director, Ben Wattenbach, caught up to find out how she's adapted to life at the agency:

Ben: Hi Angie, first of all - thanks for catching up with us, we're really pleased you could find the time in your hectic schedule to spare us a quick fire Q&A!

Let's start easy, what's day-to-day life like for the Head of Search at MC&C?

Angela: As with most good roles, my days are always so varied! In general, it starts with the team and making sure they have everything they need to meet various client requirements and deadlines. This often involves preparing and delivering trainings on various industry topics, showing them something new and interesting, or helping solve specific problems. I also use this time to keep on top of the various blogs to know what’s happening in the industry, and any updates we need to be aware of. Then there’s usually client work or presentations to deliver, partner calls and meetings, and new business work. Additionally I’m lucky enough to be able to attend various industry events (which I always try to take some of the team along to), which gives me a broader perspective on the industry, or better insight into upcoming developments. 

Ben: And you've been in the industry a while now, how did you find yourself in Digital Marketing?  

Angela: Same as most people did, I just fell into it! I didn’t study anything particularly relevant to marketing, I did Linguistics and German at Uni and then went travelling for a year, then came back and realised I needed to get a job. I thought Marketing sounded interesting and took a job as a PPC Executive, and 8 years later here I am!

Ben: What is it that inspires you the most about this sector?

Angela: I think it’s the problem solving aspect I find the most inspiring. As an industry, there’s a real feel of ‘there wasn’t an obvious or available solution to this problem, so we made our own’. In a world where the majority of us have access to very similar tools and tech, it’s not about what you use, it’s about how you use it. And that breeds innovation and thinking outside the box from the ground up, and I find that genuinely exciting.

Ben: What do you look for when hiring professionals within Paid Media & Search?

Angela: It does depend on the level, if we’re looking for someone more senior then obviously we look at their experience and past successes. Whether we’re looking for someone more experienced or entry level, there are certain traits that I do need to see. Attitude is very important – someone who will not only do the job, but will put in the time and effort to do the best job they can, including looking at different ways to approach the problem always gets a tick in my book. I often ask about a past mistake or failure at work – I don’t particularly care what the mistake is, we’ve all made them, but I do care if you’ve spotted and rectified it yourself, and what you’ve learned from that. Attention to detail is also key in our industry, so typos or grammatical errors in CVs or presentations pose problems. Finally, personality and team fit are very important. We spend more time with our colleagues than with our loved ones, so being able to have conversations and work with the team is vital.

Ben: What are some trends you have noticed recently in the industry? Anything you think will be changing?

Angela:  Our industry uses a lot of automation and machine learning, it’s ramped up a lot over the past few years and will continue to do so. 

That’s pretty exciting though, as it means we all need to be more strategic, and it’s certainly an area to keep an eye on.

You can connect with Angela Knibb, Head of Search at MC&C on Linkedin here.

Ben Wattenbach is UK Recruitment Director in Adaptive Digital. He recruits for roles across the spectrum of seniority from entry level to Managing Director/C-level.