When hiring a Social Media Strategist, keep in mind that you should be aiming high. Your brand and customer relationships are at stake, and whoever is in charge of your social campaigns can either make or break your image. Skilled strategists are hard to come by, so use this checklist when you are looking for one:

Look for a program manager, not just a social media “wiz kid”

Don’t simply hire a social media “hot shot” because he has 100,000 fans on his Facebook page. Make sure that he has the skills to span your entire company and keep up with future expansions. Your new strategist must have a proven record of projects he has maintained, and not just communities he has built. He must understand the needs of your business and work in line with your development plans. It's important that he not only understands how to build an audience, but how to leverage it appropriately for business purposes.

Record of early adoption of technologies

If the candidate worked for company X as a social media strategist yet only began to use Twitter in 2008, then he is probably not the one you are looking for. You should be looking for pioneers, people who have led daring web initiatives and have embraced new technologies throughout their careers. You need people with a passion for what’s new, because that's a big part of what social  media is about.

Check how they have used social media in the past

Candidates for a Social Media Strategist position should be authoritative, ethical, able to communicate well and show professionalism. Your new strategist should be a leader, not a follower, and guide your community towards your business goals. Do some screening before the interview, look up their profiles on Twitter and Facebook. Read their personal blogs. See what kind of videos they upload on Youtube. Try to build a psychological profile and see if you the candidate would be a good fit with your organization.

Skilled people are expensive, so budget accordingly

If you can only afford to pay 25 dollars an hour then you will likely have trouble finding someone who can do the job properly. If you want quality, you will have to reach deeper into your pocket. Invest in your Social Media Strategist and you will save more in the long run, a poorly implemented social strategy can actually cost your business money. Due (in part) to the nature of his job, your Strategist will be a dynamic person who always seeks ‘new challenges,’ so you’d better not expect him to lurk in a cubicle and wait for retirement. Reward your Strategist when he meets your business goals and offer him opportunities for promotion, development, and challenge or someone else will.

Look for people who are comfortable with taking risks

A Social Strategist should go beyond his comfort level and take chances. Social Media is a highly innovative field where you can’t be on top if you simply follow a set of guidelines. Your new employee should be comfortable with ‘calculated risks’ and also be able to cope with failure.