This week’s hot take: Most hiring processes are broken. Companies focus on the wrong things, overlook the right talent, and end up with marketing teams that don’t actually deliver.

James and I have seen it all - hiring wins, hiring disasters, and those moments when you realise you’ve brought in the wrong person for the job. So, we’re breaking it all down. From writing job descriptions that actually attract the right talent to spotting the key traits that make a marketer thrive in a fast-paced team, we’re sharing our hottest takes.

We talk about why curiosity and initiative matter more than years of experience, the surprising impact of a strong “learning diet,” and why personality can sometimes be just as important as skills in small teams. Plus, the one mistake that almost every startup makes when hiring for marketing (spoiler: they look for the wrong things).

If you’re hiring, thinking about hiring, or just want to know what makes a great marketing team tick, this one’s for you.

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Lottie Unwin founded Up World, Brand Hackers, and Up Talent with a simple goal: helping startups grow. She's learned a thing or two about building brands that people genuinely care about, and now she puts that knowledge to work supporting ambitious startups who want to make their mark. She loves nothing more than seeing brands find their confidence and voice - and she's not afraid to share the real ups and downs of her own journey along the way.

James Hickson heads up Brand Hackers, where he helps make ambitious brands famous. After working with the likes of Innocent Drinks and BrewDog, he fell in love with the world of FMCG startups and never looked back. James is passionate about working with founders who want to shake things up and build brands people can't stop talking about.

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