Mark Ramsey is a “media strategist, researcher and trend-maker.” What we used to call a consultant. Here’s part of his answer to the question: “what qualifications should we be looking for in talent, programming, and sales that are different from today’s conventional qualifications?”

For talent, nothing else will be more important than that talent’s skill and engagement with social media and digital platforms.

Here’s some questions he’d ask before hiring:

• How big is your personal audience, the one you have direct relationships with, as measured by social media?
• How many Twitter followers do you have?
• How big is your Facebook fan page, and how strong is your engagement?
• How many Instagram followers and likes do you have?
• How many YouTube subscribers and total views do you have?
• Do you have a website for your own brand?
• How big is your brand’s personal email list? How often do you send out email? What do you send?
• What podcasts do you produce? How much listenership do they receive? How many podcast subscribers do you have?

“In other words, to what degree do you – the talent – take responsibility for building your own personal brand? And how can you demonstrate the power of that brand to me?”

I think he’s right. As I’ve watch social media grow and evolve I’ve wondered how I would have fared in this new media environment. Glad I didn’t miss the “spinning records” era.