Strong Candidate Skills
So which skills and qualities are required when considered who is capable of the Community Manager role? Those cropping up frequently include resilience, emotional intelligence, soft skills, charisma, independence, leadership skills, curiosity, creativity, crisis management capability, sales and business insight, analytical skills, empathy, strategic planning skills, a holistic vision, fast learner and strong communication skills. Jason identifies the perfect concoction as “a hybrid between an analytical strategist and a capable executor. Some solutions require you to put fires out quickly (sometimes literally!) whilst also being the founder of processes automating future solutions to those same issues.” Community Managers at Nex Coworking portray this combination of skills well as they “keep all the dishes running through their ability to run several distinct processes whilst simultaneously producing a beautiful show”.
Hiring and Benefits
Despite the challenges of the role, it’s one which recruitment experts including Jason recommend to high-potential candidates. “Community Managers effectively become the CEO or COO of the space and its revenue.” However, Jason does point out that the position seems to have a shelf-life, meaning coworking providers are “well-served banking on potential by promoting from within or exploring talent with transferrable skills in areas such as retail, hospitality and the tech ecosystem.” When candidates move into Community Management from different industries, they also benefit from the role in ways they may not have benefitted from previous roles. Kolega states “candidates can grow their own network within the space and draw upon educational resources provided through workshops and events.” This very quickly equips employees with a network of contacts and an educational programme in entrepreneurship which individuals in other professions may take years trying to build.
Moving Forward
The speed at which the coworking Community Management profession has grown has been faster than many other industries. In the words of Diego at Nex Coworking “The job market has evolved exponentially; we’re talking about a profession that probably didn’t exist a few years ago.” To ensure growth of the role continues with improvement, Jason notes it will take a “better understanding of what a Community Manager is in the context of coworking. The role should be clarified on adverts and when engaging candidates through videos and face-to-face tours, allowing immersive insight into the position. Setting expectations from the beginning will go a long way.” Whilst we’ve covered the challenges and benefits of the role, Jazmin at MakeOffices emphasises the importance of the industry being “verbal and outspoken about successes within the field. We're still trying to understand the Community Manager role but by publishing success stories, we encourage recognition.”
Overall, there are more multiple coping mechanisms for avoiding the crisis of Community Management churn. Why not take action today? Grab your Community Managers (from all locations), request feedback, provide empathy, offer some training, consider sabbaticals, distribute side projects, walk the talk and curate strong visions for progression. For anyone new joiners, ensure expectations are set straight from the beginning. And of course, as success stories emerge, do everything you can to promote the profile of Community Managers across coworking spaces globally.
