Editor’s Note:
As part of the hiring process, candidates interested in roles within the Technical SEO department will interview with members of our tech team. To ease the process, we want to introduce you to some of these driven, friendly, and welcoming individuals. Members of our Tech SEO hiring committee have years of SEO and leadership experience, and are typically the managers and senior staff that you will be working with daily. Read on to learn a little bit more about who they are and their advice for interviewing at Terakeet.
Meet the Tech SEO hiring team
Caitie Lyden, Senior Director of Technical SEO
Caitie has worked at Terakeet for 6.5 years. She first entered the company as a Web Analytics Specialist, but was interested in developing more SEO knowledge. Later, when the web analytics team merged with the technical team, she became an SEO Analyst. Over time, Caitie has held several leadership positions within the tech SEO team including SEO Manager and SEO Director. Today she is the Senior Director of SEO where she oversees the SEO department to ensure the team is supported in terms of career development and client delivery.
Bryan Conte, Director of Technical SEO
“I have worked at Terakeet for eight years as of May 2022. I started in an entry-level role in the outreach department.
After about 4 years I transitioned into the technical SEO department. I’m in my eighth role since starting at Terakeet, and am currently the Director of Technical SEO.”
Andrew Hagemann, SEO Director
“I’ve been with Terakeet for two-ish years. I started as an SEO Director where I worked on enterprise growth accounts.
Recently I’ve switched roles to focus on internal projects in partnership with our product, business intelligence, sales, and SEO teams.”
Alex Fuss, SEO Manager
Alex has been at Terakeet for a little over two years. Before joining Terakeet, he worked as an SEO Manager in multiple previous roles.
What is one thing you want candidates to know about working at Terakeet?
“Terakeet has always been a company that adapts to the industry and client base that we work in. SEO in its nature is always evolving and we are a company that evolves with it to cater to the needs of the business. Naturally, that means being comfortable with change and your day-to-day being different is necessary with the work that we do.”
–Caitie Lyden
“Organic acquisition is all we do and I think that’s really freakin’ cool. Having a 400+ person company where everyone is capable (and willing) to nerd out over dorky SEO stuff is a privilege.”
–Andrew Hagemann
“How great and smart the people are. I love being surrounded by people who challenge me to be better every day.”
–Bryan Conte
“I can’t say enough good things about my time here so far. The environment is both welcoming and fosters innovation by giving all employees a voice. I feel I am constantly challenged here and am closer to mastering my craft each day.”
–Alex Fuss
What advice would you give someone who wants to grow their career in the SEO field?
“You’ll get out what you put in — focus on your strengths. Some of the key areas that people need to succeed in this field are: excellent verbal and written communication skills, accountability, self-starter mindset, and an investigative personality.”
–Bryan Conte
“The best advice I can give someone looking to explore a career in either SEO strategy or the more technical side to SEO is to have a natural curiosity to understanding the “why” behind how things work. There are plenty of resources online that are available and training certification programs that are offered to understand what SEO is, why Google values the things it does, and how to measure the work that SEOs do. Dig into those resources to help set your foundational knowledge of SEO.”
–Caitie Lyden
“Early in your career focus on developing hard/technical skills. Tools, auditing, understanding how search engines work, etc. As you advance place an increased emphasis on softer skills like client management, negotiation, and strategic decision making. Anyone can know how to identify what’s wrong with a website. The hard part is putting together a plan and getting it implemented.”
–Andrew Hagemann
“Stay in constant motion. This is an ever-changing world and in order to keep up, you have to adapt to the ebb and flow while always having a willingness to learn.”
–Alex Fuss
What advice do you have for someone preparing to interview at Terakeet?
“This might be cliche but (1) be yourself, and (2) be prepared to speak to examples of your past work, the things you’re most proud of, and the results you helped achieve.”
–Bryan Conte
“Come as you are. We’re a welcoming group and if you want to talk and or learn more about SEO we’re happy to have you.”
–Alex Fuss
“If you are in the interviewing process, my best recommendation is to emphasize your skills and speak to projects you have completed in the past that aligns in a similar format for the role you’re applying for. If you love to geek out in spreadsheets (as we all do on the SEO team) and like to get crazy with formulas to make what could be a lengthy analysis deep dive to a quick few-minute review, we want to hear about it! If you have strong attention to detail and really want to emphasize that by curating a presentation, go for it!
Everyone has a different starting point in SEO, so it’s ok to speak to what you have navigated in your career but what you also have not so that we know where we can fill those gaps.”
–Caitie Lyden
“It’s okay not to know everything about SEO or have an answer for every question. We want people who are continuous learners, can solve problems and work together as a team!”
–Andrew Hagemann
What would you say to someone thinking about applying to Terakeet?
“If you are thinking about applying to Terakeet but are unsure if you have the qualifications for a position, go forward with it and give it a chance. Our SEO department has some of the brightest individuals I’ve worked with that all have such unique backgrounds and varying starting points with SEO. Some folks have worked in SEO for a decade while others are just a year into working in SEO and it naturally clicks with them.”
–Caitie Lyden
“Apply! What do you have to lose? We’re a friendly bunch of folks I swear.”
–Andrew Hagemann
To learn more about what career opportunities are currently available, visit our openings page.