Throughout the recruiting and hiring processes, both planning and execution are required on the hiring manager’s part to make a successful hire. When a hiring manager plays an active and engaged role throughout the hiring process, they can also connect with talent and build relationships—resulting in improved long-term employee retention and quality of hire.
It is in the best interests of all involved parties to cultivate open, honest, and transparent lines of communication when discussing hiring goals. Come to each meeting prepared with a plan of action, and leave with a mutual understanding. While the relationship between a recruiter and hiring manager can be tense, it doesn’t have to be.
Potential pain points:
When involving a hiring manager in the recruiting process, it is important they understand how critical their role is. Regardless of the outcome, they must take responsibility for a new hire. Although recruiters and hiring managers share a common goal, there is still the potential for miscommunication and unalignment. Here are a few pain points to be on the lookout for:
Hiring managers unsatisfied with selected candidates
When hiring managers don’t provide clear expectations or role requirements, this can lead to misalignment around the selected candidates. Be sure to sync up with hiring managers early on, ask for thorough guidelines, ask them specific questions, and do external research to ensure that the best candidates are selected.
Differing opinions on strategy or execution
Recruiters and hiring managers won’t always see eye-to-eye on recruiting and hiring strategy. Be sure to figure out what is important to the hiring manager– such as time-frame, expectations, and budget– so you can figure out a strategy that best suits their needs.
Unrealistic or unclear expectations
Hiring managers may become clouded by their desire to find the perfect candidate, neglecting to provide realistic expectations to meet those goals. Encourage them to be practical and honest about the needs of the team and role expectations. When recruiters can focus on what is most important, they avoid wasting time searching for a candidate that might not even exist.
Lack of accountability of hiring manager throughout the process
To be successful, both the recruiter and the hiring manager must be willing to collaborate and hold themselves accountable. Outlining goals, requirements, and responsibilities can help keep both parties accountable throughout the process.
How to combat pain points:
A good relationship between a hiring manager and the recruiter is necessary for a successful recruitment process. A report by Cielo found that 57% of recruiters feel that hiring managers do not understand recruiting. In comparison, 63% of hiring managers feel that recruiters do not understand the jobs they are filling. It is not uncommon to experience pain points throughout the collaboration process, but there are ways to combat them:
Set expectations early on
It is critical to establish communication, discuss candidate requirements, and clarify expectations at the initial meeting. Doing so early on can also help hold everyone accountable for their part in the process and lessens the risk of misalignment.
Take time to grow the relationship
Building a solid relationship with hiring managers can make the recruiting process much smoother for recruiters. Prioritize getting off on the right foot and keeping open lines of communication. After the initial sync up, recruiters must be consistent and honest to build trust and foster alignment.
Sync early and often to ensure alignment
It goes without saying that hiring managers and recruiters must be on the same page to have a successful hire. Early on, establishing expectations and clarifying goals can aid in a smoother process overall. Continuously checking in and being realistic about abilities and asks can be helpful in creating alignment throughout.
Always be prepared
Come to each meeting prepared with clear data to answer any questions and provide valuable insights. Preparing information about previous and current candidates, screening and interview numbers, and offer-to-acceptance rates can be eye-opening for hiring managers. It can also be helpful to educate them on your recruiting process, so they are prepared too.
Sometimes, it may be beneficial to utilize applicant tracking systems and other software solutions to ensure that both recruiter and hiring managers are on the same page. Systems such as Greenhouse, Lever, and SmartRecruiter aim to relieve some of the recruiting pressures by providing tools to help you attract and hire top talent collaboratively.
Key Takeaways:
Remember, transparency and open lines of communication are key here. Without them, you’ll likely fall into poor collaboration pitfalls. Work together to identify their needs and define realistic and clear expectations. With strong communication and a willingness to collaborate, hiring managers and recruiters can effectively work together and find the best candidates.
Communication doesn’t have to be difficult. Make sure everyone is on the same page by taking our free personality assessment to discover relevant insights into communication preferences, working styles, and more. Or, get started with Crystal’s Hiring Tool to better determine a candidate’s job and culture fit!
