It happens in every industry: when a hiring manager and recruiter pair up to find a new hire, priorities and biases almost instantly collide.
Theoretically these two parties should get along. After all, they share a common goal: find the most qualified person to fill a position as quickly and effectively as possible.
But when push comes to shove, the reality is there’s often tension between these two individuals, in part because of an information gap: the recruiter will never know as much about the open position as the hiring manager. Similarly, the manager rarely understands the recruiter’s process, challenges, or constraints.
Four phases in the hiring process present opportunities for the recruiter and hiring manager to overcome obstacles and work as a unit: the intake, the search, the interview and the close.
The goal of every intake meeting between a recruiter and a hiring manager is usually two-fold: provide the recruiter with a general understanding of the open position and give the manager an idea of how long it will take to fill the position.
Intake pitfalls — The hiring manager and recruiter both want to quickly find someone to join the team. However, the hiring manager’s expectations and the recruiter’s role outside of the company might lead to misunderstandings. Another challenge is time: when the search for a new team member begins, chances are the role needed to be filled yesterday.
Intake solutions
The search provides an opportunity for the recruiter to shine. Up until this point tasks focus on research and discussions with the hiring manager and the search should allow all that hard work to pay off.
Search pitfalls — New recruiting technologies and social media have dramatically changed the dynamics of how recruiters find candidates. Sites like LinkedIn surface plenty of applicants who seem qualified for the position at first glance, but with some digging many may not be as fitting as they initially appeared. Also, since hiring managers can’t see what goes into a search for candidates, they often ask for a long list of names to make sure the recruiter is doing a good job.
Search solutions
The recruiter’s job in the interview is to act as the first line of defense to eliminate candidates who aren’t quite right to save the hiring manager time down the road.
Interview pitfalls — It’s easy for the recruiter and hiring manager to lose touch in this stage of a new hire. Also, the recruiter should research candidates carefully before speaking to the hiring manager, which includes researching backgrounds, even talking to references early in the process and ensuring there are no deal breakers for a potential hire.
Interview solutions
The close can be the recruiter’s ultimate chance to demonstrate value to the hiring manager.
Close pitfalls — Even though the recruiter will not directly work with the new hire, or perhaps because of this, candidates often feel more comfortable with the recruiter than the hiring manager. Even if the recruiter develops a strong relationship with the candidate, the candidate will only join the company if he believes in the hiring manager.
Close solutions
In the search for a new candidate, clear and consistent communication between the recruiter and the hiring manager is key.
Between searches, recruiters should try to connect with the hiring manager as much as possible. The hiring manager may be hesitant to grab a coffee or lunch when not actively looking for candidates, but recruiters should not be shy about asking.
The more the recruiter and the hiring manager talk, the more open – and effective – their relationship will be in future efforts together.
