Involving Hiring Managers in Recruitment

It's true that finding and hiring the most suitable candidates requires teamwork and a collaborative hiring approach. Therefore, each team member should work closely with HR managers and recruiters to make the hiring process more effective. In this type of collaborative hiring, the hiring manager plays a critical role. In fact, the hiring manager should play a central role in this process.

A Gallup poll found that 51% of HR managers are disengaged and 14% are actively disengaged.

Keeping this issue in mind, this solution-focused blog discusses practical solutions for effectively engaging hiring managers in the hiring process. But first, let’s understand the basics!

What is a Hiring Manager?

A hiring manager, also known as a recruitment manager, is a person who oversees the recruitment process to fill the vacancy in a company or organization by hiring top candidates. Works closely with the hiring team (recruiter, HR manager, line manager, procurement team and core team members) to optimize the recruiting workflow and understand the needs of the business. The hiring manager also makes important decisions and monitors the efficiency and effectiveness of the hiring process.

Responsibilities of a Hiring Manager

Now let’s understand the key roles and diverse responsibilities of the hiring manager in the hiring process. The following are the main responsibilities of the HR manager:

Request for a vacancy that needs to be filled.
Identification of the requirements for the vacancy.
Creation of a precise job description and instructions for it.
Setting realistic expectations for applicants that they should and must meet.
Establishing the roles and responsibilities of the hiring team.
Coordination with the hiring team.
Guidance on effective job postings and sourcing strategies.
Determination of an interview strategy in collaboration with HR managers.
Interviews with the applicants.
Decision about the selected candidates.
Work with Human Resources to make decisions regarding compensation, benefits and benefits.
Determining the schedule for onboarding and expanding the job offer.
Review hiring metrics and provide constructive feedback to improve hiring strategy.

Why do collaborative teams have a hard time engaging HR managers?

A global report from U.S. According to News, unhappy managers cost the U.S. economy between $319 billion and $398 billion per year. Often the reasons for this are either previous negative experiences or a communication gap as to why the hiring manager is not fully involved and committed to the hiring process.

It is true that HR managers are not satisfied with the HR department's approach to carrying out the process. 71% of managers believe HR needs to improve quality of hires and hiring strategy, a survey byvisor found.

Below are the most common issues that the hiring team faces when involving the HR manager in the hiring process. Let's go through them one by one.

HR managers are often not satisfied with the quality of applicants.
Sometimes recruiters and hiring managers have different opinions about hiring strategies and which stage should take how much time.
The hiring team struggled with unrealistic expectations from hiring managers.
The hiring manager failed to communicate the clear requirements of the open position.
Hiring managers want to fill the open position in less time.
Hiring managers have high and unrealistic expectations of recruiters.
Lack of communication between the hiring team and hiring managers.
The hiring manager is either busy or involved in other important tasks.
Hiring managers may doubt their ability to screen and interview applicants.

Proven tips for involving the hiring manager in the hiring process

The approach to involving the HR manager may vary from case to case. However, the strategy you plan must simplify communication and ensure that your hiring team is prepared to support and advance the hiring process. So, let's look at some innovative and proven techniques for involving your HR manager in the hiring process.

1.Organize a discussion and training

Both the hiring team and the hiring manager need to have a clear picture of the job requirements, education, experience, primary responsibility for the open position, and the hiring approach they will take. This way, both sides are working toward the same hiring goals and the team has a clearer direction for the hiring process.

Companies can also organize training and idea-sharing sessions before beginning the hiring process to educate the team on practical ways to find, select, and hire the best talent while involving the hiring manager in the process.

2.Simplification and centralization of the communication channel

Communication is indeed the most important key factor in building healthy relationships between the recruiting team and hiring managers. Therefore, the best way to streamline communication is to use a collaborative talent acquisition platform, such as an applicant tracking system, to enable smoother communication through personalized communication portals. This allows the team to reduce lengthy and formal email conversations and allows every team member to communicate in one place.

Even on a human level, recruiters need to regularly interact with hiring managers and keep them updated on the process flow. This way, they receive feedback from HR managers to make the hiring process smooth.

3.Discover the manager’s pain point and offer a solution

The interview is incredibly important for screening candidates and the hiring manager plays a key role in this stage. According to a survey by Robert Half, hiring managers conduct an average of 7 interviews per open position.

However, not every hiring manager has the best interview skills. However, this gap can be bridged through training on how to effectively conduct interviews with candidates. The hiring team may offer candidates mock interviews and ask them to examine the applicants' skills and talent and understand why they might be a good fit for the company.

Additionally, the team can be creative and offer hiring managers an “out-of-the-box” approach to break the traditional interview process. At Dropbox, for example, the recruiting team invites hiring managers to an informal coffee chat with potential talent. This is a meeting without the paperwork of the traditional interview, allowing the hiring manager to understand the applicant's preferences.

Finding talent in the technical field is an extremely difficult task these days. Indeed, 86% of hiring managers believe it is challenging to find talent in this competitive market, an Indeed survey found. However, the recruiting team can help hiring managers by providing them with the best sourcing channels and platforms (e.g. GitHub to find top developers) to find top tech talent.

4.Try to know the requirements of the hiring managers

It is true that the hiring manager knows best the requirements of the vacancy that he asks of the candidates. Therefore, it is incredibly important for recruiters and human resources managers to consult with hiring managers and understand the different roles the company is hiring for.

The hiring team can ask hiring managers what exactly they are looking for, what skills the ideal candidates must have, and what other important details the team needs to consider. Below are the criteria that require the highest level of clarity:

The 3 most important skills you must have
Daily responsibility
Qualifications for the position
Technological tools that the applicant must master
Skills of the ideal candidate
Total compensation
Benefits and Perks Candidates Receive
Time to fill the position - expectation of the hiring manager

This parameter tells the team which applicant is suitable for which specific role.

5.Identify potential candidates for exclusion

Recruiters and human resources managers must keep hiring managers informed and informed when applicants express specific requests regarding flexible work hours, salary expectations, benefits and benefits.

For example, the customer support area is not time-bound and requires urgent communication and interaction. Therefore, customer service executives may require you to offer flexible working hours based on customer needs.

If recruiters and hiring managers don't recognize these potential obstacles and take appropriate action, the hiring process can start over.

6.Be transparent and decide on hiring KPIs

Share hiring data on what hiring techniques worked and what didn't. For example, time to fill positions is a common aspect of miscommunication and affects the relationship between recruiter and hiring manager. However, ATS eliminates this disadvantage by providing essential recruiting KPIs that the entire team and hiring manager can access.

This allows the HR manager to discuss with the team how the hiring of top talent can be made more effective. Consistently reviewing data and providing feedback on workflow results in a transparent process.

Final Thoughts on Hiring Manager Involvement in the Hiring Process

In conclusion, hiring teams and HR managers must not forget one thing: "Open communication when discussing hiring tasks and transparency are the crucial factor for a successful hiring process. Being willing to communicate more openly during the hiring process can therefore build strong relationships with the Hiring managers and hiring top candidates more efficiently. Therefore, the team must ensure that everyone is on the same page. Additionally, recruiters and hiring managers must work together to identify hiring needs and set realistic expectations.

Open communication and collaboration between hiring teams and managers are key to successful recruitment. IceHrm offers tools to streamline this process.