5 ways to handle hiring managers
Recruiters and hiring managers haven’t always gotten along, so how can you improve the relationship so everyone gets what they want?
One of the biggest problems for recruiters, apart from finding quality candidates of course, is that hiring managers contribute to the problem, instead of making life easier. And once a relationship has gone sour, it’s incredible difficult to get it back. Especially if you’ve ended up having a shouting match in the middle of your client’s kitchen, which, is never a good thing, and there are steps you can take early on in the relationship to avoid all soap like showdowns.
1. Set, clarify, define and discuss the expectations
Basically, do not accept an email that says ‘please hire an account manager for our X office’. Do whatever you need to do to make sure you’re both on the same page and running in the same direction. Sit down and discuss the job role, the specific skill set, the cultural fit and the process. Take the time to learn what ‘strong communication skills’ mean to the hiring manager instead of accepting universal terms. They always mean something different to different people, and that’s where confusion starts to creep in.
2. Talk about talking about it
Your relationship with a hiring manager is a two-way street and without a significant level of communication from them, you can’t effectively do the job. Take the time at the beginning of a project to define what level of communication you need from them. Hiring managers often expect recruiters to operate at the speed of light and have a pile of CVs on their desk hours after the first request goes out, and you better manage that at the very start. Define time periods for feedback and follow ups so everyone is operating together.
3. Involve them in the process
Many recruiters hold it as a measure of success that they don’t communicate or involve the hiring manager until the interview stage when they present a bunch of shiny candidates. While it sounds great and makes you look like a rock star, it’s actually setting yourself up for a fail later down the line. Involve your hiring manager in the process as soon as you can, for example, conduct phone interviews before the face-to-face. It minimises negative first impressions, allows the hiring manager to start building a rapport and changes the atmosphere of the interview from an interrogation to a consultative session. If you’re bringing in passive talent this is also crucial.
4. Hold joint interviews
Again, some recruiters will interview a shortlist before sending them to the hiring manager, which naturally adds more steps for the candidate and doesn’t scream a brilliant process. Joint interviews means you’re both seeing the same thing and working from the same sheet. It also eliminates the damage done by hiring managers who don’t know how to interview, of which there are numerous. Often hiring managers are heavily skills focused and not trained to interview effectively, so do all you can to mitigate their shortcomings.
5. Don’t let them make the offer
While you should involve your hiring manager as much as you possibly can, when it comes to offer stage take them wholly out of the process. They can make it personal and it can affect the relationship between employee and manager going forward. Keep everyone in love with each other and shoulder the messy salary negotiation yourself.
Why not read our next blog all about how a recruitment agency can retain customers.
When it comes to our relationships with our clients, we take these seriously and invest in ensuring we have a strong understanding of their needs before recommending a solution. Want to find out more about our approach? Get in touch to speak to one of our recruitment specialists.
