Finding the best person for the job is a challenging and long process. And it’s a process that is shared with the hiring manager. Recruiters and hiring managers have a shared goal: to find the best talent. Collaborating and communicating frequently with hiring managers will help you build better relationships and improve your results.
Common challenges.
Typical recruiting challenges include poorly defined job descriptions, lack of executive buy-in, changing requirements, and inconsistent interviews. Many challenges are due to the lack of formal hiring plans. Other challenges arise when communication isn’t fluid from the executive level to the recruiter. Creating more strategic hiring plans and opening the lines of communication with all stakeholders, is a catalyst for company growth, hiring more effective employees, and improving retention.
Transparent hiring plans.
Recruiters can improve the dynamic with hiring managers through better expectation setting. Working together to develop the right criteria for the ideal candidate is essential. In our Ultimate Hiring Guide, we recommend developing the “Ideal Candidate Triangle”. At the center of the triangle is the Background (skills, knowledge, and experience) you need the person to bring to the job. Around the exterior are three additional areas where your ideal candidate needs to fit: Personality, Talent, and Culture. Map this out with hiring managers. If they disagree with requirements, listen to understand why, and then come to a mutual agreement. Once you are on the same page about who the ideal candidate is, discuss next steps in the process and what the associated timelines are. Naturally, hiring managers want to fill the role fast! They have work that needs to get done, and they are eager to get started. If they start the process with an understanding of every step, they won’t get frustrated when weeks pass without an offer.
A roadmap for success.
To build the best “Ideal Candidate Profile” start by looking at current performers. HighMatch conducts benchmark studies to identify the profile of a top performer. Job benchmarking entails inviting team members to take the assessment, then analyzing the data to outline the personality traits and key skills that contribute to their success. With this information in hand, it’s much easier to develop better criteria for new hires. It’s also easier to have discussions about the ideal candidate when you have objective data to guide decisions. Hiring managers may have pre-conceived notions about the type of person they want to hire, and benchmark studies can either confirm or constructively challenge those ideas.
Download our ‘Top Talent Acquisition Challenges’ Report
We surveyed HR and TA leaders with the goal of understanding their roadblocks as they strive to improve quality of hire, and how HR technology and solutions are helping to overcome those challenges.
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Improve the employee referral feedback loop.
Employee referrals are the leading source of new hires. Conversations with and about this group of candidates require care. If an employee recommends someone who isn’t hired it can create tension between the employee and the hiring manager. Assessment results guide conversations between recruiters and current employees when giving feedback about whether the candidate referred was the right fit or not. The conversation becomes about key performance indicators and which traits are preferred for the position, not vague notions based on feelings or assumptions.
Build a stronger candidate pool.
No matter how difficult sourcing is, hiring managers expect a well-qualified talent pool. Recruiters can deliver better candidates using pre-employment assessments. HighMatch’s predictive hiring profiles help recruiters rate candidates based on job fit scores and personality traits that are key to success so that hiring managers don’t invest time in poor fit candidates.
Standardize the interview process.
Often times hiring managers don’t receive interview training. The result is inconsistent interview ratings, and possibly a poor interviewee experience. Recruiters can give hiring managers the tools they need to succeed. Anyone can conduct a good behavioral based interview with proper preparation. HighMatch Interview Guides make it easy to arm hiring managers with personalized and standard questions that foster candid conversations with candidates. Hiring managers appreciate having a guide to help them navigate tricky conversations, and assess risk factors.
Working closely with hiring managers can take more time on the front end, but it will save you time in the long run, and help you develop more fruitful relationships.
