Hiring Managers: what NOT to do!

There are lots of great articles floating around with the intention of helping Candidates and Recruiters succeed during the hiring and job-searching process. But, what about Hiring Managers? Hiring Managers are the folks hiring for their particular teams. These Hiring Managers may be in finance, legal, marketing…or even within HR and Recruitment.

All Hiring Managers must continue to hone their skills in this competitive recruitment landscape. The current recruitment process requires serious thoughtfulness, strategy and precision. No one is immune to evolving, learning and growing as a Hiring Manager.

With all of the changes in the recruitment landscape (people not applying to jobs as often/remaining passive, employers doing an excellent job of retaining employees, salary increase expectations dramatically rising, the focus on employer branding, impact of social media in recruitment….the list goes on), Hiring Managers must be equipped and ready to excel.

Over the last few months, I’ve noticed some things that exceptional hiring managers are doing to attract (and hire) top talent.

I’ve also seen some hiring managers make serious errors that have created crucial road blocks for them in terms of receiving accepted offers. I’m happy to share a few observations with you and hope they help you to attract, hire and retain the best talent in your market!

1. Partner with your Recruitment team (and listen to them!)

Hopefully you have a strong Internal Recruitment team that is supporting you with your search. Perhaps you also have the help of an external Recruiter. Have they met you? Have they also met the key decision-makers on the team in addition to you? In an efficient, strategic process you should meet with your Recruiters at the beginning of the process and each week thereafter until the role is filled. This steady flow of communication is designed to help you. As processes continue, new challenges may arise. Things may need to be tweaked from a sourcing perspective. You want to demonstrate your commitment to your recruitment partners’ help in the search. They are your advocate, so make time for them! The best Hiring Managers are in frequent contact with their recruitment partners and welcome their feedback and guidance.

 2. Understand who makes the final decision.

I see the ‘passing of the baton’ too often these days. In other words, the top candidate will meet 4-5 people in the firm and the hiring manager will say “I love this person! Let’s hire them!” but someone else on the group says “I have concerns”. What happens next? Well, you could reject the person and start the search over and calculate the length of time the role will remain unfilled. Or, you can respectfully hire the person you really want for your team! You must decide who has the final say. Frankly, very few hires will have a unanimous “yes!” especially if candidates are meeting more than 4 people (these are just odds of chemistry/rapport). So, identify the Hiring Manager with the final say and ensure he/she makes a confident decision. Note, this person should also be involved at the beginning of the interview process. Why save them for last round if they have the power to veto everyone’s opinion anyway (I see this mistake too often)?

 3. Don’t be a cranky interviewer

There’s always one. Don’t let it be you. This is the person who walks in the room looking disgruntled, unhappy, unfriendly and makes the candidate feel like they are under interrogation. They often stare at the resume and rarely look up. They don’t smile. Sometimes they even check (or answer!) their phone during the meeting. I know, you are thinking “this is impossible! No one acts like this”. I can tell you over the last few months many candidates have come to me saying they didn’t take jobs for these particular reasons. If candidates are well-retained at their current firm, and being pursued by your competitors, why would they go to the place where the interviewer wasn’t nice to them? It’s as simple as that. Be the kind, gracious, friendly interviewer candidates want to meet! You can ask tough questions in an approachable way. Train your team on the importance of ‘selling’ an opportunity and recognize the weight their interviewing disposition has on your employer brand. Don’t think this is that big of a deal? Think of this way: Your disposition in the interview has an enormous impact on whether the candidate will accept your offer or not.

 4. Recognize imperfections, stay humble, and remain open to new ideas

This requires low-ego needs. You have to look objectively at your open vacancy. Who wants this job? Does it appeal to a lot of people? Or, is it a niche-role requiring a hard-to-find candidate with a specific skill-set? Is it a role that doesn’t sound super exciting? Are you trying to attract someone doing the exact job elsewhere? Why would they want to come to your firm instead? What are the advantages and disadvantages of joining your firm? Where is your team still improving? If you think your role is perfect, your firm is perfect, you are the perfect hiring manager…you may be missing a lot of critical information! The reality is all roles, managers, teams, and firms have flaws. The key to successful recruitment is identifying the challenges to come up with creative, strategic ways to overcome them! Be open to new ways of looking at the recruitment process. Be open to new ways to market the role. Consider ways to offer flexible options. Maybe you’ll have to raise the budget. Maybe you’ll look at candidates from different industries. Don’t be ‘stuck in your ways’ and don’t assume everyone wants to work for you. Recognize your challenges and find ways (in partnership with your Recruitment team) to improve.

In summary:

Things to DO:

• Meet with your Recruitment partners in-person on a frequent basis
• Identify the key decision-maker on a search
• Be kind, friendly and approachable to interviewees
• Sell passive candidates on your role, firm and your leadership style. Entice them.
• Consider new approaches to your recruitment process
• Remain humble and know that you are always learning

 Things NOT to do:

• Don’t treat your Recruiters with a lack of respect. Don’t forget they are your partners.
• Don’t have too many ‘cooks in the kitchen’ when it comes to decision-making
• Don’t doubt your own decision-making abilities. Trust you own hiring choices.
• Don’t be cranky, disengaged, rude, or negative as an interviewer
• Don’t assume a candidate wants to work for you. Try harder.
• Don’t get stuck in previous recruitment processes. There are new approaches.
• Don’t assume you know everything. The market is changing.

Want to be an exceptional hiring manager? Want to attract the top talent in your field? Want to ensure your Employer Brand and Candidate Experience are above the rest?  What other tips/pointers do you have to add? How would you guide today’s Hiring Manager to successful hiring? I certainly welcome your comments below!

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