Hiring Manager: Everything you need to know

Table of Contents

Summary

A hiring manager leads an employee selection team. They initiate the need for an employee. The hiring manager collaborates with Human Resources to find a suitable candidate for the open position. Collaboration is done at every stage of the hiring process. Did you know that 45% of hiring managers fail to fill critical roles? This is due to a lack of qualified candidates. In this article, the role of a hiring manager is outlined. Find out how they influence the hiring process and work together with the recruiter.

What is a hiring manager?

A hiring manager is an employee who requested a new position to be filled. This is usually a manager or a supervisor. They are an important member of the recruitment team, regardless of their everyday responsibilities. They are in charge of overseeing the job and department into which a new hire is placed.

As such, they are in charge of the following:

What does a hiring manager do?

A hiring manager is in charge of a variety of duties including:

Identifying a new position’s personnel requirements
Obtaining necessary clearances from the department and corporate executives
Attracting the top people through providing accurate and informative job descriptions
Identifying the roles and responsibilities of the hiring team
Keeping tabs on the hiring team throughout the process
Putting together a framework for the interview process
Acting as the point person and principal interviewer during the interview process
After a candidate passes the initial screening, the hiring manager usually conducts the first interview
Internally, they advertise new job openings and seek employee referrals from colleagues and teams
Making a final employment decision that must be approved by the executive
Notify the recruiter if the job is no longer available
Writing the job offer and discussing the employment contract with the selected candidate

The hiring manager compared to the recruiter

A hiring manager and a recruiter are frequently mixed-up. While both are involved in the hiring process, their responsibilities are distinct and do not overlap. A recruiter assembles a strong pool of competent candidates for a vacancy. A hiring manager is in charge of selecting and hiring the best candidate from the pool.

As a result, a recruiter’s task is to make the hiring manager’s decision extremely difficult. The recruiter also avoids the risk of introducing an unqualified job seeker into the company by compiling a list of only the top candidates.

A hiring manager also works as a liaison between applicants and the firm. Particularly during contract negotiations. If the hiring manager determines that none of the prospects is suitable, it is their responsibility to alert the recruiter. The recruiter will construct a new application pool.

The hiring manager will be the new hire’s future boss. They also initiate and own the open position. The hiring manager is the final decision-maker. They decide who gets employed and who does not get employed. The recruiter’s job is to find, attract, and pre-select qualified candidates.

Problems between a hiring manager and a recruiter

The fact that the hiring manager has final decision-making authority can lead to conflict between the hiring manager and the recruiter. When it comes to hiring new employees into the company, the hiring manager is frequently in a hurry. Rather than waiting for a full slate of candidates to apply, they are eager to start interviewing.

Some of the key problems that arise between the two include:

The hiring manager is dissatisfied with the calibre of candidates
Excessive expectations of a recruiter from the hiring manager
Diverse viewpoints on the strategy and duration of the hiring process

A recruiter wants to be able to correctly evaluate applicants. They complete the first phases of the hiring process and fill a slate before presenting a list of potential employees to the hiring manager. As a result, it is up to the recruiter to manage the hiring manager. They should persuade them not to speed through the hiring process.

These two roles should be allies on the same side of the table. A hiring manager can deal with these problems by:

Accept that they will not be able to complete the hiring task on their own. They should seek counsel from the recruiter and value their expertise.
Devote more time to recruitment.
Work to identify and meet the requirements as a team.

The importance of the hiring manager in the recruitment process

When a hiring manager requests an employee to fill an available position, they commence the hiring process. They are usually the ones who bring the process to a close-by deciding which candidate will be chosen.

Between the start and finish of the recruitment process, the hiring manager keeps in touch with the recruiter. This could be a freelance recruiter or someone from a specialist headhunting business. This depends on the size of the company and whether or not they have an in-house recruitment team.

When a vacancy arises, the first step is to submit a formal request for the company to create a new position in the form of a job requisition. It is time to fill the vacancy after this requisition is accepted. This is where the recruiter meets with the hiring manager to learn everything there is to know about the open position.

As a recruiter, the following information should be provided by the hiring manager during the vacancy intake process:

What makes THIS position more appealing to the perfect candidate than a similar position in another company?
What constitutes good performance in this role?
If the new hire performs above average in this capacity, how will this have a positive influence on colleagues, clients, and so on?
What are the ramifications for colleagues, clients, and others if they perform a poor job?
What qualities does this specific target group look for in a position and organization, as well as in terms of pay and benefits?
Details such as the number of hours worked per week, the amount of unpaid overtime, salary, and other benefits.
How do you plan to fill the vacancy differently this time around than you did the last time?
What kind of personality, expertise, or abilities would make your team more effective than it is now?

The better the recruiter’s job description reflects the reality of working for the hiring manager, the clearer things will emerge throughout the vacancy intake. This will have a favourable impact on the candidates’ fit with both the job and the company culture.

The ball is in the recruiter’s court after the job advertisement is posted. It is now up to them to work their pre-selection and attraction magic. At this point, the hiring manager can anticipate receiving at least a weekly update on the status of their position. After the recruiter has identified a selection of possible candidates who have passed the company’s pre-selection phases, the manager will have the opportunity to interview them before making a hiring decision.

A job offer will be presented to the successful candidate, and if accepted, the employee onboarding process will begin.

The responsibilities of a hiring manager

Apart from the more administrative obligations of the hiring manager during the recruitment process, they are also in charge of the “people” side of hiring. This encompasses the following features.

Finding someone who is a true team player. The person-team fit has long been overlooked. Hiring managers used to be on the lookout for the ideal candidate for the job. Finding a candidate who would offer value to the team was not a typical practice. However, employing someone with experience, abilities, or competencies that the team currently needs should be a top priority for the hiring manager. New personnel must fit in with the team’s personality. They need to put together a group of people with distinct talents and skillsets. These people need to be able to work together to achieve their goals.
Learning and development are two different things. The hiring manager is also in charge of the team’s as well as individual members’ development. Employees and their learning and development journeys have long been the focus. However, the hiring manager has a clear understanding of the direction in which they want to see their team develop. This is based on the organisation’s business goals and what this entails in terms of learning & development for each team member. When interviewing applicants, having a team learning & development strategy is a big bonus. They will be able to advise the team about their future development opportunities.
Coaching. Much has been written about how the hiring manager’s role. It has evolved from telling employees what to do and how to accomplish it. It even expanded to guiding and encouraging the team both professionally and personally. This is the role of a coach. When it comes to employee training and development, the hiring manager is crucial. Because most people require some motivation to begin a course or training. This is especially true when individuals are required to leave their comfort zone. It is the role of the hiring manager to get to know their staff and find development chances where others have not.
Employee well-being is important. One of the hiring manager’s tasks has always included keeping an eye on the team’s physical and emotional well-being. The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for employee well-being even more. The hiring manager has new issues as a result of individuals working remotely, such as engagement, camaraderie, and employee experience. They must pay more attention to how people are performing because many employees will continue to work from home.

Coaching and employee well-being can seem a little far-fetched at times. After all, they have nothing to do with the hiring process. They do, however, affect how candidates see the company brand. If the organisation is known for always putting its employees first. This can be through peer coaching, peer mentoring, or employee wellness programs. It will help the hiring manager build a positive reputation among job searchers. As a result, it will be easier to hire new employees.

What do hiring managers look for?

Fit is the most common item hiring managers are looking for. However, the fit is an unclear concept that lacks the detail that most job seekers desire. Some of it demands bringing a new set of skills and perspective to a company. Fit is indistinguishably linked to enthusiasm for a potential career and organisation. Another aspect of fit is matching the candidate’s personality to the team or organisation they want to join.

However, there are other factors to consider that are difficult to quantify. Regardless of each company’s distinct corporate culture, certain qualities e.g. careful planning, professionalism, punctuality, and so on align with every company’s definition of fit. As a result, here are some things that hiring managers look for:

An understanding of the company’s culture

What are the core values of the company? How would one describe the working environment? Is it more serious, professional, and buttoned-up, or is it more informal, laid-back, with an openness to working remotely? Furthermore, understanding the company culture necessitates the candidate to conduct a preliminary study before the first interview.

The candidate must demonstrate they are well versed with the background, experience, and function of their job within the company. If several people are being interviewed, the better prepared, the more fit they will appear to be. The candidates who ask proper questions in the interview are also a critical component of proving fit.

Demonstration of previous experience is relevant

Candidates who can demonstrate their previous experience can prove to be a good fit. These are better compared to the candidates who explain how their expertise and skill set will benefit the company. Candidates that are specific and give examples of how their previous experiences will help them succeed in the current position would be ideal.

Wrapping up

The job of a hiring manager does not end after the new employee is hired. This is when it all begins. The hiring manager maintains constant communication with the recruiter during the hiring process. The recruiter is in charge of finding, attracting, and pre-selecting prospects, while the hiring manager makes the ultimate decision. Once a decision has been made and a candidate has been chosen, the hiring manager is responsible for ensuring that the new employee is a good fit for the job, the organization, and the team.