We often hear the stories about the challenges recruiters face when working with their client’s internal HR team and hiring managers to find a candidate for a job opening. We also hear a lot of complaints from HR personnel and hiring managers about recruiters not being able to find the talent that they are looking for.
It is not hard to understand why this is a recurring experience for some if we imagine that finding the right talent is like a game of tug of war with three ends and each party is pulling on a different end. In this scenario, each party believes they all have the same goal in filling the job opening with the right candidate, but what they really need is a common goal, where they are finding the right talent together.
It is a Partnership
How well a Recruiter works with a company’s internal HR and hiring managers depends on what kind of relationship is established. Many believe it to be a client-base relationship where the Recruiter is working for the, but instead, they should be thinking of it as a Partnership.
As partners, each party involved understands that they have their part to play, and to respect and support one another throughout the process. The hiring manager defines the scope of the position and comes up with the criteria of skills and experience needed. The HR personnel provides insight on company culture and overall personality fit for the team and facilitates the communication between hiring manager and the recruiter. The recruiter actively seeks out potential candidates that fit the criteria of the position and the culture of the team.
Collaboration
Everyone collaborates at each stage and must share in the responsibilities of success and failure in finding the right talent for the process to be smooth and effective. For example:
- The recruiter and hiring manager can develop a well-defined job description together identifying the “Must-have(s)” from the “Nice-to-have(s)”.
- Setting the right expectations and addressing issues at the beginning of the search together. The hiring manager, HR, and recruiters all know of different constraints that can hinder the search of finding the right talent fit and must address them together so that everyone is on the same page.
- Working together with flexibility and better coordination in setting up for interviews.
- Developing together a working strategy, clearly defining role and responsibilities, setting proper timelines and follow ups, and setting the appropriate expectations. Sometimes hiring managers and HR do not know what is available in the market and only know what they need. It is up to the recruiter to provide that market information about candidates to better define what can be found and at what salary range.
- HR and the hiring manager can fill in the recruiter on their company goals, the goals for the position, the ideal candidate profile, and the overall company culture, vision, and direction that they are headed. As someone from the outside looking in, the recruiter can only rely on the information that is given to them to really sell the opportunity to potential talent to get them excited and interested in the opportunity.
- The HR and the hiring manager can better the relationship with their recruiter by making them feel like a part of the team. Even though the recruiter is not technically part of the organization, recruiters will perform better and find more success with companies that they feel more involved with and have a sense of belonging to the team’s success.
Communication
Just like any relationship, it only thrives when everyone is communicating and understanding each other. For example:
- HR can bridge the gap between the hiring manager and the recruiter with the understanding of the business operations and challenges that they are facing and knowing the challenges in finding the right talent as things evolve with the search in today’s market. They are the key to having better communication in all directions.
- The Hiring manager need to have more timely and honest feedback on candidates and interviews.
- The recruiter needs to provide honest and timely feedback on candidate availability and the market.
- Each party must also be open and willing to share all relating and critical information relating to the search. Any hidden information will eventually surface and can cause trust issues between the parties and potentially lead to a failing partnership.
The results
- Better collaboration with quicker turn around time to fill positions
- Better results in finding stronger talent who fit into the company culture
- More consistent recruitment and onboarding strategy
- More positive interview experience for candidates leading to improved Employee Engagement and Employer Branding
So instead of treating the relationship between the HR, hiring manager, and recruiter as three opposing forces with their own objectives, they should be considered more like a three-headed dragon each with their unique skills joining forces in the fight for talent.
Contact Us today to speak with one of our Recruitment Specialists and let us help you build your team with talent today!