Top Tips for Hiring Managers

Hiring managers are a key part of a successful hire, drawing on their in-depth knowledge of the role, key challenges, fit within the wider function and company culture. They know what skills are required for someone to be successful in that position.

This expert knowledge is highly beneficial in identifying the right individual for the role, but just as important is their understanding of the wider role they play in this process and how important it is in ensuring a successful hire.

This includes dates/times blocked out for CV review, the interviews themselves, post interview discussions and providing interview feedback. Whilst candidate availability is typically better with so many individuals working on a hybrid-basis, postponing interviews or lengthy delays between interviews and feedback can have a negative impact on candidate experience and the overall recruitment process. Despite the challenging economic climate good candidates will typically not be on the market for long, so an efficient, timely process will minimise risk of losing out on top talent.

Depending on the area you work in there could be an expectation by candidates to be able to research you online. If you are in a senior position in a consulting environment, do you want to show you are a thought leader, engaged with and contributing to the industry? Candidates will be attracted to a business that has a strong industry presence and is demonstrating growth and expansion through its contribution and involvement.

If your team is more of a back-office function and your company website doesn’t detail individual team member profiles, it is worth sharing a bio on individuals involved in the recruitment process, particularly hiring managers. This can provide candidates with invaluable insight about what that person will be like to work for/with, their background (they could have previously worked for the same company as the candidate they will be interviewing) including relevant information from areas such as team successes to charity involvement etc.

Drawing on and sharing your in-depth knowledge of the role / team / company you can help candidates understand what it will be like to join your company, why you joined and have stayed, what have you got out of the role and what/why do you/the team enjoy working here. The best outcome is a candidate who starts to feel excited picturing themselves working for you.

Both at CV submission and interview stage, the more constructive feedback you can share, the better the recruiter will be in shortlisting most relevant individuals which should reduce time spent on reviewing or interviewing unsuitable candidates. Equally the recruiter can share market insight to challenge or suggest alternative ideas which you may not have previously considered.