"I'll know it when I see it" is often code for "I'm not really sure what I am looking for." This analysis helps them--and you!

When you do a launch conversation with your hiring manager, you get a lot of information about what the hiring manager is looking for. And you help the hiring manager get more clarity as well.

But even so, you may have hiring managers who cannot make a decision to move candidates forward nor can they tell you why the candidates you are presenting are…

Over the last few months I’ve been doing a lot of searches (so obviously it means working with a lot of hiring managers) and managing a team of recruiters. We were working on a multi-position recruiting project for mid level managers for a large entertainment company. So it was a great learning lab for refining and testing techniques for creating trusted advisor relationships with hiring managers—none of whom did we ever meet in person. 

One thing I noticed is how easily, accidently…

Many times when talent acquisition leaders ask for assistance in coaching their recruiters, they say the awful “O” word—order taker.

They want help transitioning recruiters from order takers to business partners/trusted advisors, etc.…

I have no doubt you can give candidates compelling messages about what makes your position exciting, good for their career, etc. 

So why would I want you to ask your hiring managers why they think their position is a great opportunity? For these reasons: 

It’s important for you to know how your hiring managers are “marketing/selling” their positions when they are talking to candidates. When you ask them this question, you may be appalled at how poorly they describe what's great…

Countless times recruiters tell me they need better and/or more ways to source candidates. This understandably seems to be the solution when: 

• Searches have been open for a long time, and everyone is unhappy with how things are going
• The hiring manager rejects candidates the recruiter thinks fit the requirements
• Changes are made to title, requirements, and/or duties in an attempt to attract qualified candidates without any input from the recruiter
• The…

Time-to-fill could be a great way to see where there are issues unnecessarily adding time to the time it takes to fill positions. But the traditional way to calculate time-to-fill misses those issues. So, you may be evaluated on a statistic that does not tell the whole story. 

Unfortunately, time-to-fill usually consists of only two data points only--when the requisition was approved (or something equivalent) and when the position was filled (offer made, or some…

*this is not to throw hiring managers under the bus—I get they have a lot on their plate. But if they aren’t giving you the time, information, etc., that you need, let’s guide them to changing that.

Finding great candidates is absolutely essential. I believe that…

Step One: Analyze the job description: What are the missing specifics? 

Review the JD to identify additional information and/or clarifications that you need from the hiring manager. Out of this discussion will come the elements to include in your posting. It will be very different and much more effective than the original JD.

These examples are from the Requirements section of a recent job description from a company where I am coaching the recruiting team on these…

It's great we are talking about creating postings that go far beyond the typical job description. I'm sure you can do that without talking to your hiring manager, but getting them involved pays off in multiple ways.

Below are some questions that will pull out some good information from your hiring managers they might not share otherwise. 

It’s especially important to ask your hiring manager these questions to:

a)      Get this info in the hiring manager’s words because…

Recruiters have two different customers—candidates and hiring managers. It’s my experience that while we often focus on the first customer, it’s the second customer who has the most impact on our success and careers.

For example we have found some great candidates but cannot get the hiring manager to give feedback. At the same time, the “time to fill” is stretching out and we're wasting so much time with multiple follow up emails, calls, or just waiting. 

So here is an easy,…