The End User, is a popular concept in software engineering, referring to an abstraction of the group of persons who will ultimately operate a piece of software (i.e. the expected user or target-user).

For the purpose of this blog; let’s roughly translate to:  Hiring Manager - a popular term in Recruitment, referring to an abstraction of the group of persons who will ultimately operate a piece of a staffing process (i.e. the expected ATS user, target-user, interviewers, or hiring decision maker).

As we develop new models, programs and initiatives, we sometimes rely on our recruiters to partner, educate and deliver the new process.  In many cases this method of delivery is not as effective as we would like.  Think about it…if your recruiter is carrying a req. load averaging 25 or more – they are most likely operating in a model where - whichever hiring manager screams the loudest on a given day gets attention.  Most of the time in this scenario, your recruiters are acting more like policy police than consultative recruiting partners. 

This brings me back to my point – End User Training and Education…without it you will have a difficult time influencing, educating and implementing new systems, initiatives and a positive overall candidate experience.  If a hiring manager has had no formal training/education in talent evaluation or is new to a manager “hiring” role, chances are there this is going to be a disconnect with the recruiting process and it will have an impact on both the interview process and candidate experience.  In some cases, staffing is still viewed as an administrative role and, as we all know, this also has an impact on just about every metric you are tracking. 

Take every opportunity to formally educate your internal clients.  We need to look at recruitment from a holistic perspective and the fact that it is a team sport.  The hiring manager is a major player on the team and in the game and is not always on the same page as the rest of the team.  But of course they have the final say on who gets hired into the organization. 

One way to get everyone in the organization on the same page with recruitment is through formal education and training sessions.  I am continually seeing new and creative techniques, models, programs, and initiatives, but we seem to miss the final step…End User training and considering the team sport nature of recruitment – it is a critical piece for success.

The Recruitment function has the unique position to understand the internal culture and company trends, as well as, the external labor market and how the company is perceived.  And in most cases is the bridge between the two entities.  This insight is the key to developing a strategic creative function aligned with the business.    

I would recommend developing a recruitment training process for anyone in the organization who may come in contact with an interviewing candidate.  A few topics of importance to remember and include in your training modules to provide a balanced and educational training session:

• External Market Conditions – It is important to provide not only an overview of  the labor market from a general perspective, but also your industry specific labor market to provide a better understanding of the challenges.  What does the landscape look like in your geography?   What are the trends in the industry and how can you leverage your team. 
• Internal Process & Policy – Educate on what are your organizations’ internal recruitment process and resources, as well as, the roles and responsibilities of the team members.  (A big components of this module should also be vendor management, ATS process, interview guides, competency models, behavioral interview techniques, and internally branding your employee referral program)
• Compliance and Legislation – Provide your hiring team with an overview of legislation and how it applies to the interview process.  How does it impact the hiring manager and the interviewing candidate? 
• Interview and Selection –One of the most important things you can do for your organization.  Examples would be training to use behavioral interviewing techniques and assessment tools. 
• Candidate Experience – I think we all know the importance of educating on the candidate experience and how the hiring manager can impact the overall perception of an organization.  

Repetition and structured practice - is a method of perfecting execution with sports teams.  Again looking at the “Recruiting Team” holistically, it would be helpful to take every opportunity to continually educate and internally brand your recruitment function to include new hires and newly promoted hiring managers. 

Providing a stronger understanding of the overall talent acquisition function, the external labor market and how recruitment is a team sport with every player having a specific role, can only help you and your recruitment team and efforts to succeed.