Hiring Managers do not understand recruiting

As a rule most hiring managers do not understand recruiting. They think all we do is look at Monster or Hotjobs (which was just bought by monster) or the other databases and find people with no problems. They do not understand the amount of work that goes into the sourcing part of recruiting. One way I have found that has helped me educate the hiring manager, is to arrange sourcing sessions with them. Make an appointment to meet with them and talk about the opening and source. You will be amazed at how different they will think once they sit with you for 30 minutes and you source. I have done it many times and they come away with a new appreciation and even admiration for what we do. You will find it strengthens your relationship with the hiring manager and by default will make recruiting easier.

Comment by Saleem Qureshi on February 13, 2010 at 12:08am: You have made a good point Dean! The time is changing, hiring managers must adapt to new technological advancements, and not wasting time in seeking out people with no errors. Alas! many hiring mangers are not concentrating on pooling out the talent that matches to the job criteria.

Comment by Dean Da Costa on February 13, 2010 at 12:25am: That is because most managers do not really get recruiting. The more engaged a manager is in recruiting, the more they understand how it is done and what their role in it should be, the quicker the position will get filled, and the better the candidate pool will be. The reality is when hiring a new person, it is the "Hiring Team" that will decide the who, the when, the cost, and the ROI. The hiring team is not just the recruiter, but the recruiter, hiring manager, interviewers, HR, on boarding team, mentor and everyone needed to make a successful hire. Each must fully understand not only their role but how all the other roles fit together to get what I call the "Win Win" in hiring. This requires what I also call "going beyond the basics" ( you will hear me use this terms in other capacities in other posts). "Going beyond the basics" as it relates to the "Hiring Team" means. learn more than just the other team members names and titles. It means get a real, life sense for what they do. As I said in the original post, this can be done, as it relates to the recruiter, by simply spending 30 minutes, once, sitting with recruiter and sourcing. The easiest way to ensure this happens is set the expectations at the requirements review meeting(this is the meeting you have with the manager to discuss and write the job description, discuss strategies, salaries, timelines etc. I will address this more in future posts as well. But again if you set the expectations from the beginning, you are well on your way to the "Win Win".