Hiring Manager/Recruiter Relationships

by admin on October 6, 2017 in Employment

 

Relationships between hiring managers and recruiters can mean the difference between finding the best candidate or an endless search. Oftentimes the challenges that arise from a missing relationship, or one that “needs work” can delay finding the right candidate. Below are the top three difficulties that appear when the hiring manager/recruiter relationship is on the rocks.

A pair of brown shoes in a world of tuxedos

Whereas large companies can be very specific in finding a single person to fill a very specific role, smaller companies have different needs. In fact, personnel in smaller companies wear many hats. Sometimes this creates a problem finding candidates to fit a particular job description as the details will contain characteristics of two and sometimes three different skill sets/people all rolled up into one.

Cookie-cutter conundrum – when one size does not fit all

When was the last time you heard the phrase “mainframe operator” outside a science fiction movie? Oftentimes a larger company will send a recruiting team a standardized or canned job description with a very specific, and perhaps rare, skillset requirement. Sometimes the skillset includes items that are grouped with abilities no longer in use or grossly outdated.

What exactly do you want? Everything…

Lastly, some hiring managers may send job descriptions that are not clear regarding the skill sets required or other important factors such as industry experience or cultural fit perspective etc. In this case, the closer the relationship between the hiring manager and recruiter the better understanding of soft skills and corporate culture are conveyed and a better fit found.

Strong and clear communication between the hiring manager and the recruiter can clarify all of these issues. Understanding what qualities are a must vs. nice to have, which skills are necessary vs. obsolete, and finding the gaps not listed in the job description are where the strong hiring manager/recruiter relationship really shine through.