Sometimes good candidates are lost or won in the interview. These days, recruiting is a group effort. A hiring manager can’t simply opt out of the process anymore and walk into a meeting blindly only to completely screw it up. Candidates today aren’t hungry enough to jump at any old position that comes along. They now demand communication and transparency. Candidates today are searching the internet for information about your company, they’re looking at your team photos on social media, and they’re definitely reading reviews on sites like Glassdoor. In this time of scrutiny, it’s going to be difficult to compete if your hiring manager isn’t on board with the message. You’re going to have to teach your hiring manager to sell the position and sell the company.
Ditch the Inquisition and Sell, Hiring Manager, Sell!
In the old days, a hiring manager could largely opt out of the hiring process. He or she could come in at the end, meet the top candidates and pick the one they wanted. Now, they also have to be on brand, on message. They have to worry about whether a candidate will post the questions they asked in the interview on Glassdoor. They have to worry if their position will sit empty because they weren’t as forthcoming about the organization culture. Today, the hiring manager has to be involved in the hiring process as much as the Talent Acquisition team. So what do you teach them and how?
Talent Acquisition must sit recruiting managers down and go over the message. Whether a recruiting manager knows it or not, every employer has a message and a brand that they want potential employees to hear. This message should be authentic and in line with their talent brand. Ideally, a strong employer brand is supported by a strong talent brand. If the two are not in sync, your recruiting manager may be driving potential employees away. Teach your recruiting managers the official messaging to connect hiring efforts with a candidate’s experience interviewing. Do they know what differentiates your organization from its competitors, what makes them unique in the market? They should be able to articulate all of this to a potential employee as an extension of your employer branding efforts.
Teach your recruiting managers how to interview. Frequently, the number one complaint from candidates is that their interview was not good. Many recruiting managers just don’t know how to interview. Beyond the top 6 questions your team wants to know about, your recruiting manager should be able to make the experience great for potential employees. Offer them training in interviewing techniques and teach them how Talent Acquisition is able to get the answers they want without the inquisition. Offer role-playing scenarios to recruiting managers seeking to apply these tools. Practice, practice, practice. With a little training and development, a recruiting manager can become a very effective interviewer.
Review your company culture with a recruiting manager. Many recruiting managers are great employees, but they don’t quite know what the company culture is, let alone how to articulate it. By going over the intricacies of your company culture, you can position your recruiting manager as an authority on the company. This information is critical to the potential employee experience and can be the differentiator that causes a potential employee to choose your company over a competitor. Teach your recruiting manager how to discuss company culture in a positive and realistic way. If they’re trying to sell the company, they should be able to do so without faking it or making false claims. No new employee wants to start a position finding out that the laid back team they thought they were joining is really a high-pressure high-stress environment. Give your recruiting manager the tools to discuss the company culture with potential employees to set them up for success.
The old models for hiring are broken. Today’s candidates seek transparency, communication, and interaction with team members. An effective recruiting manager can bridge the gap between Talent Acquisition and the company, offering potential employees the insight they crave. Using these techniques, your company can sell the position and acquire the talent it desires.
Written by Greg Rokos.
Originally posted on talentculture.com