Hiring manager: who is a hiring manager and what role does this person play in the company
Several figures gravitate to the world of personnel search and selection. Although fairly unknown, one of particular importance is that of the hiring manager.
In practice, this person is not just a simple recruiter, but is a figure who wears many “hats” and, as such, is an integral part of a recruitment process. Let’s try to better understand who this person is, what tasks are performed, the required skills, the difference from a recruiter, and what tools a hiring manager uses.
SUMMARY
- Who is the hiring manager and is the significance of this role
- What a hiring manager does
- What skills should a hiring manager have?
- The difference between hiring managers and recruiters
- Why does the company need both a recruiter and a hiring manager?
Who is the hiring manager and is the significance of this role
The hiring manager is the person who is responsible for the progression of a new hire. It is therefore a professional who has the last word in a recruitment and personnel selection process.
The hiring manager works closely with recruiters and HR departments to define the requirements for the open position, to conduct interviews, and make the final hiring decision. This person’s role does not end with the inclusion of the hired person, but a hiring manager continues to check the progress of the onboarding process. We can therefore say that a hiring manager is a supervisor and mentor for those who have just been hired.
This means that, if a hiring does not go as expected, the hiring manager is the one who has to respond directly and must investigate in order to understand what did not go as expected. In fact, when we talk about responsibility in hiring, we must remember to refer to the result (the person who is hired) and not to the process (the path to hiring).
Let’s look at what a hiring manager does in more detail what this person’s responsibilities are.
What a hiring manager does
The hiring manager performs several functions:
- identifies staffing needs for a new or existing position and therefore continuously monitors the companies’ needs;
- requests and obtains the necessary approvals from the department and company managers to open a job for hiring;
- creates an accurate and detailed job description to attract the best candidates. This job description will be used by recruiters as a model to assess the skills and qualifications of potential candidates;
- defines the roles and responsibilities of the hiring team and coordinates the team;
- collaborates with the employer branding team, i.e. with HR and marketing, to play an active role in improving the company brand and initiating certain strategies;
- defines the expectations for the interview process;
- acts as a point of reference for the process and assumes the role of “main interviewer” in subsequent interviews (or final evaluation). The hiring manager often conducts the interview after the candidate has passed the initial screening;
- internally circulates new job opportunities and tries to understand if there are indications from employees and/or colleagues;
- reviews the results of the interviews with the recruiting team to ensure a thorough evaluation;
- contributes to the final hiring decision;
- informs the selector if the position will be withdrawn;
- collaborates with human resources to determine the potential new hire’s wages and predict any benefits.
What skills should a hiring manager have?
Such a transversal role requires equally transversal skills. Here are the main ones.
Ability to communicate: Knowing how to communicate with others, both verbally and in writing, is essential for a hiring manager. This skill can be useful both during the initial interview and when an email needs to be sent after the interview and to formalize an offer. Therefore, good writing skills and clear, precise and timely oral communication are necessary. Knowing how to be empathetic is just as important.
Judgment: As we have seen, hiring managers make important decisions during the hiring process. Good judgment involves knowing how to accurately and substantially evaluate potential candidates so that the one who best suits the needs of the position can be selected.
Time management: For particularly coveted positions, the hiring manager may need to meet many candidates, an activity that, among other things, requires a great deal of accuracy. That is why it is important to know how to manage your time, both to complete the selection process effectively and to avoid burnout.
Ability to work in a team: The hiring process often involves the advice of multiple members of the company and the support of an internal recruiting team or external consultants. It is up to the hiring manager to facilitate open and effective communication between team members and everyone involved in order to evaluate candidates and to find the best ones.
Negotiation: After the person for the position has been chosen, the hiring manager participates or leads the business negotiations. This translates into the need to have excellent negotiating skills so that both the company and the person to be hired are satisfied. Underestimating this last point could lead to the hired person being disappointed and frustrated and therefore the possibility of leaving the job.
Adaptability: In ever-changing work environments, a hiring manager must be able to manage the continuously changing priorities, technologies, and team dynamics. This includes adapting to labour market developments, organisational changes and job roles. For example, a hiring manager needs to stay informed on emerging industry trends and incorporate this knowledge into the job descriptions and hiring strategies.
Problem solving: A hiring manager must have strong problem-solving skills to address issues such as communication difficulties, team cohesion and collaboration, and time zone differences, for example. Critical thinking and the ability to independently rationalize can allow a hiring manager to quickly find effective solutions. Engaging in regular group brainstorming sessions or problem-solving workshops can hone these skills.
Industry experience: To properly interview candidates and assess their skills, a hiring manager must have a good understanding of the industry in which the company operates. An overview of the area, the professional figures and the main skills is therefore essential to carry out the job and coordinate the team.
The difference between hiring managers and recruiters
In larger companies, with more structured HR teams, it is easier to come across the figure of the recruiter and the hiring manager. We often tend to confuse them, but the two roles are very different and neither one replaces the other. In fact, they are complementary figures.
Recruiters are responsible for creating a pool of qualified candidates for a given position, hiring managers are responsible for identifying and hiring the most qualified person among those involved. If this does not happen, the hiring manager needs to inform the recruiter so that the search can be restarted and a new list of candidates can be obtained.
In addition to identifying candidates, hiring managers represent a point of contact between candidates and the organization, especially during contract negotiations.
Let’s summarize the main differences.
Recruiter
- works on multiple open positions in different departments;
- looks for candidates for open roles and distributes the job offers;
- selects the best candidates;
- conducts pre-selection interviews;
- evaluates candidates based mainly on overall skills and cultural affinity;
- communicates the final decision on the hiring.
Hiring Manager
- determines the hiring needs and creates a job description;
- examines shortlisted candidates;
- conducts final interviews;
- focuses more on the candidate’s suitability for the specific role and team;
- makes the final decision on hiring;
- has an active role in defining gross annual remuneration and benefits.
Why does the company need both a recruiter and a hiring manager?
A strong relationship between recruiters and hiring managers is essential to ensure that everyone knows their responsibilities, that the selection process is smooth for everyone involved, and that the right person is hired for the right role.
Here are some benefits that come with having a solid relationship.
More effective and faster selection process
Recruiters and hiring managers work in synergy to optimize the time to hire without compromising the quality of hiring. Smooth collaboration ensures a quicker and more targeted selection.
Higher quality candidates
A recruiter who thoroughly understands the needs of the hiring manager will be able to identify the right talents, reducing any mismatch between the role and the candidate. This leads to more precise selections and a better performing team.
Better candidate experience
An organized selection process, with clear communications and reduced time, improves the candidate experience. This reduces the risk that top talent will choose the competition due to delays or uncertainties in the process.
Reduced new hire turnover
When recruiters and hiring managers are aligned on choosing the ideal candidate, onboarding is more effective and increases employee retention. Accurate matching reduces turnover and improves company stability.
Faster resolution of critical issues
A relationship of trust between recruiters and hiring managers allows any obstacles (such as a low number of qualified applications or misaligned expectations) to be confronted in a more agile and strategic way, avoiding delays or hasty decisions.
For HR, investing in improving the collaboration between recruiters and hiring managers is not only good practice, but a winning strategy to attract, select and retain the best talent.