What if your hiring manager isn’t?

I’m concerned for talent acquisition pros after the BS of the 2020s so far.

I see people-pleasing and keeping-head-low behaviour created by job insecurity.

Burnout is rife.

Good people are leaving the profession.

Company leaders no longer see the value in setting the people who hire the people (who decide the company’s fate) up for success so they are under-resourced, underfunded and undervalued. Imagine what would happen if they treated the people who acquire the company’s clients the same way! 😳

Now it’s a chicken or egg situation. TA pros need respect, partnership and to prove their value, even if they are concerned about job security. But they are often so overloaded they simply don’t have the energy.

So what if shifting the mindset started with rethinking your managers’ capabilities?

Imagine interviewing your manager to determine their suitability for the role of hiring manager. Would they qualify or be rejected in the first round?

Hiring manager interview

Recruiter: Tell me about your hiring experience.

Grumpy Hiring Manager: I have twenty years of experience – I don’t have time for this! Clearly, I know what I am doing.

Recruiter: It sounds it! So I don’t waste your time later, what did that entail specifically?

Resistant Hiring Manager: Interviewing people after you send me CVs, obviously. I do that until I see who I am after. So can you get back to your job?

Recruiter: That sounds costly. How many hours on average do you spend interviewing for each role?

Surprised Hiring Manager: Erm, maybe 50.

Recruiter: Yikes. How do you manage your workload and hiring at the same time? Sounds stressful with your workload. Plus that’s a big cost to the business each time.

Becoming honest Hiring Manager: Recruiting is tedious. Why is it so hard?

Recruiter: In my experience, because too little time is invested at the beginning of the process. Do you know Bob in Finance? He used to encounter the same but found that by giving me 1 hour at the start of the process and being a communicative hiring partner, his time investment per role reduced by over 35 hours!

Engaged Hiring Manager: Wow, what does that entail?

Recruiter: A little more prep at the beginning. In-depth discussion about who you really need to hire so we can attract more suitable people; agreed timelines and feedback loops so you are not stressed about your project deliverables and your reputation remains intact; working together to make it a success.

Wowed Hiring Manager: Gosh, I had no idea!

Recruiter: I am not here to waste anyone’s time or money, or create hassle. So, about this role… how will you know at the end of 12 months you’ve hired the right person? (HT Steve Levy 💛)

Helpful Hiring Manager: Well… says a load of stuff not on the job spec.

Recruiters ignore their job titles

In fact, call them managers or hiring partners because you manage the hiring process and they simply sign off the hire!

I get it, some of your managers have intimidating job titles or decades of experience. Heck, they could be near retirement and believe they are great at hiring, but they can still do it better!

82% of managers here in the UK are accidental, which means they’ve not had proper leadership training, let alone the training to confidently know and articulate who they need to hire. They don’t understand the implications of their behaviour. [Hence I wrote Reboot Hiring 📙 for them!]

Don’t assume that they know how to recruit effectively just because they have been interviewing for a while! Instead, look for an in – like the wasted hours above – that shows you understand that business is about profitability and productivity. Keep it focused on what is in it for them and the company.

It is highly unlikely they know how to source, engage, attract, woo, convert, follow up, offer or reject, and the numerous other things that go into hiring people. People who are quirky and have thoughts, feelings and emotions, and an internet full of other options.

Enter meetings confidently: I help hire the people who decide the fate of this company!

With the mindset: I am the one qualified to run this process; I am the recruiter! Let’s go.

Want help with this? Check out my workshops & webinars, books or mentoring!