Tired of chasing hiring managers for feedback?
A few days ago, I asked for the number one reason that recruiters have to chase feedback and received some excellent responses.
As I would expect from such a talented TA pro, Jo Dellicott gave a great reply, ‘There are a few reasons and I think it’s our job to understand each Hiring Manager.
- Some just think they don’t need to give feedback. Probably old school and stuck in the days where HMs had the attitude “You should be honoured to work for us”
- They are new to the gig and don’t want to face rejection, they probably liked the candidate and got on well with them which has made the rejection process harder so . . . if I ignore it the problem will go away.
- They don’t have time to think about it and in their mind when they are balancing project demands then feedback to a candidate is down the pecking order.
- They are tyre-kicking and don’t need to fill a role.’
I don’t consider these the real reason; they are fabulous explanations or even excuses, and certainly legitimate (sorry Jo!).
However, I believe there is one fundamental reason that they need to be chased.
The issue with chasing hiring managers
Ok, I know, I know, not all hiring managers are bad but they do impact your mental health. And even forgiving them with the valid justifications Jo denotes and with the others you thought of as you read hers, let’s look at this as a business.
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Your annual salary =
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52 weeks minus your annual leave = ____ working weeks
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Annual salary divided by working weeks divided by hours worked each week = Β£$β¬ per hour.
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Write that figure on a sticky note and put it on your monitor or laptop.
Now tally up how many hours are wasted chasing, losing applicants, starting the hiring process again… and times that by your hourly wage.
For sh*ts and giggles, divide up your manager’s salary too and have a go at working out how much money the company loses when they’re slow and you lose an applicant and start again, etc. For even more fun, add in all the other people involved in interviewing; how much did that cost?
Now consider this from the perspective of your company leaders. πΈ They are under pressure to cut costs and it’s critical to think strategically when interacting with them.
This is one of the many reasons I am teaching talent acquisition and recruiters to speak business as part of next week’s one-off live online training. In my 21 years in the profession, I have never felt it more vital for TA & recruiters to prove their value and use critical thinking. Check it out!
How to stop chasing hiring managers
In the one-off training, I’ll be sharing loads of micro-actions that make hiring effective and less emotionally taxing without investing more time… but back to this bothersome chore.
What if I told you that you can stop the incessant need to chase your hiring managers for feedback, or anything for that matter, just by finding their pain point?
It is easy to think that a vacancy is painful enough, but if it were, hiring managers would never mess you around. Instead, they find it easy to deprioritise answering your emails. DMs, Slacks, texts, calls and carrier pigeons.
Assuming that hiring managers know that feedback is a critical part of finding the right person – you have told them why, right? – they would be doing anything they could to give you what you need to fill the role if filling it eradicated the pain.
But a vacant role isn’t the real reason.
You need to unearth the pain they are avoiding or that is being created while this vacancy is open.
Engage your critical thinking. Use your curiosity! Get your hiring manager thinking; they’ll respect you for it (plus flexing your critical thinking is great practice for improving AI prompt output! π¦Ύ)
Discover the true pain or personal cost. The one that is motivating enough that they will do anything to help you fill this role, including giving you quick and useful feedback!
Then use this pain to negotiate a respectful partnership framework/set of expectations.
…and it will stop Jo’s fourth point! Because you’ll find out early that they’re tyre-kicking (π€¬) and stop wasting your irreplaceable time and the company’s money!!
Look at your sticky note again. πΈ
It’s time to get strategic.
P.S. If you want to know how to find the drivers of your hiring manager’s behaviour or if you’d like to feel more confident partnering with them, consider this training. It’s a minor investment (recordings are available) to transform your talent acquisition and career and improve your mental health and well-being. (I have zero plans to run it again live; not a gimmick!).
I know, I know! I’m banging on about it but if you read this far, your hiring managers can’t be saints and I can give you the tools to make your recruiter-life a whole load less stressful! Think no more hunting unicorns, burnout, imposter syndrome, petty escalations, and reduced job insecurity.
