Today's job market is an all-out battlefield, and the fight for top talent is cutthroat. The battle is particularly fierce when it comes to vying for the attention of exceptional individuals with scarce in-demand skills who can drive their organisations forward. The secret weapon in this battle is you, the hiring manager.
A report from the Society for Human Resource Management(SHRM) reveals that companies with more involved hiring managers are 21% more likely to achieve higher quality hires.
You’re like the MVPs of recruitment, yet the role often goes unsung.
While HR teams play a vital role in recruitment, the hiring manager's role rules when it comes to attracting top talent. Here’s why:
Hiring managers know the job inside out and have an intricate understanding of the specific skills and attributes needed to excel in the position. They can engage in nuanced discussions about the role, offering valuable insights that HR can’t. In a recent survey, 61% of talent acquisition professionals stated that hiring managers' involvement in the interview process is crucial for understanding the specific skills and attributes needed for a role.
Determining cultural fit is crucial when hiring top talent. Hiring managers are typically more in tune with their team's dynamics and can better assess whether someone will thrive within the company's culture.
For technical positions,hiring managers are often the Jedi Masters. They can evaluate candidates'technical skills and expertise with a higher degree of accuracy than HR. A Harvard Business Review article backed this up, saying 65% of technical experts prefer interviews with others who have technical expertise and that companies that involve hiring managers throughout the process are more likely to make successful technical hires.
Building a strong rapport with talent is essential, especially in a competitive labour market. Hiring managers can establish a more personal connection with potential hires, making them feel valued and appreciated, particularly important for top talent who puta lot of emphasis on the hiring manager when weighing up how attractive an opportunity is.
“Ultimately the candidate wants to speak to the hiring manager, not HR. It’s just one of many reasons why our strategy is to work with hiring managers to take on recruitment responsibility. It’s also scalable and helps to transfer and embed culture. It’s my job to facilitate and enable the hiring managers to do this as well as possible to get the business where it needs to be.”
Your responsibility as a hiring manager spans the entire recruitment process, from the initiation to look for talent to the final offer.How you act at each stage massively impacts the company’s ability to hire thevery best quality talent and the speed at which they can do so.
So, what’s the difference between an average hiring manager and a great one? Are you wielding your power to the fullest?
By recognising your pivotal role as the hiring manager and using this checklist to gauge your performance, you can position yourself to be effective in securing the top talent your company needs to grow. It's time to go from average to amazing!
“If a company truly believes that people are their biggest asset, then the hiring manager who is responsible for hiring and developing those people plays a massive role in driving the success of the business.”