How Hiring Managers and Recruitment Firms Can Work Together

Categories: IT Recruitment Advice, Recruitment Advice, Trends and Learning

How Hiring Managers and Recruitment Firms Can Work Together

Your company’s recruitment success depends on many factors. For one, candidates prefer a short and well-laid-out application process that lets them move from the first step to the next fast enough.

Another consideration for jobseekers is the interview process, which they use as a basis in rating their candidate experience with your company. This is why there should be a positive relationship between your hiring managers and your recruitment consultant. When these two key players work as a team, the result is a streamlined hiring process that helps in attracting the right candidate.

However, it’s also possible for recruitment managers and recruitment agencies to encounter challenges in their hiring efforts. There might be unequal expectations between the two, and miscommunication happens at times, too.

Both teams need to develop the right strategies and mindset to avoid potential conflicts. After all, recruitment is a matter of knowing and agreeing as to who does what, when, and why.

Here are some tips for effective teamwork between hiring managers and recruiters:

Tips for Hiring Managers

1. Write clear job descriptions.

This enables your recruiter to focus on the skills that they should be looking for in candidates. If your job description is not crystal clear, your company could lose precious time in hiring, or your recruiter could turn in low-quality candidates.

Discuss with your recruiter if you want to strike a balance in your hires by assessing them based on skill and talent fit or if you want your recruiter to prioritize one over the other.

2. Let your recruiter know immediately about an open position.

Notify your recruiter right away when a position has been vacated or when there is a newly created role to be filled. You should do this as soon as you get approval from management to give your recruiter enough room to plan for candidate sourcing.

It will also enable your recruiter to allot time for meetings and seeking clarifications with you.

3. Review resumes quickly.

As the hiring manager, it is your responsibility to assess resumes that your recruiter forwards to you in a timely manner.

If it takes too long for you to respond to a job application, the candidate might choose to withdraw their application, and your recruiter must restart the sourcing process.

4. Prepare your interviewing team.

Once you have appointed an interviewing team, your next course of action is to make sure that they understand what you expect them to do. This includes reading the candidate’s resume and the job description before the interview schedule.

They should also report to you after they have interviewed with the candidate to provide feedback to your recruiter whether or not to move the candidate to the next stage in recruitment.

By staying on top of the interviewing process, you’re helping your recruiter provide a positive experience to your potential employees.

5. Remember to sell your company to candidates.

Between you and your recruiter, you have the upper hand when it comes to selling your company to candidates. Remember, it’s a candidate-driven market out there nowadays where companies have to woo prospective employees to avoid losing top-rated talent to competition.

Take advantage of your insider status to convince your candidate why they should choose your company as their next employer.

Tips for Recruiters

1. Perform internal and external research.

Before sourcing candidates, you need to qualify what the job role entails. Look at the company’s organizational chart and identifying in which team the successful candidate will be working.

Discuss with your hiring manager the specific functions that the potential employee will perform, along with the desirable skills and attributes that you should look for in candidates.

It’s also helpful if you determine industry benchmarks about skill sets, job responsibilities, and salary range. This way, you could bring up any inconsistencies between what your recruitment manager requires and what competitors are doing.

2. Point out potential deal-breakers to hiring managers.

Although each candidate is unique in terms of their strengths and weaknesses, and they also tend to have common concerns. They’re looking for a competitive package or may be hoping the company accommodates their request for telecommuting benefits.

What you can do is bring up these special considerations with your hiring manager so that there will be no wasteful use of time and resources in processing applications that do not match the company’s workplace policies or conditions.

3. Determine the company’s “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves.”

It’s not unusual for hiring managers to set high expectations and come up with job descriptions, which could turn out like a wish list of sort.

Be realistic about this matter by figuring out with your hiring manager what kind of pre-requisite skills your candidates should have and which ones they can learn on the job. This could help increase your chances of finding the ideal candidate.

4. Be candid about expected results.

A successful hiring manager-recruiter relationship requires a good mix of setting ground rules and reaching a compromise. While you’re expected to listen to your hiring manager’s expectations, you should also be honest with your limitations so that you could work them out with your hiring manager.

If, as an example, your hiring manager adds a new side process in your recruitment efforts, be sure to update your hiring timeframe with your manager.

5. Share sample screening resources.

Some hiring managers have the dilemma of what to do and not to do during candidate screening such as interviews. Use it as an opportunity to educate your manager about best practices in conducting interviews.

You could share sample interview questions or encourage your recruitment manager to use video tools for interviews.

Other Useful Tips

Keep communication lines open.

This applies to both hiring manager and recruiters who might have different working styles, so it’s important to let the other one know what you think.

In the same way, you should encourage your hiring partner to express their views.

Be consistent.

Once you’ve set up your standard hiring process, make sure to stick to it, as any deviation may create confusion and delays.

A smooth hiring process is beneficial for all – the hiring manager, the recruiter, and the candidate. If you need a recruitment firm in the Philippines, be sure to check out Manila Recruitment’s services. Our recruitment consultants are professionally trained to work with hiring managers every step of the way to help you find the talent that you need with greater success.


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Experience the Manila Recruitment difference, and give your business in the Philippines a competitive advantage by contacting us today. Whether you are exploring an offshore solution, or are an established entrepreneur, SME or Multinational in the Philippines, our team has the experience and a tailored recruitment solution to introduce you to the top talent in the Philippines.

Contact our Manila Recruitment team at hello@manilarecruitment.com.