The relationship between hiring managers and HR/Recruiting can be fraught with peril. When things are not working it’s chock-full of misconceptions, devoid of understanding, and characterized by passive-aggressive animosity.
Hiring Manager: “What are they doing over there? Why am I not getting any candidates for my open positions?”
HR: “What are they doing over there? Why aren’t they taking action on all the candidates we’ve screened and interviewed and forwarded for their consideration?”
And in our fast-paced, go-go, CONSTANTLY changing world of work (skills-based hiring, remote vs. hybrid, low unemployment, economic uncertainty, AI, etc. etc. etc.) getting this relationship rolling at top speed remains critical for business success, growth and, well, the sanity of all parties involved. Yet, far too often, this important partnership goes unreviewed and unrefreshed and the resulting cluster stagnates the entire hiring process.
So what to do? How to re-boot? After all, we share the same goal of – hiring the right people, for the right jobs, at the right time.
Define the word “right”
HR/Recruiting and hiring managers need to have a mutual understanding of what hiring the “right people” for the “right jobs” at the “right time” means.
Defining “right people” people includes ensuring clarity of the KSAs (knowledge, skills, and abilities) required for the job, understanding of companywide DE&I goals, and understanding and supporting company-wide diversity, equality, and inclusion goals, and training all involved on the company’s consistent and equitable hiring processes.
Understanding the “right jobs” should be reviewed in the context of understanding providing opportunities for existing employees and internal mobility – representative bad take: “sorry Joe; you may feel you’re in the wrong job but we can’t transfer you until you’re employed for 18 months per company policy.”
And, when we talk about the “right time”, we need to ensure that both sides understand the realistic time frames involved in hiring.
Clarify roles and expectations
There will be minimal success unless everyone involved is clear on “who does what and when.” While this can vary at each organization and will certainly change over time – for example when there is the introduction of new technology or HR roles are added – the key is to have the process defined … with accountabilities.
A typical breakdown of roles and responsibilities may look like this:
- HR/Recruiting: Architects of the process, handling system maintenance, managing requisitions, sourcing and recruiting, screening, interviewing, and forwarding candidates to hiring managers.
- Hiring Managers: Planning/forecasting, drafting job description, assisting with recruitment marketing, reviewing candidates, assembling the hiring team, conducting interviews, and providing feedback/making decision.
And please note: revisiting these roles and responsibilities regularly is vital to ensure they remain relevant.
Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
A service level agreement (SLA), much like the ones we have with our external vendors, can reinforce expectations and accountabilities. Outlining the expected level of service from each party and how that service is measured, an SLA might include metrics such as the minimum number of prospects to be added to the talent pool, the agreed timeframe for posting requisitions and commencing sourcing activities, and the stipulated time for reviewing, screening, and dispositioning applicants.
Share information | gain understanding
One of the most common points of failure in the HR and hiring manager partnership is a lack of shared information. From the HR side we should be sharing information such as labor market data (from the BLS, state DOL or even local Chambers of Commerce), trends and research, and, naturally, our internal recruiting metrics (sourced candidates, applications, time-in-stage, etc.)
If you’re a hiring manager, ensure your HR/Recruiting partners is aware of operational changes in your department, new staff productivity measures, new equipment, industry/function news, and anything to do with your workforce planning…including whether you intend to ‘build or buy” skills and talent.
Putting it together
Despite our best intentions, conflicts and misunderstandings can arise but we can work together (I have faith!) for success when we:
- communicate often and meet regularly
- assist as needed (“pssst. HR? Maybe you CAN offer to schedule interviews for that super over-worked manager who has a business critical deadline”)
- teach, train and reinforce learning opportunities
- hold each other accountable if the terms of the SLA are broken
Will it be a starry-eyed forever match where we place a Love Lock on a bridge? Probably not.
But it can be a FINE romance!
