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In this insight, we look at ways to engage hiring managers in the recruitment process, giving them the tools, autonomy, and support to recruit effectively.
The responsibility for recruitment typically involves a mix of talent specialists, recruiters and hiring managers of varying degrees. Some organisations have a predominantly centralised recruitment function, and others may have much greater hiring manager responsibility.
In the UK 2023 Candidate Attraction Survey, when respondents were asked who is responsible for sourcing candidates, hiring managers represented a large proportion of involvement across all company sizes (see page 10 of the report).
In this insight, we look at ways to engage hiring managers in the recruitment process, giving them the tools, autonomy, and support to recruit effectively.
“Hiring manager engagement and autonomy are improved. Hiring managers can raise vacancies, review applications, create interviews, raise a draft offer, and request and send for authorisation. No longer having to make multiple calls to track activity has freed up time across the branch network and provides full transparency with a dedicated recruitment system……. Previously, this involved a time-consuming activity of phone calls to managers in branches, often multiple times to track them down, chasing actions/availability and then phoning candidates”. GSF Group
Having hiring managers involved in the recruitment process, working collaboratively with other stakeholders can speed up the recruitment process, reduce time spent scheduling interviews and communicating with candidates.
To achieve this, hiring managers require the right tools to manage elements of the recruitment process that are right for your business and to be engaged and confident in using those tools.
Hiring Manager needs
Hiring managers often have the best knowledge of the requirement of the vacancy demands from the candidate. Knowing the needs of hiring managers and providing a practical approach to improve candidate engagement, speed up the recruitment process and be proactive with recruitment will ultimately deliver better results.
A modern E-recruitment strategy will consider the needs of hiring managers. Unfortunately, this often means giving hiring managers access to a cumbersome ATS and expecting them to learn its intricacies — resulting in low adoption rates and a breakdown in the online recruitment process. This checklist will help you identify how you currently meet the needs of your hiring managers and which areas could improve communication and collaboration.
Tips to engage
Often, applicant tracking systems don’t offer an equal experience for hiring managers as they do for recruitment teams. Here are some tips for buy-in and engagement:
Research how hiring managers can be included in the recruitment process with your ATS. Is the ATS functionally rich? What is the UX like?
Investigate how hiring managers can be supported to embrace all the functionality of the ATS. Does the technology support the hiring manager’s role in the recruitment process?
Does the ATS functionality provide a platform to review and provide feedback on all candidates and reduce lengthy and formal email conversations, where every team member can communicate in one place?
Identify how hiring managers' permissions can be determined so controls can be set for access levels to edit vacancies, provide feedback following interviews, accept/reject candidates, view reference collection and access recruitment reports.
This is crucial – how are hiring managers trained in using recruitment tools? Provide hiring managers with training in multiple formats relevant to the audience – online training, web-based training, classroom training and bespoke videos embedded into the recruitment tech – check what your ATS vendor can provide. Have a knowledge base of training for hiring managers to refer to or for new starters to use.
Free Resource!
Download the GSF Group Case Study and read how they got buy-in from the hiring manager community to make fundamental improvements to the recruitment process.
Contact Eploy for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) Expertise
At Eploy, we offer a highly configurable Applicant Tracking System designed to help you attract, hire, and speed up the process of recruitment. Get in touch with our specialist team at Eploy to find out how we can help you meet your recruitment goals or schedule a personalised demo. No hard sell, no strings attached. Just some winning ideas to help you with your recruitment process.
