Hiring Managers have a host of responsibilities in their day-to-day lives, but if talent initiatives aren’t made a priority for your entire company, recruiting can quickly fall to the bottom of the task list. In a decentralized recruiting process where HR professionals rely on their hiring managers in the field to review and engage their candidates, major gaps in the recruiting process can become apparent without an effective recruitment management tool like an applicant tracking system. This type of technology is the best way to ensure that your company is gaining a competitive advantage by filling jobs faster with top talent. Here’s a list of reasons why your managers should be involved in the recruiting process:
It Gives Them Buy-In to the Hiring Decision
What hiring manager doesn’t want to have a say as to who is on their team? A poor hiring decision affects more than just team performance, it affects the company’s bottom line. By making them team captain, it empowers them to get their pick of the draw and build their bench of qualified employees.
They Know the Job Better Than You
Let’s face it, as much as you know the “nice-to-haves” vs. your “must-haves” in a job description, your Hiring Managers are living and breathing those roles and responsibilities. They know what makes a person succeed in that role because they did it themselves. They also know the existing dynamic of the team and what hard or soft skills are needed to strengthen that team.
It Holds Them Accountable
By giving your Hiring Manager access to the ATS, the onus falls on them to quickly review and engage their candidates. This gives HR the visibility into your process by seeing a full audit trail of emails sent, events and activities scheduled and comments made about the candidates. If you are having a tough time filling a position, this is the first place you should look.
The fate of the new hire lies in the hands of the Hiring Manager. Without the proper tools and training in place, your hire could be out the door in 90 days if they are not properly onboarded into your organization. Check out our previous blog post about how attrition is a bottom line killer!
Streamlined Recruitment Tools for Hiring Managers
When rolling out any new technology to your managers, it can seem overwhelming, and if a clear process isn’t in place, it is sure to result in poor user-adoption over time. An ATS can be set-up for manager success by making it as easy as possible for them to review candidates. For example, you can limit the workflow steps that they can move candidates in or out of like “Phone Screen” or “Future Interest,” but eliminate the hired flow so they don’t have to worry about creating offer letters or chasing after new hire documents. This not only help you define your process, but helps your managers adhere to it.
A decentralized recruiting process might not work for every organization, and for some HR Professionals, the mere thought of sharing sensitive candidate information with their Hiring Managers can be daunting, but with simple recruitment tools in place, you can streamline your recruiting process and improve your candidate experience with your company.
