Here is a list of 5 Questions Recruiters Must Ask Hiring Managers. And these five questions go to the heart of finding the right talent and retaining them.
In today highly competitive market for talent, and with unemployment at historically low levels, scarcity is the new norm. With digital tools such as Linkedin, finding a vast pool of potential talent is easy but finding the right person to fill the role is akin to the proverbial needle in a haystack.
Today HR departments are trying to become strategic partners of business and add value beyond the general administration and recordkeeping roles. Similarly, how do recruiters add value to the hiring process?
Recruiters (and some hiring managers) realize the concept of “Publish and Pray” is passé. Posting an ad on their own website and a slew of job boards may result in many submissions, but quality may be questionable.
So, it is important for recruiters to understand not just the candidate requirements but the why, who, and how aspects of the job. For example, a job requirement that says a minimum of bachelor degree and 15-years of experience as a project manager does not say much to support recruiting. Hence, a recruiter must try to find out what about the preferences, attributes, life, and work experiences, and the potential impact.
Having a coherent understanding of the what, why, and who will help in finding that elusive star and add it to the firm’s talent pool. And even if the recruitment effort is successful it may not be so in the long-term in retaining the talent.
5 Questions Recruiters Must Ask the Hiring Managers
(Of course, you can ask more, but these are the must-know questions.)
- Tell me more about the person you would prefer to hire beyond the education and experience requirements.
- How do you see the new hire making an impact within the team and the broader organization?
- Are you looking for a change agent or a custodian of sorts?
- What are the top three attributes you’d absolutely prefer to see in the candidate?
- Why are we hiring this person? What role will she/he fit in and what will be their career trajectory?
If you are a hiring manager, does your recruiter ask these questions?
If you are a recruiter, do you have a set of such questions to ask before trying to fill a job requirement?
And, if you are a candidate do you think the recruiter has a grasp of the role, the relevance, the impact, and long-term career path?
If the answer from any of the three perspectives is a no, then it is worth reexamining the process and including these five important questions to the initial planning and strategy phase of recruitment.