Do these phrases describe some of your hiring managers?
- “I send them resumes and they don’t get back to me”.
- “I don’t get feedback from them after interviews.”
- “They want to offer them less than they are making now.”
- “They don’t know how to sell an opportunity.”
While many hiring managers can be described as finicky at best, often times I find that these are symptoms of the real problem – credibility (or lack thereof) with the hiring managers.
Do you have credibility with your hiring managers?
How many of these questions can you answer with a “YES”?
- Do you sit in on your hiring managers weekly/monthly status meetings? Are you on the agenda to discuss recruitment/employment activity, status, etc.?
- Do you assist your hiring managers (and HR) in developing headcount forecasts? Succession planning? Do you know their projected/budgeted hiring needs for the year? Quarter? etc.?
- Do have a strong functional knowledge of what their organization does?
- Do you have detailed knowledge of the labor market for the skill sets you recruit for?
- Who are you competitors? Who are their top performers? What do they get paid?
- What are alternative sources of candidates?
- Do you have a defined hiring process and set Service Level Agreements with your managers?
- Do you deliver quality, passive candidates for their needs?
- Do your hiring managers understand and appreciate how you source candidates?
- Do your hiring managers allow you to schedule candidates for interviews with them WITHOUT reviewing resume/credentials?
If you could answer “yes” to the following questions – you probably have credibility with your hiring managers. If you were not able to answer yes – this might be an area for personal development and growth as we head into the New Year! 
How can you build credibility?
Consulting with organizations/recruiters around the country, I have found that recruiters build credibility by:
- Defining and controlling the hiring process.
- Setting Service Level Agreements with hiring managers.
- Having a “seat at the table” by participating in operational/staff meetings (recruitment is an agenda item).
- Having a strong functional knowledge of what their line of business is.
- Being aware of their Hiring Managers hiring needs and how it impact’s their business.
- Understanding the labor market for the job families they recruit for.
Simply put, they function as an internal consultant and expert on recruiting/assessment/hiring within the organization. They are a respected peer and are viewed to be a credible source for their expertise (recruitment).
I have already touched on The Most Important Service Level Agreement, please check it out. In the coming weeks, I will provide more helpful/tactical information on the other ways you can build credibility.