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Without the right tools, searching for and hiring the ideal job candidate can be a painstaking process for hiring managers. Tasked with accessing the highest quality candidate pools, sorting through resumes, setting up multi-staged interviews, hiring, and onboarding, many organizations are catching onto the benefits of turning this into a joint process between a hiring manager and a recruiter.

Read on to learn why you need both a hiring manager and recruiter to optimize your workforce strategy.

In order to understand why organizations are reaping the maximum benefits by pairing the two positions in the hiring process, it's important to understand each of the roles independently. 

What does a Hiring Manager do?

The hiring manager is the person who requests a new position to be filled within the organization. Typically, this individual has a strong understanding of the company's operations, departments, and the ideal candidate profile. As the initiator of the position, the hiring manager heads the selection process. Although other internal stakeholders may weigh-in, the hiring manager is the final decision-maker when it comes to candidate selection.

For many businesses, the hiring manager isn't a full-time position, rather a department manager, or even a higher-level executive like a Chief of Operations (COO). Because of this, the individual has numerous job responsibilities outside of the hiring process, including managing the new hire. The process of filling an open position can be an enormous burden for a hiring manager, above and beyond their typical job duties.

Here are common responsibilities of hiring managers:

• Evaluate the candidate's potential and decide who moves forward in the interview process
• Communicate the suitability of the candidate and potential sourcing changes
• Conduct second-round interviews with job seekers after they've been vetted by the recruiter
• Coordinate with internal teams to set up interviews
• Make the final rejection or hiring decisions

What does a Recruiter do?

The main goal of a recruiter is to search for top-quality potential hires and build a strong candidate pool. A successful recruiter has a strong sense of the industry they're hiring for and is knowledgeable about job seekers and the job market. They may be aware of changing trends that could impact the sourcing and hiring process, like knowing about a nearby company's imminent layoffs. Unlike hiring managers who are responsible for managing the new employee, recruiters manage the process itself.

Here are common responsibilities of recruiters:

• Build a large candidate pool and recommend job seekers to the hiring manager
• Conduct first-round vetting of potential candidates to narrow the selection
• Leverage their network of connections including reaching out to passive candidates
• Help to train hiring managers on the interview process and communication techniques
• Recommend assessment methods to limit bias when evaluating candidates

Many organizations, especially smaller ones, choose to outsource their recruitment needs. The hiring manager works directly with the outsourced recruiter to define the open position. Then the recruiter uses his or her industry-specific expertise to find and vet quality candidates to present to the hiring manager.

Why do you need both?

Hiring managers and recruiters share the common goal of filling open positions with the best possible candidates in a timely manner. Often, working with a recruiter, especially someone who is outsourced, can help bridge the gap between the organization and the outside candidate pool.

The hiring manager has the inside knowledge of the company's culture, the needs of the organization, and the requirements of the open position. The recruiter has expertise related to industry, the hiring process, and the job market. This tag-team effort delivers an air-tight, fully optimized recruitment process, leading to higher-quality applicants and a speedier hiring process.

Reach out to FrankCrum Staffing for more information on finding a recruiter and how we can use our expertise to find your organization top-quality candidates.