The hiring manager and the recruiter are both professionals of utmost importance within the company selection process, but they play distinct roles. In this article we will analyse them both and understand why collaboration between one and the other is important to achieve business success and balance.

Who is the hiring manager?

This professional works with the HR team or recruiter to outline the skills, responsibilities and qualifications required for the role to be hired. Participates in interviews and assesses candidates to determine whether they meet the requirements of the position. Has a detailed knowledge of the specific requirements of the team and the role to be hired.

Based on the assessments and information gathered by the recruiter during the selection process, the hiring manager makes the final decision on hiring the best candidate. Once the candidate has been chosen, he or she can be involved in the onboarding process, helping the new employee to settle into the team and the company.

What skills must the hiring manager possess?

This professional is responsible for guiding the selection process and making effective choices to ensure that new team members are in line with the company’s needs. The competencies of a good hiring manager include:

• A deep understanding of the requirements of the role and the skills needed to fulfil the associated responsibilities.
• Ability to objectively assess candidates’ technical competences, soft skills and cultural fit through interviews and evaluations.
• Excellent communication skills to clearly convey the expectations of the position to candidates and to ensure transparent communication throughout the selection process.
• He/she must work as a team with the HR department or recruiter, ensuring close collaboration to identify the best talent and ensure an effective recruitment process.
• Ability to lead and manage the team, including the onboarding process and integration of new members.
• Ability to create a welcoming environment during the selection process.
• Ability to organise the selection process efficiently, respecting deadlines and ensuring an accurate assessment of candidates.
• Ability to adapt to change, as role requirements and labour market dynamics may vary.

Why is good collaboration between hiring managers and HR teams necessary?

The hiring manager has a detailed knowledge of the specific needs of the professional to be hired, while the HR team has expertise in attracting talent, managing selection processes and applying company policies. The collaboration between these two professionals allows them to combine their mutual expertise to identify and select the best candidates to bring into the company. 

The HR team is responsible for the planning of the selection process, including the publication of job offers, application management and interview scheduling. Collaboration with the hiring manager ensures that this process is aligned with the specific needs of the department.

In addition, the HR team often deals with issues related to corporate culture and employee relations management. Collaboration with the hiring manager ensures that the selected candidate fits into the corporate culture and adapts as best as possible to the team’s dynamics and expectations.

The benefits of good collaboration between hiring managers and hr teams

Close collaboration allows the selection process to be optimised: the HR team manages the recruiting operations, while the hiring manager provides detailed guidance on the requirements of the role, allowing the most suitable candidates to be attracted quickly.

This allows the HR team to better understand the context of the role and responsibilities to be filled by the new recruit, thus providing a deeper insight to recruiters when evaluating candidates. This reduces the risk of making mistakes and wasting time at the recruitment stage.

Who is the recruiter?

The term recruiter refers to a human resources (HR) professional or recruitment expert who is in charge of identifying, selecting and hiring new talent for a company.

These professionals are in charge of identifying suitable candidates for vacant roles, often using strategies such as online research, professional networking, the use of company databases or recruiting platforms. 

Recruiters handle selection interviews, both individually and in groups, assess resumes, and during the interview process check candidates’ technical competences and soft skills, trying to understand whether they meet the requirements of the role and can be properly integrated into the corporate culture. Once candidates have been selected, recruiters may be involved in negotiating offers, presenting them to candidates and coordinating the eventual recruitment process.

Differences between recruiters and hiring managers

The recruiter is a professional dedicated to recruitment. His main responsibility is to find qualified candidates for available roles. He/she manages the entire selection process: from the publication of job offers to the evaluation of CVs, from interviews to the selection of the best candidates. He/she is mainly in charge of attracting and selecting talent. This professional is involved in all stages of the selection and recruitment process. He/she manages the candidate pipeline, interacts with potential talent, schedules and conducts interviews, but is not always involved in the final assessment for recruitment. He/she has a broader view of the labour market and recruitment strategies. Despite having a general knowledge of the needs of the role, the recruiter may not have an in-depth understanding of the specific internal dynamics of the team and this is where the hiring manager comes in.

The latter is a key member of the company looking for a new professional to join its staff. He is the person responsible for the role to be filled and is familiar with the specific needs of the team. He/she defines the requirements of the role, interacts with recruiters to better understand the desired characteristics of the candidates and finally selects the best candidate for the position. Has a more direct and in-depth involvement in the selection process. He/she defines the prerequisites, actively participates in the final interviews, evaluates candidates according to their suitability for the position and makes the final hiring decision. 

To sum it all up, we can say that the recruiter – whether internal or external – focuses on the recruitment and selection process, while the hiring manager is the figure within the company that needs a new member for its team and therefore defines, guides and makes direct hiring decisions. As discussed in the previous paragraphs, the roles work together to ensure the correct identification and selection of the best professionals for open positions.

How to improve collaboration between hiring managers and recruiters

Improving the collaboration between hiring managers and recruiters will help ensure that the team’s expectations are aligned with the recruitment strategy, enabling them to find and select the ideal candidates for the company. Here are the best ways to make this happen:

• Create communication channels between hiring managers and recruiters to define regular times for updates and sharing information on role requirements, candidate feedback and changes to recruitment strategies.
• The hiring manager must communicate in detail to the recruiter the desired skills, experience and characteristics for the vacant role. This helps the recruiter to identify the most suitable potential future employees.
• Involving the hiring manager at crucial stages of the selection process can be helpful. His or her participation in the final interviews or evaluation of the most promising candidates can lead to more informed decisions.
• The hiring manager also provides detailed feedback to the recruiter on submitted candidates. This helps the recruiter to better understand the specific needs and to adjust the recruitment strategy, improving the quality of future proposals.
• Organising joint training sessions or workshops for recruiters and hiring managers can help improve understanding of their respective responsibilities and the processes involved in the recruitment process.
• Using shared tools and platforms can facilitate communication and information sharing between the two professionals.

Kilpatrick specialises in recruiting talent suited to the specific needs of companies: we offer a targeted service to identify successful hiring managers to enhance the recruitment process.

Our recruiting experts work closely with companies to understand their needs, identify ideal profiles and manage the selection process efficiently. We are dedicated to finding the most qualified candidates suited to the corporate culture on a daily basis, ensuring adequate synergy between recruiters and hiring managers. 

Contact us to find out how you can immediately establish a fruitful partnership that will make your business evolve and prosper.