Last updated on Jul 22, 2024

How do you foster a culture of trust and partnership with your hiring manager and hiring team?

As a full-life cycle recruiter, you are responsible for managing the entire hiring process from sourcing to closing candidates. But you can't do it alone. You need to collaborate effectively with your hiring manager and hiring team, who are the key stakeholders and decision-makers in your talent acquisition strategy. How do you foster a culture of trust and partnership with them? Here are some tips to help you build strong relationships and align your goals and expectations.

1 Understand their needs

The first step to establishing trust and partnership with your hiring manager and hiring team is to understand their needs and challenges. What are the skills, competencies, and cultural fit they are looking for in their ideal candidate? What are their pain points and priorities in their current role and team? How do they measure success and performance? By asking these questions and listening to their answers, you can gain valuable insights into their perspective and preferences, and tailor your sourcing and screening strategies accordingly.

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Karen Hartshorn, CSAM, CPC

Connecting Excellence With Purpose, Bridging The Gap For Companies and Candidates
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Prioritize understanding: Dive deep into the hiring team's needs, challenges, and vision. This means going beyond the job description to grasp Active listening skills Tailor your approach - Use the insights gained to customize your sourcing and screening strategies. Regular communication: Establish a consistent feedback loop. Provide updates on the hiring process and seek input at key stages. This keeps the hiring team engaged and builds confidence in your partnership. There are many more, however, these are at the top of the list which I find to be most important in fostering partnerships with the hiring manager and/or team

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Daryna Kravchenko

Senior IT Recruitment Consultant | Growth Mindset + Recruiting Insider
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Know the hiring manager's needs from the start. Hiring managers don’t always know right away what they want from the open role, or exactly how to communicate their talent needs. This is why asking the right questions will get you to gather valuable insights.

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2 Communicate regularly and transparently

The second step to fostering trust and partnership with your hiring manager and hiring team is to communicate regularly and transparently. This means keeping them updated on the status and progress of your pipeline, sharing feedback and data, and soliciting their input and opinions. It also means being honest and realistic about the challenges and opportunities in the market, setting clear expectations and timelines, and addressing any issues or concerns promptly and professionally. By communicating frequently and openly, you can avoid misunderstandings, build rapport, and demonstrate your value and expertise.

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Daryna Kravchenko

Senior IT Recruitment Consultant | Growth Mindset + Recruiting Insider
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Here are some ideas for the kick-off meeting with the hiring team: → What will the person be responsible for (projects, impact, etc.)? → What pain points will the hire solve? → What qualifications, skill sets, and tool proficiency must they come with? → Which skills and qualifications are nice-to-haves? → What will their day-to-day look like? What tasks does it entail? You can add questions such as: → How will you measure their success? → What challenges are typical (or what challenges do you foresee) in hiring for this role?

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3 Involve them in the process

The third step to fostering trust and partnership with your hiring manager and hiring team is to involve them in the process. This means inviting them to participate in the sourcing, screening, interviewing, and closing stages of the hiring cycle, and leveraging their knowledge, skills, and networks. It also means empowering them to make decisions, giving them feedback and recognition, and supporting their development and growth. By involving them in the process, you can create a sense of ownership, engagement, and accountability among your hiring partners, and ensure a consistent and positive candidate experience.

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Daryna Kravchenko

Senior IT Recruitment Consultant | Growth Mindset + Recruiting Insider
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I would suggest here to use data. Use software to your advantage. Data will help to answer any remaining questions you have about the open role, and to help your hiring manager understand what the talent market looks like and what they can expect in terms of candidate quality and time-to-hire.

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4 Align on the goals and outcomes

The fourth step to fostering trust and partnership with your hiring manager and hiring team is to align on the goals and outcomes. This means defining and agreeing on the objectives, metrics, and deliverables of your hiring process, and aligning them with the business strategy and vision. It also means tracking and measuring your performance, results, and impact, and celebrating your achievements and learnings. By aligning on the goals and outcomes, you can ensure a shared vision, direction, and purpose among your hiring partners, and demonstrate your contribution and value.

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Daryna Kravchenko

Senior IT Recruitment Consultant | Growth Mindset + Recruiting Insider
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After you help identify the hiring manager’s needs, prepare the job description, and decide on interviewers, there’s still the work of sourcing talent, screening, testing, and shortlisting before the first round of interviews even happens. Aligning on the goals and outcomes is essential for a successful full life cycle recruiting.

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5 Seek feedback and improvement

The fifth step to fostering trust and partnership with your hiring manager and hiring team is to seek feedback and improvement. This means asking for and giving constructive feedback on your hiring process, practices, and performance, and identifying areas of strength and opportunity. It also means learning from your successes and failures, implementing best practices and innovations, and adapting to changing needs and demands. By seeking feedback and improvement, you can foster a culture of continuous learning, growth, and excellence among your hiring partners, and enhance your skills and competencies.

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Karen Hartshorn, CSAM, CPC

Connecting Excellence With Purpose, Bridging The Gap For Companies and Candidates
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Seeking feedback and pursuing continuous improvement are critical elements in fostering trust and partnership with hiring managers and teams. This approach demonstrates your commitment to excellence and adaptability. Here's how to effectively implement this strategy. One of the ways is to regularly reassess hiring priorities with managers

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Daryna Kravchenko

Senior IT Recruitment Consultant | Growth Mindset + Recruiting Insider
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The biggest advice in any human interaction is to build trust. → Be up-front about your limitations. → Be up-front about how reasonable their expectations are. The better you know the hiring team's business function, the more credibility you have with your hiring manager, and the stronger an advisor you’ll be when it comes to crafting meaningful job descriptions and suggesting alternative talent pools.

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6 Build rapport and trust

The sixth step to fostering trust and partnership with your hiring manager and hiring team is to build rapport and trust. This means developing a personal and professional relationship with them, based on mutual respect, understanding, and appreciation. It also means showing interest and curiosity in their work and lives, expressing gratitude and appreciation, and having fun and humor. By building rapport and trust, you can create a positive and collaborative atmosphere among your hiring partners, and strengthen your bond and loyalty.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you foster a culture of trust and partnership with your hiring manager and hiring team?

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1 Understand their needs

2 Communicate regularly and transparently

3 Involve them in the process

4 Align on the goals and outcomes

5 Seek feedback and improvement

6 Build rapport and trust

7 Here’s what else to consider

Full-life Cycle Recruiting

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