A Guide for New Hiring Managers

The role of a hiring manager is to hire qualified candidates for open positions in a company. Hiring managers work as a separate team or as a part of the HR department, which manages the interview and hiring processes.

• Identifying the staffing requirement for a substitution or new position.
• Getting approval from the head of the concerned department to open a job application for that requirement.
• Planning the hire.
• Writing accurate and effective job descriptions to attract the most suitable candidates for the role.
• Defining roles and responsibilities for the hiring team as well as identifying prospects for the interview.
• Posting the job on portals and screening incoming resumes.
• Setting up interviews and conducting post-interview evaluations.
• Participate in the final hiring decision, obtaining executive approvals, and effectively managing the hiring team throughout the recruitment process.
• Defining details of the position and extending the job offer.
• Negotiating offers with the shortlisted candidates and obtaining written acceptance of offer.

Recall the first job interview you ever attended? Do you remember how you felt – prepared, anxious, confident, unsure, even desperate? There was a whole gamut of conflicting emotions involved.
Now think for a second about what that other person on the opposite side conducting the interview must have been thinking. The screening can be as frightening for the hiring manager as it is for the candidate especially if the hiring manager is just starting out.

It is recommended that the hiring manager define and follow a structured interview process. What is a structured interview? Structured interviews simply mean that the hiring manager comes prepared with a set of predetermined questions. The hiring manager may consult with the respective departments which have initiated the resource request for formulating these questions. Research shows that structured interviews are twice as effective as unstructured interviews in determining successful hires.

• Face-to-face interviews
• Telephone interviews
• Survey/questionnaires

• Open-ended questions
• Closed-ended questions
• Multiple choice questions

• Start with small talk
• Ask the questions, as planned
• Observe body language
• Listen more than you talk
• Take notes
• Allow the candidate to ask questions

• Talk about your company
• Never make promises to the candidate
• Score responses
• Review reference checks
• Thank the candidate

• Create a list of questions that directly relate to the job’s responsibilities
• Ask behavioral questions
• Review the applicant’s resume before the interview
• Plan the interview structure for the candidate
• Don’t talk too much during the interview process
• Extend professional courtesies and make candidates feel comfortable talking to you
• Lookout for nonverbal signals
• While being polite and professional, don’t get too sociable
• Whether it’s by email or phone, follow up

• Evaluate candidates
• Find out more about the actual person behind the resume
• Own the decision to hire or not hire a candidate.
• Keep in communication with a recruiter on the candidate pool.
• Make an offer to the selected candidate.

• Deliver the best possible candidate pool to the hiring manager.
• Communicate and help the hiring managers with proper methodologies for hiring.
• Attract candidates for positions.

Hire Wintegrity! We are committed to finding candidates who are the best fit for your company. Visit the website www.wintegrity.com or call 855-281-0707 or Contact Phil LaColla, Director of Strategic Accounts, by email at phill@wintegrity.com .