Fact: some hiring managers are fundamentally more difficult to support and work with than other hiring managers. You know what I’m talking about. Unlike their more mainstream peers, difficult hiring managers can adversely impact key aspects of the talent acquisition process. Regrettably, as relates to candidate engagement and candidate interviews, these individuals have been blessed with a tremendous ability to regularly shoot themselves in the foot.

In this two-part Blog, I’m going to address several strategies that can help you to forge better hiring manager relationships, and simultaneously realize a happier overall existence. But, first let me take you back in time: A few years ago, I delivered a training presentation on the relationship between employment branding and candidate experience to a group of talent acquisition leaders.  My presentation addressed key qualities that candidates consciously or subconsciously evaluate when considering a prospective employer. In preparing for this presentation, I created what I refer to as the Candidate Hierarchy of Wants & Needs.

In short, I set out to capture a baseline list of workplace attributes that candidates would regard as being important, desirable, or essential when considering a prospective employer.  As you can appreciate, “Likeable Peers & Managers” easily made my list. I mean, after all, who’s going to say, “Nah…I don’t really need to “Like” the people I work with….” The next time your killing time at the water cooler, ask your colleagues if they would join an employer, despite not liking or respecting prospective peers or managers. Most – if not all – are going to quickly respond by saying, “No Thanks!”

As recruiters, we are left with an interesting quandary:  How do we help difficult or challenging hiring authorities help themselves (or at least avoid hurting themselves)?  How do we help candidates get past the brusque, or abrasive, or tepid, or milk toast demeanor exhibited by some hiring managers? In addressing these questions, it is worth noting that while working with a difficult hiring authority can present real challenges, these situations can also present opportunities to deliver a real value-add to our organization (or client firm). If we can help a difficult hiring manager optimize his or her approach to engaging and interviewing candidates, we are likely to realize better outcomes. If we can help to equip difficult hiring managers with a game plan that will yield a more fluid hiring process, we are far more likely to earn their respect. Heck, we may even grow to be regarded as a trusted advisor.  But, how exactly, do we accomplish this? What can we do or say that will positively influence a difficult hiring manager’s perspective and behavior towards candidate prospects, (and perhaps even to us)?

As with most things in recruiting, our success in working with any hiring manager comes down to effective communications. There are several communication strategies that you may find to be useful, especially when working with a difficult hiring manager whose personality, expectations, or work style are off-putting: In particular, however, you must be a Proactive Communicator:  Most individuals try to limit their communications with difficult colleagues. But, if you’re working with an especially challenging hiring manager, try communicating MORE, not less.

This may seem counterintuitive. After all, why would you want to spend more time communicating with someone who may not be an especially pleasant person?  In my opinion, increasing your communications is the only way that you will be able to cultivate a shared perspective.

This also enables you to identify potential impediments to hiring, and ultimately make recommendations that enhance how the hiring authority engages candidates. Now, I’m not suggesting that you “bury the hiring manager” with correspondence about every candidate that you may be considering on the manager’s behalf.  I’m not suggesting that you transmit 10 – 12 messages a day with hourly status updates; nor am I suggesting that you email the resumes of 50 different prospective candidates – each accompanied by specific qualifying questions – although I’ve known of recruiters who have done all of the above to make the hiring manager’s life a little more difficult. What I’m trying to suggest is that if you can open up the lines of communication, and if you can bring valid, consistent, factual, and unemotional perspective, you will be heard (at least some of the time!), and you will find that the manager in question may begin to accept some of your suggestions and recommendations.

Remember, you possess something that gives you the upper hand: Marketplace Knowledge. Your knowledge and experience are directly tied to having a daily presence in the employment marketplace, and this knowledge is worth a lot.  In Part II of “Working With Difficult Hiring Managers – Key Strategies for Today’s Recruiter,” I’ll break down three other strategies that you can deploy that should make a big difference in engaging hiring managers that you support.  Part II of “Working With Difficult Hiring Managers, Key Strategies for Today’s Recruiter” will delve into key messages and information that you can integrate into your hiring manager communications.

Until then, This is Paul Siker wishing you ongoing success.