Nurture Relationships with Hiring Managers

Developing a mutually beneficial relationship with hiring managers in an Applicant Tracking System environment can take real effort. However, ApplicantPro is designed to appeal to both the needs of HR administrators and hiring managers. Here are some secrets for improving communication and, more importantly, participation from your hiring managers in ApplicantPro.

Managers want to use a system that is user-friendly, one they feel confident using, and a system where their input is validated.

The first and most important aspect is determining a hiring manager’s level of access. Using the same process you always have may feel comfortable, but rarely benefits growing companies and innovative hiring managers. Be open to change as it may just prove to ease your own burdens.

ApplicantPro offers four different access levels for hiring managers. Any individual user can be determined to best fit a certain access level, so feel free to use any combination of the following user access levels.

The highest level of access is a Posting Manager. This user type will be able to review applications, add notes, change statuses, archive applicants, and send email templates. A posting manager can also post jobs. This can have both positive and negative effects: (1) it allows managers who tend to have more knowledge about the position to have greater input on the job listing description, but (2) if managers don’t know posting processes well, they may create poor ads for the job boards. As the Posting Manager is the highest access level a hiring manager can have, it puts a lot of trust in the manager’s hands. However, the Posting Manager is the user most likely to produce the most activity and use in the system. Many times you will be balancing trust with productivity when it comes to nurturing your relationship with a manager. Find the proper balance that fits your company’s work environment.

Non-Posting Mangers, Viewing Managers, and Assigned Users only have access to the application portion of ApplicantPro. All manager user types have access to jobs and applications based on the business unit. However, an assigned user requires more work on your end, where users only have access to applications you specifically send them. Keep in mind the more you restrict hiring managers from giving their input and feedback, the less likely they are to actively use the system.

If your relationship with managers is one where you cannot get them to participate and use the system, increase their access level and abilities in the system. If your relationship with managers is one where managers are too active and make too many changes on your job listings and applications, decrease their access level to put more control back in your hands.

Regardless of their access level, managers want to use a system that is user-friendly, one they feel confident using, and a system where their input is validated.

Find the proper balance that fits your company’s work environment.

The biggest deterrent for managers not using hiring software most often comes from not knowing how the system works. ApplicantPro is very user-friendly, making it easy for any manager to productively assist in the hiring process. The key often comes in training. Whether a manager learns best from a live training, video recordings, a live chat, or step-by-step user guide, ApplicantPro offers all training materials available through the help section.

Once a manager has the initial training, you must validate their input. If they want to see more applicants, try to accommodate that need. If they want to have input on what the basic qualifications for the position should be, see if you can incorporate their changes. If they feel a step in submitting a requisition is cumbersome, see if the question can be changed or made optional. Managers will not use a hiring software system if they feel like the steps take longer than necessary.

Communication is still an irreplaceable step. The system allows for a complete viewable history for all changes made on an application in the timeline area. Use this to your advantage and communicate issues worthy of note to your hiring managers. The more they use the system correctly, the easier their job and your job gets, and the more time you save.

ApplicantPro is setup to have multiple users view applications, make notes, submit status changes, send email templates to candidates, and make hiring decisions. Give a manager the right access so they can perform their duties. Make sure their access is not too high so the extra, unnecessary, and unused features confuse them, but not so low they feel the system does not allow them to perform their job. After they have the necessary access and training, continue to reinforce proper use of the system and make it easy for managers to submit input on the hiring process.

If you have any further questions or would like more information about the items discussed in this article please contact us!