While we all wish that hiring could be a 1-2-3 process — find candidate, interview candidate, hire candidate — we all know it’s a lot more complicated than that. The hiring process is just that — a process.
This process involves a number of major groups including primarily human resources (HR) and recruitment teams. Oftentimes we find that these groups’ names are used interchangeably, but they are two distinct teams that are both imperative to hiring and recruitment.
Fostering and developing the relationship between these two hiring and recruitment teams can make the hiring process more effective and efficient than you thought possible.
Defining the Major Players in Hiring and Recruitment
Both HR teams and recruiters are working towards similar goals. They both work to find and hire candidates for positions within an organization.
The difference, though, is that recruiters end their part once the position is filled.
The HR team, on the other hand, helps with the hiring and onboarding process and continues working with the candidates-turned-employees to foster diversity and inclusion in the workplace, promote retention, and work to support & keep that talent within the company for the long term.
Fostering and developing the relationship between hiring and recruitment teams can make the hiring process more effective and efficient than you thought possible.
How HR Teams Work Efficiently Individually?
Before you can start working together to create a well-oiled hiring machine, you want to make sure each individual part is working well. This can be done by having each team focus on the things they have control over.
Have each team understand and pinpoint the tasks and responsibilities that fall solely to them before moving onto shared territory.
Instead of HR coming in to try and do the recruiters’ jobs, HR needs to trust recruiters to find those targeted candidates.
Then, the HR team can focus on employer branding, streamlining and perfecting onboarding processes, conducting interviews, etc. These are the things that the HR team does independently from recruiters or recruitment teams.
Each team needs to focus on their specific expertise & knowledge on their own, and trust that their co-workers are doing the same.
Employer branding is important to include in your post on Google Jobs. How do you do it, though?
Check out our 3 Keys to Great Employer Branding here.
How Can HR & Recruitment Teams Work Together?
That being said, no HR team or recruiter works in a vacuum. These positions are directly interrelated, meaning that in order to do each job as well as possible, it’s imperative to share information and resources.
Let’s look at how you can do that:
Creating the Perfect Job Listing & Job Descriptions
First, HR and recruiters need to clearly define what it is they’re looking for with the position — together.
Without aligning the necessary education, skills, temperament, and background required for the position, the job description put together could bring in completely different candidates from the ones brought in through recruiters. There are lots of mistakes you want to avoid when writing a job description, so make sure you have this step nailed down.
If not, this can bog down the process for job seekers and employers alike with candidates who aren’t suited for the position. This elongates the process and stirs up discontentment between hiring managers, HR, recruiters, and the department that needs staffing.
Make sure that the job description on your company website is fully optimized. You’re missing an opportunity to rank at the top of Google for Jobs!
Have a discussion and open dialogue with input from not only recruiters and HR staff, but also from hiring managers, team members, those currently in the position, and other relevant staff before you post on Google for Jobs or other job boards.
Each of these groups will have information and input specific to their team and skillset to create a well-rounded job description that touches on all relevant points.
For example, recruiters can propose the skills & education they know is necessary for the position. HR can then implement information & language to promote diversity and inclusion as well as key information like the position salary, benefits, and development programs.
With final input from hiring managers and the department that needs staffing, you’ll have a fully targeted job listing that will target the right candidates the first time.
Lastly, you will want to make sure that the job description on your company website is fully optimized. There are certain Google for Jobs ranking signals that you will want to include in the Google jobs structured data when you post it on your website.
Jobiak can help you take that perfect Google jobs search engine post to the next level with our Google for Jobs optimizations.
Learn more about our recruitment technology here.
Look at (and Use!) Past Hiring Data & Information
Both HR and recruiters are privy to specific information and data that can greatly help the other team excel. Look at various forms of data that both HR and recruiters have.
For example, HR staff can give recruiters information about:
- Past hires (Were hiring managers satisfied with the candidates proposed by recruiters? How long did the employee stay with the company? Is the employee happy in their position or are there issues?)
- What hiring managers are looking for (Specific skills? Background & connections? Education? Industry-specific qualifications?)
- Exit & entrance interviews (What were candidates happy about with the hiring and recruitment process? What did they like/not like about the recruitment process? Why are they leaving the company? Any specific feedback for HR or recruiters?)
Post-interview surveys for feedback can be great for both HR and recruiters alike. HR can send standardized post-interview surveys to collect data and information that can help recruiters on their search.
Recruiters can also speak to their candidates post-interview to see how it went for them, what issues they had, whether they’re interested or not interested in the job, etc. Sharing this information with HR can help the HR team make adjustments to align the wants of the candidates with the requirements of the position.
Foster the Relationship — Listen to Each Other!
None of this will work without a relationship between these teams.
Recruiters can get feedback from candidates about why they did or did not accept or pursue the position further, but that won’t mean anything if recruiters aren’t comfortable or able to share that information with HR.
The opposite is true as well: HR can’t work to alleviate issues that recruiters are having if there isn’t communication between the teams.
For example, when Brendan Browne, LinkedIn’s head of talent acquisition, felt that engineering candidates were rejecting offers because of the compensation & benefits plan. He felt aggravated that, “HR was not doing enough to fix [my] biggest problem.”
However, HR had no idea about this issue. It wasn’t until Browne approached LinkedIn’s head of HR, Pat Wadors, with his concerns that anything was able to happen.
Instead of bristling with the criticism, Browne says that Pat, “told me she wanted to advocate for [recruiters] […] [since recruiters] see things happening that [HR] needs to address.”
That simple conversation and following assurance from the HR team began an investigation into the issue Browne was seeing. They then were able to adjust benefits & compensation packages to help streamline hiring.
What Can You Take Away from This?
First, listening to and working with each other will foster the relationship and connection between HR and recruiters. This means that recruiters and HR alike will feel more comfortable approaching the other team with information, issues, and ideas to make hiring and recruitment better for everyone.
This can then lead to discoveries and adjustments that make it easier and more efficient to hire.
Not only that, but it will also reflect well amongst the entire company. The ones most affected by a long or ineffective hiring process are the teams that you’re staffing.
When those teams, managers, and other employees see that their new talent & new hires are fitting in better than ever before, everyone will be happier.
Recruiter vs HR — Bottom Line
While the differences between recruiters vs HR do exist, these teams are far more interconnected than many realize. To get the hiring process as streamlined, efficient, and effective as possible, you’ll want to change the narrative from “recruiter vs HR” to “recruiter and HR”.
Setting up and fostering those lines of communication will only work to benefit your entire hiring and recruitment process.
Let Jobiak help you even more with our AI-tech that will automatically optimize and structure your Google job postings to target the audience recruiters, HR, and hiring managers are looking for.
Learn more about how we can work together on your Google for Jobs listings here, and don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.
