Pro Tips to Encourage More Efficient Hiring Team Communication

In order for your company to attract top talent, everyone in the hiring process must work together through strong, open lines of communication. Without solid collaboration, the recruitment process is simply bound to fail.

Below are some pro tips to help you bridge communication gaps  on your hiring team and build a stronger, more efficient recruiting process:

1. Prioritize Collaboration

Traditionally, the hiring manager called all the shots in recruiting. However, organizations are increasingly turning to more collaborative approaches in which HR teams and departmental teams work together to find and hire A-players.

Transitioning to a more collaborative hiring process can benefit your team in many ways. It can improve your hiring results by bringing more people with more varied perspectives to the table, leading to more informed decisions. It can also boost employee engagement by making employees feel heard and valued, and your collaborative recruiting process may also improve the candidate experience and get prospects more excited about working for your company.

2. Have Patience

Patience will avoid impulsive decisions and ensure the right move is made at each point in the hiring process. That way, your company won’t have to repeat any steps or slow down the process to correct an error, which only increases the risk of losing top talent to competitors who move more quickly.

Patience first enters the recruiting process during the first point of contact between recruiters and hiring managers. Recruiters must use this time to set expectations and gather a full understanding of the job and its requirements. The hiring manager needs to approach this as an essential discussion warranting their full attention.

When the entire team takes time to understand the position and the ideal candidate, that ensures a targeted, coordinated hiring process can be launched, resulting in more efficient sourcing and a faster time to hire.

3. Get on the Same Page

Every industry has its own lingo. When your hiring team pulls from a variety of departments and fields, it is important to ensure that everyone is speaking the same language. Otherwise, miscommunications and mistakes are bound to happen.

Part of “getting on the same page” means hiring managers and other departmental talent must help recruiters gain a clear understanding of the field and industry in which they are recruiting. However, recruiters can also take a few steps to ensure crystal clear communication:

• Instead of asking for more details or clarification via email, pick up the phone. It is very easy to misinterpret communication via text or email, whereas a phone call can get you all the answers you need in less time. Invest more time in getting clarity at the beginning of the process, and you won’t have to slow the process down later on.

• Instead of saying, “Please respond,” say, “You have until [time] on [date] to respond.” A concrete deadline will motivate people to return your calls and emails, while a vague request for a response is easily ignored.

• When a hiring manger’s expectations for a role or candidate are unrealistic, arm yourself with data to show them why. Hiring managers are not always aware of the bigger picture in the talent market. If you can give them quantified reasons why their expectations are unrealistic, they will be more amenable to adjusting those expectations.

—

If hiring team communication is not clear, open, and consistent, your company is likely to lose out on top talent. Collaboration is a must for successful recruiting in today’s market. Follow these pro tips to ensure you have the answers you need when you need them in order to achieve the hiring results your company strives for.

A version of this article originally appeared on the ClearCompany blog.

Sara Pollock is head of the marketing department at ClearCompany.