{"id":4135,"date":"2013-12-03T09:49:17","date_gmt":"2013-12-03T17:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/recruitloop.wpengine.com\/?p=4135"},"modified":"2015-12-10T07:05:18","modified_gmt":"2015-12-10T15:05:18","slug":"9-ways-not-to-look-like-a-clueless-hiring-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/9-ways-not-to-look-like-a-clueless-hiring-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Ways Not To Look Like a Clueless Hiring Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CluelessWords blend into each other as the candidate opposite you on the table starts pounding acronyms and brand names into their description of what they did in their last job role. You stumble, confused, and try to cover with, \u201cRight. And what did you do on a day-to-day basis?\u201d It didn\u2019t work. The candidate looks exasperated.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s happened to most of us at one point (including me, of course :)), especially if we\u2019re hiring across multiple departments, some of which are very technical or in-depth in a particular field. You\u2019ve been running around, chasing your tail and now, somehow, you\u2019ve ended up conducting an interview without having a clue.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not as uncommon as you think. Hiring Managers often hire for jobs they would never be qualified to actually do. This is particularly common when an outside recruiter is used to screen candidates before sending them on to the organization.<\/p>\n

With the fast pace of recruiting and HR management, many interviewers don\u2019t have time to get an intimate understanding of the role they are recruiting for, preferring to resort to second-hand information or a routine of questions that are designed to give information comparable to other candidates without an in-depth understanding of what those candidates actually do.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s understandable, it\u2019s also totally uncool. I can\u2019t underemphasize the importance of doing your homework before meeting with a potential employee. You may think you can fudge it by simply asking routine questions, but the candidate knows and it will become apparent further down the track. It undermines your reputation and diminishes the importance of the job role for the candidate. If it\u2019s clear you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about, you will lose out on rich information from the candidate. Worse: you will not get an understanding of who they are or how they really perform, resulting in high turnover.<\/p>\n

So how do you lessen the chances of looking like a clueless hiring manager?<\/p>\n

1. Don\u2019t be a clueless hiring manager!<\/h2>\n

Why is it that the most obvious things are the easiest to miss? The simplest and most time efficient method of avoiding looking like you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about is just to do your homework. Don\u2019t assume you can fudge it in front of a candidate (I\u2019ve tried – it doesn\u2019t work!). Ask to shadow the role you\u2019re recruiting for 20 minutes or get a current incumbent of the role to show you what they do in the environment they do it in. You\u2019ll save time in the long run by avoiding unnecessary additional interviews and clarification questions.<\/p>\n

2. Get specific about details.<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re aware that you may get caught out with a specific job because of its level of technicality, have a list of all the \u2018essential\u2019 skills required for the job and ensure you\u2019re on top of what any jargon words or acronyms mean in layman\u2019s terms. Use these words and acronyms in your questions.<\/p>\n

3. Keep the resume face-up.<\/h2>\n

If a resume is freaking you out, it\u2019s tempting to just turn it over and focus on other (softer) aspects of the applicant. This is a sure sign that you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing. Keep it face up and use it to guide you and help you.<\/p>\n

4. Stop reading & start writing.<\/h2>\n

Reading through their resume over and over isn\u2019t going to help you. Begin writing down the keywords of what the candidate is saying. If you don\u2019t know what the candidate is talking about hopefully someone else will.<\/p>\n

5. Get the candidate\u2019s help.<\/h2>\n

Talk about the role itself then ask the candidate to fill in where they fit. The best way to get around the fact that you don\u2019t know much about the role is simply to ask the candidate to fill in the blanks. (Yes, I\u2019m telling you to cheat. Shhhh!)<\/p>\n

6. Use the Job Description<\/a>.<\/h2>\n

Rather than talking through their resume, approach the discussion from the side of the job itself. Ask the candidate to point out to you exactly where their skills fit with the job description. \u2018What would you say are your specific strengths when it comes to this job and give me examples from your previous work experience.\u2019<\/p>\n

7. Focus on Personality Fit.<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re finding yourself at the end of your knowledge about skills, switch to attempting to ascertain whether the person is the right personality and culture fit for the role. This is at least as important as the skills and gives you space to get grounded.<\/p>\n

8. Bring in a colleague.<\/h2>\n

If, for whatever reason, you\u2019re in a tight spot where you\u2019re really struggling, bring in a colleague. There\u2019s plenty of excuses for doing this. \u201cI just want to see if Peter is available to meet with you. He often recruits similar roles and may have some questions for you.\u201d \u201cI think you\u2019ll also want to meet with Paula, she recently recruited for\u2026\u201d No candidate is going to say no to meeting more people. Besides, you\u2019re on a team, right? Use them!<\/p>\n

9. Schedule a second interview.<\/h2>\n

This doesn\u2019t have to be face-to-face. You can simply give them a call later once you\u2019ve clarified the things you need to ask and confirm with them over the phone. It\u2019s better to definitely check they are suitable for the role and look a little bit clueless, than to send someone through who you \u2018hope\u2019 is the right fit.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget – the best prevention is preparation! It is crucial you have a clear idea of what it takes to be successful for the roles you are hiring for. Focus on obtaining as much information as possible and understanding the role when you are given it.<\/p>\n

Over to you – have you ever had a situation where you found yourself having to pretend that you knew more about the role than you did? How did you handle it?<\/p>\n

Image courtesy of Marco Bellucci.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You may think you can fudge it by simply asking routine questions, but the candidate knows and it will become apparent further down the track. It is crucial you have a clear idea of what it takes to be successful for the roles you are hiring for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":4136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22,73,7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n9 Ways Not to Look Like a Clueless Hiring Manager<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You may think you can fudge it by simply asking routine questions, but the candidate knows and it will become apparent further down the track.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/9-ways-not-to-look-like-a-clueless-hiring-manager\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"9 Ways Not to Look Like a Clueless Hiring Manager\" 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