Happy Hiring Manager, Happy Life: How Recruiters Can Use Data to Set More Realistic Expectations

Hiring managers are often under a lot of pressure. Not only do they have their own projects to deliver, higher-ups to answer to, and teams to mentor, but by the time they have approval to expand their team, they’re usually long past “This role would be nice to have” or “We can make it by without this person for now” and well into “I needed this person two months ago.”

More often than not, hiring managers have not been educated on recruiting realities. They’re not familiar with every step of the hiring journey, like what it takes to nurture passive candidates to interviewees. Sometimes they even expect to see a shortlist of amazing candidates ASAP!

But that’s not how it works. And hiring managers who have unreasonable expectations can make the jobs of recruiters more difficult.

So how can you make your relationship with hiring managers more harmonious and collaborative? It all starts with data.

Enlighten Hiring Managers with a Data Story

The best way to set better hiring timeline expectations is by presenting a data story—and that’s where a comprehensive talent analytics dashboard comes in handy. Now more than ever, analytic tools can give hiring managers an objective and clear picture about the hiring process. (The numbers don’t lie!)

Always keep in mind that hiring managers should have access to historical data about the role they are looking to fill, so they can plan accordingly. This is a continual process: As more data comes in, you can deliver even more tailored insights, which sets even better expectations.

All kinds of metrics can be tracked to improve the entire hiring journey, but here’s what you want to focus on when kicking off conversations with hiring managers. By presenting the following metrics in this order, you will tell the story that sets the tone for a successful hiring process.

1. Time-to-Fill

Though it may differ slightly at your organization, Time-to-Fill typically represents the time it takes from job requisition approval and the candidate’s offer acceptance date. Sure, everyone in talent acquisition is familiar with Time-to-Fill, or TTF—but that doesn’t mean it gets communicated effectively to hiring managers.

Your company may use a similar metric, Time-to-Hire, which measures the duration from job requisition to the employee’s first day, but that can be tough to predict because of variables such as notice periods, background checks, reference and security checks, and so on. Most teams end up using the terms Time-to-Fill or Time-to-Hire interchangeably.

2. Candidates Per Hire

Candidates Per Hire is the number of applicants you need to screen to be able to present the agreed-upon number of candidates that the hiring manager will interview (usually 3 to 5 candidates). By reviewing historical data on the average number of candidates it takes to fill a role, hiring managers will get an even better idea of hiring lead times. They will also have a clearer understanding of your intentions when you adjust your recruiting tactics along the way to achieve this goal.

Additionally, having a better idea of how many interviews it will take to get best-fit candidates helps hiring managers block out time in their busy schedules, saving them from feeling overwhelmed or blindsided.

3. Quality of Hire

Hiring managers might be tempted to lower their standards to get a role filled, but that should never be the goal. It's important to present the key metric, Quality of Hire. Here’s why:

An organization is more successful in the long run when they focus their efforts on hiring the best candidates possible, and not just getting butts in seats. This approach leads to higher morale, higher retention, and increased productivity. This can be predicted by factoring in candidate fit scores, as well as candidate engagement scores, which is offered by today’s AI-powered CRMs.

Improving the Hiring Manager Experience

Piecing together these metrics and presenting them in a thoughtful way make conversations with hiring managers more productive. This data story enlightens hiring managers, and they move forward with a more realistic outlook on the recruiting process. In turn, their relationship with recruiters improves—delivering a harmonious experience for both recruiters and hiring managers.

Tip: Set up a weekly meeting with hiring managers to guide them through the hiring journey.

Recruiters should be putting themselves in hiring managers' shoes as often as possible. You can start by asking them questions such as: What do they feel at each stage of the hiring journey? What would be helpful for them to know? Hiring managers will definitely feel more on top of things if you touch base frequently—so don’t be afraid to schedule a recurring check-in meeting once a week.

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