The meeting with a hiring manager, as every recruiter knows, is the key first step in a new assignment, focused on gathering information to fully understand the requirements for a position. The meeting is an opportunity for the recruiter to draw out the career opportunity of the assignment, versus focusing on the job the hiring manager seeks to fill.

Let’s focus on the career issues that could help make the case to get an acceptance of an offer and land the best candidate. The questions to present to a hiring manager to understand and sell the career opportunity are:

Strategic plan: “Our company is composed of marketing, sales, operations and service plus (insert specialty niches). We have vital goals in your area to accomplish….”
Hiring manager questions: What are the two or three key performance contributions that you need from the new hire? How do you foresee the person performing the assignments to fulfill expectations?

Management values: “Our company has a strong commitment to building a corporate culture where each employee’s contribution is valued and recognized, where we value our relationships with customers/clients and….”
Hiring manager questions: How do you see this person impacting our commitments to our corporate culture? How much autonomy and decision-making will the person have in contributing to the values of our corporate culture?

Relationships: “The new person will interact with various areas of the company as well as organizations external to the company, such as suppliers, customers, alliance partners, regulatory agencies, etc.”
Hiring manager questions: What are the two or three key relationships for the position that will have high impact on performance of your area? How will you coach and mentor the new hire to fulfill the needs for effective relationships?

Team-building: Teams are formed to accomplish specific, measurable assignments and meet needs that are better addressed through a blending of talents. Teams can be assembled for a variety of tasks, but share common characteristics of a well-defined mission, both measurable and time-based, plus tasks and accountabilities per team member, ownership of the process and goals by all members, and recognition for individual and/or team accomplishments.
Hiring manager questions: Given the team-based performance methods that your group has, what roles will the new person play? Team leader? Subject matter specialist? What will he/she take ownership of?

Continual learning: Candidates in today’s job market are focused on professional growth and development.
Hiring manager questions: How does this opportunity add value to the career of the new hire? What are the new skills that he/she will develop over time that enhance his/her career? Are there professional certifications for the field that the person should fulfill over time to continue in the role?

Rewards
Hiring manager questions: How will the new person be tracked for performance? What are the performance expectations for the first three months, six months and first year? How will he/she be recognized and rewarded?

Getting to Yes!
Getting to an enthusiastic yes! requires the recruiter to:

• Get great information on the key elements of the position that have impact on both job performance and career,
• Qualify and establish the match between the job and the skill sets of the candidate,
• Share the career issues outlined above with the selected candidate to gain commitment to the career opportunity, and
• Close the deal with an offer focused on the career of the candidate

Good recruiters have deep understanding of the difference between matching jobs and skills at one level, and the connectivity of job opportunities, career development and closing the deal.

Bill Broderick can be reached at Fennimore Solutions via Bill.broderick@fennimoresolutions.com.