Often, the terms hiring manager and recruiter are used interchangeably. Although both roles are involved in the overall hiring process, they have different responsibilities.
The question now is, how exactly are they different, and what are their roles in technical recruiting? Let’s find out.
Hiring Manager and Recruiter: Who are They?
One day, you get an email from a person asking you if you are interested in applying for a particular technical position. In the email, the person said that they were able to get your profile from LinkedIn, and they think that you are a good fit for the role. Since you are interested, you applied and were shortlisted for the position.
There’s a high chance that the person who reached out to you is a recruiter. This is because they are mainly responsible for sourcing and shortlisting qualified candidates for job positions.
After several days, you receive an invitation for a final interview. You accepted and attended the face-to-face meeting.
The interviewer that you met is more likely a hiring manager. They have the final say on who gets rejected and accepted among the candidates. They’ll also be the ones who will give you a job offer if you are a successful candidate. The roles of a recruiter and hiring manager are crucial, especially when sourcing technical talent like engineers.
Why is Hiring Engineers Challenging?
Hiring engineers is operationally considered one of the hardest hiring tasks. Why is this the case? It’s due to the following reasons:
It's Difficult to Find the Right Fit
Engineers have different levels of expertise. They also have different technical skills certifications under their belt. However, hiring just any engineer is counter-intuitive, so recruiters must take on the tedious job of filtering candidates who truly fit the job description.
Evolving Market
Without a doubt, the demand for engineers is growing. Because of this, most candidates prioritize companies that are more well-known or have better promises. As a result, smaller organizations and start-ups find it difficult to stand out among the pool of candidates.
Hiring engineers require multiple interview rounds in a few days or weeks to fully understand their technical skills. Some of the assessments that they must go through include the following:
Tedious Technical Interviews
- Coding Test
- Decision-making Assessment
- Software Design Assessment
- Architecture Skills Assessment
In some cases, other tests and assessments might be added, depending on what type of engineer an organization is looking for. If you look at it this way, it’s obvious that the process is time-consuming and tedious for both the candidates and interviewers. From the candidate’s perspective, some might not want to push through since not everybody who is interviewed for the job is hired, causing organizations to lose potential valuable talents.
Role of a Recruiter in Technical Hiring
Let’s dig deeper into what exactly recruiters are. Here are their main roles and responsibility:
Search for Suitable Candidates
The main role of a recruiter is to loom for suitable candidates for the position. They usually search. Nowadays, many of them use social media and online employment platforms to attract potential candidates.
Conduct Initial Interview
Recruiters are also responsible for shortlisting the pool of applicants, hence why they are the ones to conduct initial interviews
Promote Company Reputation
It’s also a part of the task of a recruiter to promote the company’s reputation. This improves brand awareness and attracts high-quality candidates to apply for the vacant role.
Role of a Hiring Manager in Technical Hiring
As mentioned, hiring managers are different from recruiters. These are their main role and responsibilities:
Identify the Necessary Skills for the Job
Hiring managers are the ones who make job descriptions and ensure that the relevant department approves it before it is publicized. They are also the ones responsible for briefing the recruiters about the position.
Interview Candidates
Although HR usually does the initial interview, it’s part of the responsibility of a hiring manager to be present or be the one to interview the candidate. On top of identifying the strongest candidates, the hiring manager is the main point person between the applicant and the organization.
Make Decisions
Hiring managers have the final say on who gets rejected and who is hired. They are also the ones who present job offers and negotiate the terms of the employment contracts. They essentially own the recruitment process’ outcomes. if there’s a bad hire, the hiring manager will be the one responsible for investigating what went wrong.
On-Board Successful Candidates
Hiring managers are usually responsible for the onboarding process of a newly hired employee. It’s part of their job to ensure that the new hire adjusts well to the company culture.
Conclusion
Both hiring manager and recruiter play a vital role in technical recruiting. They both help ensure that the organizations hire the best person for the position in a timely manner.
Are you a hiring manager looking to optimize your workflow?
In that case, check out WeCP. We help in creating relevant evaluations and tests for engineers, developers, IT specialists, designers, and more. You don’t need to have the technical knowledge to hire the best tech teams. Make the most of the tools available and optimize your workflow in the best way possible.
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