Hiring Collaboration: Value Your Colleagues' Opinions

“The strength of the team is each individual member.
The strength of each member is the team.” – Phil Jackson

The importance of valuing your colleagues opinions when hiring is proving to be a vital component to a successful hire. As we all should know, successful hiring of the RIGHT people is the #1 factor that enables a company to grow and thrive.

In fact, 96% of executives cite that lack of collaboration is the cause of workplace failures. Considering the thoughts and opinions of some of the valuable people already in your organization not only benefits the company, but also the candidate, the existing team, and the manager responsible for filling the position.

In my short tenure as a budding professional, I have experienced varying interview structures. At SmartRecruiters, multiple people in the organization interview every qualified candidate, and we use our own platform as a way of collaborating by sharing feedback. Who else knows more of what it takes of the position than the team members currently performing the business function on a daily basis?

As a hiring manager, one can be blinded often by your own perception of the candidate. Allow me to enlighten you on the benefits of collaborative hiring:

1.) Team Buy-in

For one, teammates that will eventually be peers of the next hire are more vested in the company and in the onboarding process of the next hire. Often times, candidates speak more freely when talking directly with peers, and their personality is more transparent. Your company culture, and the subculture within your team is key to sustained success. Additionally, your existing team members have the opportunity to learn a new perspective from that candidate that could be missing from the environment currently.

2.) Transparent Candidate Perception

The candidate now has the opportunity to hear from the people that they will be working alongside directly! A more clear transgression is shared as to the exact details of the position beyond what the Job Description lists. Additionally, the candidate now knows more than one or two people (future colleagues, future bosses) in the company. We’ve all been a jobseeker before… It is one thing to know who you will work FOR, but it’s even more enticing when you know who you will work WITH.

3.) Hiring Manager Engagement

As the hiring manager, you own a lot of responsibility for how the next hire effects your company. You could end up being a rockstar for building a productive team that delivers results, or, the other end of the spectrum, you could be the person tied to a bad hire. Imagine having the luxury of being able to see all of the feedback provided by your team, your co-managers, and your executives as it pertains to your hiring/recruiting efforts.

I demonstrate the SmartRecruiters hiring platform every day. Every time that I show the product’s homepage to the Recruiter, the HR Director, the VP of Talent Acquisition, and even the CEO, they are amazed by the visibility provided. A hiring newsfeed where one can quickly view, comment, and agree with the thoughts and opinions of my existing employee network. I can almost hear our customers and prospective customers picking their jaws up off the ground as we speak…

Now that you’ve got a team that’s bought in, your candidates have a better insight, and you’ve got the feedback you need to make a decision… Happy Hiring!

Blake Owen (b.owen@smartrecruiters.com) is an ambitious Account Executive at SmartRecruiters. He’d be happy to give you a demo.