The Difference Between Hiring Managers And Recruiters

Businesses need to hire the right candidates for their vacancies because employees are ultimately the ones who keep the business running smoothly. Furthermore, hiring is not just a one-time task. It’s an ongoing process where two parties, hiring managers and recruiters need to work together. Each of these two parties has a crucial role to play in the hiring process. Here are is a breakdown of their specific roles, their differences, and also their similarities and overlaps.

What is the difference between a hiring manager and a recruiter?

Hiring managers and recruiters have the same end goal: to fill a vacant position. They both have a different perspective on how they go about doing so, which makes them different from each other.

A hiring manager is usually a permanent employee of the organization in question. They have many responsibilities and one of them is figuring out who to hire for a particular role. A hiring manager has the inside knowledge about what kind of work the job holder will be doing and what the company needs from them.

A recruiter can be an employee in the Human Resources team, or they could be an external agent or freelancer contracted to the organization. Typically, recruiters are responsible for finding qualified candidates to fill a particular role. A recruiter might be the first point of contact with a prospective employee and act as the initial gatekeeper for the hiring manager.

In short, the recruiter searches for job candidates and manages the recruitment process, while the hiring manager decides who to hire. The tasks in the middle that involve narrowing down which candidate to hire are usually done jointly by the hiring manager and the recruiter.

For the long answer, and a breakdown of the difference, keep on reading.

What is a hiring manager?

Hiring managers, also known as line managers, are usually tasked with leading the people who work below them. They are the leader of the team that is looking to fill a role. Although they spend most of their time managing their team or department, they still have the duties of vetting and interviewing job candidates when it comes time for recruitment.

For instance, a finance manager might serve as the hiring manager when team members are looking to hire more people. But on a daily basis, the finance manager is usually just focused on managing or leading the finance team. Because of instances like these, it is common for hiring managers to know a lot about the skills and expertise needed for the job even before the first job interview. This helps them save time by interviewing only the candidates who have the job-specific requirements.

What does a hiring manager do?

Typically, these are what a hiring manager does (in a rough chronological order):

• The hiring manager starts by identifying any present vacancies or predicting potential future vacancies.
• The hiring manager collaborates with the recruiters on starting the recruitment process.
• Once the hiring manager knows that they need to hire, they create a job description that describes the vacancy in order to communicate what the right person for the job looks like.
• The hiring manager and recruiter review the job applications, resumes, and cover letters as they come in. The hiring manager may delegate most of this task to the recruiter by using a list of competencies and traits they are looking for.
• The hiring manager and recruiter are responsible for screening candidates, most commonly via a job interview, by asking them questions to assess their suitability for the position.
• The hiring manager chooses which candidate to hire. They usually have the final say in this regard.
• Either the hiring manager or the recruiter offers the job to the preferred candidate, plus help with contract or salary negotiation.
• The hiring managers often organize orientation, onboarding and training for new employees so that they can start working as soon as possible.

If you are looking on information to become a better hiring manager in regards to recruitment, check out our guide here.

What is a recruiter?

Recruiters work exclusively on finding excellent candidates for their organization. They scour hundreds of resumes, job postings, and social media profiles to find the best candidates for their company. Day-to-day, they are always on the lookout for top talent with diverse skillsets.

Recruiters can be hired to fill specific roles. They may look for applicants to fill a position that has been vacant for some time, or they might be looking for talented people that would benefit the organization overall rather than in a currently vacant position.

What does a recruiter do?

Typically, these are what a recruiter does (in a rough chronological order):

• The recruiter, in consulation with the hiring managers starts by developing a recruitment strategy and plan to follow. The following steps are the recruiter executing on this plan.
• The recruiter, based on the job description created by the hiring manager, creates the job advertisement.
• The recruiter is responsible for advertising the vacant job on online and offline job boards or classifieds.
• The recruiter may also influence known contacts for who may be suitable for the role to apply for it.
• The recruiter and hiring manager review the job applications, resumes, and cover letters as they come in. The recruiter might even do a pre-screening of the candidates before the hiring manager has a look at the candidates.
• The recruiter and hiring manager are responsible for screening candidates, most commonly via a job interview, by asking them questions to assess their suitability for the position.
• The recruiter advises the hiring manager on who to hire.
• Either the hiring manager or the recruiter offers the job to the preferred candidate, plus help with contract or salary negotiation.
• The recruiter may also assist the hiring manager with organizing the onboarding and training of new employees.

If you are looking to become a better recruiter by understanding the full recruitment cycle and the options available to you, check out our guide here.

Who is responsible for recruitment and hiring?

Because of the overlapping tasks and responsibilities between both hiring managers and recruiters, it can be hard to distinguish who is ultimately in charge of recruitment.

Generally speaking, recruiters are typically thought of as responsible for recruitment as they’re the ones who do the actual recruiting. It’s in the job title after all. Recruiters do the grunt work of putting up job advertisements, prescreening applicants, and working through the recruitment process in general. However, to be clear, the recruiter is responsible for the process of recruitment.

The whole process of planning recruitment, publishing job advertisements, and conducting job interviews is governed by the recruiter. When it comes to the end result of the recruitment, i.e. is the new hire now performing as well as predicted, this is the domain of the hiring manager.

Because the hiring manager was the one to set the parameters of the recruitment process and what the end result (the new hire) should be, the reality of actually hiring the right person falls on to the hiring manager. The hiring managers are the ones deciding who should be hired after all. They had the final say in the end result.

In short, the two roles are responsible for different aspects of recruitment. The recruiter is responsible for the recruitment process, and what needs to be done. The hiring manager is responsible for the end result of the recruitment process and whether the hiring decision was the right one.

Conclusion

Although there are differences between hiring managers and recruiters, in reality, both work closely together to achieve the goal of hiring the right person for the job. Both need to be present for the whole end-to-end recruitment process to work.

Sources:

• https://resources.workable.com/stories-and-insights/recruiter-vs-hiring-manager-responsibilities
• https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/hiring-manager-vs-recruiter-relationships-mind-the-gap/
• https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/hiring-manager-vs-recruiter