The hiring manager is the worker who appealed a new position to be filled. Or, the hiring manager is the individual who inquires for an employee to fill an open job. The hiring manager is the worker to whom the new employee will report when employed. The hiring manager is a key member of your employee recruitment team.

As the initiator of a position or the requirement for an employee, the hiring manager is the head of the employee selection team. He or she is the employee who works with Human Resources to fill the open position through every step of the agency’s hiring procedure.

Initiating with the recruiting planning meeting, the hiring manager participates in every aspect of the employee recruitment. He reviews incoming resumes and applications. He does the initial phone interview to determine whether the applicants are qualified enough to merit the employee time invested in an onsite interview.

The hiring manager engages in both the first and second interviews. If the potential employee is at your company location for more than these two meetings, the hiring manager greets the candidate on each visit.

Participating this completely in the process each time the potential employee interviews helps the manager begin to build a relationship with the candidate. This is the first step in long-term employee retention which starts before an employee even starts her new job.

During this whole recruitment time period, the hiring manager is helped at each step of the process by the Human Resources staff. They screen the initial applications, give the short list to the hiring manager, and assist with the selection of the interview team.

HR staff members review resumes, refer qualified applicants to the hiring manager, schedule candidate interviews, participate in the interviews, both first and second, assist the hiring manager to evaluate all candidates fairly and impartially, and then, assist with the final selection and making the job offer.

Activities Prior to Making a Job Offer

The manager also works with Human Resources to evaluate the appropriate compensation for the position, normally makes the job offer, and negotiates the details and timeline of the new employee accepting and starting the job. They are also responsible for building and maintaining a relationship with the new employee from the time the employee accepts the organization’s job offer until they start their new job.

As indicated, HR is available to help the manager at each step of the recruiting and hiring process, but the manager is the key person who must own the process. He or she has the most to gain or lose after their department’s investment in on boarding, training, relationship-building, and ultimately job success—or failure for the new employee. The hiring manager has a serious responsibility to their organization.

The manager indicates the new employee’s start date and is responsible for planning the new employee’s orientation and on boarding. She also makes the final decision about the new employee’s mentor and the employee’s job description. She sends the new employee welcome letter and makes the new employee announcement.

Hiring Manager’s Decision

The manager plays the pivotal role in deciding on whom to hire as the new employee. While the details of this job role may vary from company to company, the hiring manager is always significant in the hiring decision. In most agencies, she may not be the only decision maker, but she does have veto power since the new employee will report to her.

In the team approach to hiring, which is strongly recommended, the hiring manager would set up a debriefing session to receive feedback from the employees who interviewed the potential employees. Then, a much smaller team of employees that will include the hiring manager and HR make the hiring decision and prepare the job offer.

This role is another instance of the responsibilities that come with the position title of the manager within an organization. Employees who have the job title of manager have diverse responsibilities for people and functions. In general, because every manager’s job is different, a manager has these job responsibilities. Hiring, on boarding, managing, and retaining staff is a large part of the job.