In-house recruiters from a wide range of private and public sector organisations gathered in London at Recruiter’s Smart Resourcing 2013 conference, sponsored by Eploy, to listen and learn from leading thinker John Vlastelica in a keynote talk sponsored by Jobsite, and practitioners in the field of resourcing and recruiting, to network with fellow professionals and go 2 Steps Beyond

Hiring managers are not your customers — they are your partners, and sometimes you have to confront them, Smart Resourcing keynote speaker John Vlastelica, managing director of consulting and training firm Recruiting Toolbox, told delegates.

But while “sometimes you have to say ‘no’”, Vlastelica suggested that one way to limit the potential damage from confrontations with hiring managers was to manage their expectations upfront, so that any delays in the recruitment process, for example, didn’t come out of the blue. Recruiters should also explain to hiring managers the consequences of their actions, such as not providing prompt feedback on candidates. 

Being prepared to confront hiring managers was just one way that in-house recruiters could elevate themselves from simply being recruiters into leaders, Vlastelica added. He outlined seven other key points by which recruiters could transform their status:

• pressing buttons. “Everything you do should be connected to what hiring managers care about, which is speed and quality, not compliance, not costs and not source of hire.”

• missionary work. Leaders build demand within the organisation. One way to do this was to identify what you want to achieve. 

• ask better questions. For example, which are the key roles that drive your business? “Not all requisitions and vacancies are created equal. If you don’t fill the critical jobs then you have failed as a recruiter.”

• diagnosis. Get to the roots of issues. For example, if a member of your team is under-performing can this be fixed by training, or are they good at their job but just being asked to do too much?

• partnerships. The three most important are with finance, HR business partners and compensation professionals.

• strategy. “If it is not actionable, then I am not interested in it.” He explained that good strategy has numbers such as timelines built into it.

• do more than just fill job requisitions. Work on projects that make a real competitive difference to the organisation.

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