Season 4, Episode 3:

Who’s Responsible for
quality of Hire?

In this week’s episode of Recruiter Fuel, Steve sits down with Recruiter Melissa McLean to discuss a recent debate or “myth” that sparked from a comment he made.

Are recruiters responsible for the quality of hire?

Melissa thought that, to an extent, the recruiter IS responsible. They’re responsible for finding a quality candidate that meets all the requirements of the client, as well as being up front about the candidate’s salary needs, if they have other offers, etc.

However, as soon as the candidate walks in the door, the responsibility shifts to the client. How they’re trained once they’re hired is something the recruiter can’t control.

Three months from now, if a candidate fails, is it all on the hiring manager?

As a recruiter, you should be checking in. Melissa suggested asking simple questions such as, “How’s it going? How’s your first week? How’s your first month going?” Asking these questions could generate feedback that could be extremely helpful to the hiring manager. It’s your responsibility as a recruiter and as a partner with the client to inform them if the candidate is having any doubts or concerns.

You can only control the controllable.

Melissa believes that some issues stemming from the client or candidate are inevitable, but if you, the recruiter, are taking all the steps necessary to keep the line of communication open then you are doing as much as you can to help.

Recruiting = Match.com?

During a heated debate on social media around the recruiter being responsible for the quality of hire, some interesting questions were posed. Is Match.com responsible for the quality of a relationship in any way? This same question was then applied to recruiters. Are recruiters responsible for the quality of hire in any way? Are we comparing apples to oranges?

This does draw a good comparison, but there are a few things to consider. Match.com is computer generated, which means it’s lacking that personal touch. But, they are always working to improve their algorithm to pair their members with the best fitting companion. Recruiters aren’t completely at fault if a candidate isn’t the right fit, but they should be doing what’s necessary to better themselves as a recruiter and always be open to improvement for finding the right candidate.

Are we responsible for who the hiring manager hires?

Melissa confidently replied, “no.” The hiring manager is free to make their own decision. They’re going to pick the best fit for their department, whether the recruiter feels the same way or not. Recruiters can help influence the hiring manager’s decision though. If the recruiter presents a few candidates, none of which meet the minimum requirements, the hiring manager might feel compelled to hire the best of the worst. If the recruiter is providing low-quality candidates just to try and get a hire, the responsibility should definitely fall back on them.

Steve nodded in agreement, “Don’t blame the recruiter, but the recruiter needs to take some ownership like Match.com and try to do better at what we do to make more candidates fit. I think we do have a little responsibility in the quality of hire.”

Check back next week as Steve works to uncover another “myth” in recruiting!