Are Your Hiring Managers Recruiting Their Own Candidates in Business and at Work?

I received this great LinkedIn InMail this past Friday from a local hiring manager and colleague, Chris Nelson:

Hiring Manager Recruiting Candidates1

Now that’s what I’m talking about:  a hiring manager who completely understands that recruiting candidates for his team is part of his job, not just the responsibility of his company’s HR / Recruiting team.  Here’s the complete text of Chris’s message:

I’m looking for an entry-level software engineer to start regular, full-time employment after graduation in May. Do you know anyone who might be interested and appropriate? I can send you a job description but it’s every Associate Software Engineer profile you’ve ever seen. Red Lion has competitive pay, great benefits, a flexible schedule, and the lucky new graduate gets to work for ME! 😉

There are several green lights in Chris’s outreach message:

  • Chris knows that recruiting is part of his job as the hiring manager;
  • Chris considers himself deputized in this role; and whether it’s his company’s culture, or his own value system, or both:  Chris is cutting edge in his outreach;
  • Chris knows how to leverage LinkedIn and his contacts thereof (e.g., me, with over 500 local LinkedIn contacts alone), and his note is personable, authentic and to the point;
  • Chris is not only a recruiting evangelist, he’s also an evangelist for his company:  the green lights that every candidate wants to see;
  • Chris is strategically starting his outreach 3 – 4 months before he actually needs to hire his newly graduated, entry-level software engineer in May 2014.

Are your hiring managers strategically deputized to recruit their own team members in business and at work?  Choosy candidates want to know!