Keeping the Lions at Bay (Part 2)
Building and Influencing Relationships with Hiring Managers, Finance, Legal and Procurement (Part 2)
I wrote in the first of this two-part blog series that there is no other Human Resources function subject to more criticism and critique than Talent Acquisition. We discussed how to build relationships with TA stakeholders and partners in order to advance your initiatives. This week, I address the importance of aligning with the company’s hiring managers, and finance, legal and procurement teams.
I interviewed leading talent acquisition leaders at various companies and would like to share their ideas on how to “keep the lions at bay” and elevate your value within the organization.
Hiring Managers
It is imperative that you gain the hiring manager’s trust. You can do this by:
- Learning their business
- Ask what they are looking for in a professional and what voids need to be filled on the team
- Communicating regularly
Set expectations up front on each of your roles and responsibilities. Creating a service level agreement will help to hold each party accountable.
Educate the hiring manager on:
- Why Talent Acquisition is important to them specifically and that hiring well is key to everyone’s success.
- How to tap into their networks to attract and source candidates.
- How to interview and select.
- How to close and sell.
- How to lead and mentor their new hires (partnering with Talent Management on this).
Finance, Legal, and Procurement
Sometimes, the relationship between Talent Acquisition and other departments such as Finance, Legal, and Procurement can be oppositional within an organization. So much of this stems from the fact that one doesn’t understand the role of the other, or how the one team can have a positive impact on helping the other accomplish their goals. Recruiters sometimes feel as if these areas of the business encumber their day to day operations.
In order to build synergies within the organization, a Talent Acquisition leader needs to proactively build partnerships with these functions and integrate seamlessly for long-term success. Here are some ideas to get started:
- Learn what is going well, what’s not and discuss what can be improved upon. Test pilot any new process changes by setting up programs on an experimental basis first. This can be less threatening if your business partner isn’t entirely on board with the change.
- Approach all interactions with other functional areas with a desire to create a win/win relationship. Remember everyone wants to be respected and feel as though they are adding value to the staffing process.
- Communicate. Agree and outline each party’s role and responsibility in the staffing process. When does each party want to be involved? How will they be involved? Keep each business partner informed.
- Take turns educating the other on what each of your departments do and why, and in what ways you positively influence the business.
Have you found success in building internal relationships? How have you been able to bridge the communications gap and work together within your organization?
