Managing a team of recruiters: 6 best practices for effective management

Being a good manager cannot be improvised, it must be learned and worked on. It also requires experience, both in terms of technique and understanding of the environment as well as the different jobs to be managed. The field of recruitment is no exception to the rule.

On a day-to-day basis, management means constant action to achieve results with a common goal. But which actions are really effective?

Are you a manager or head of a recruitment agency? From the definition of a strategy to the implementation of rituals and the integration of tools, discover 6 best practices to effectively manage your team of recruiters.

1. Define a strategy

In order to determine the direction your team of recruiters should take, it is imperative to start by defining a recruitment strategy and organization.

From this strategy comes a set of decisions and the implementation of an action plan for the teams. These elements will have a direct impact on their way of working, and on a larger scale on the performance and sustainability of the company.

Secondly, to adjust the strategy, you can involve your teams of recruiters by scheduling quarterly activity reviews, as well as a presentation of strategic objectives once a year. Indeed, your recruiters know perfectly well the reality of the field and the problems linked to the recruitment market. They will therefore be able to provide you with the right information to move in the right direction.

2. Define clear objectives

Integral to the company's strategy and vision is the definition of objectives for your team of recruiters . These can be both individual and collective.

Indeed, the definition of clear and concrete objectives allows each recruiter to have a medium and long term vision, to understand where he has to go and how, but also to challenge and motivate himself.

In the field of recruitment, we can find objectives concerning :

• The number of candidates to be recruited for different positions
• Good management of a budget
• The possible automation of recruitment processes
• Reduction of process time
• Improving the employer brand
• Learning new tools or social networks for candidate sourcing

3. Have weekly rituals

Setting up weekly rituals (meetings, project reviews) is a good practice to effectively manage your team. These shared moments allow you to fulfill several objectives:

• Communicate the right information at the right time to allow your team of recruiters to understand the context and challenges of the assignment;

• Accompany your team, listen to them and reassure them when necessary;

• Valuing the actions and skills of each team member;

• Involve everyone by organizing brainstorming sessions when you need to innovate on a subject;

• Unite and create synergy to build a cohesive and effective team of recruiters;

• Spread your corporate and managerial values: trust, respect, communication and benevolence to create a positive and pleasant work environment for everyone.

4. Integrate daily tools to monitor performance

The integration of digital tools on a daily basis is essential to organize yourself, communicate with your team, centralize your data or follow the progress of your objectives.

Thus, there are three categories of tools to include on a daily basis to effectively manage your team of recruiters:

• Project management tools like Notion, ClickUp or Trello. Each one differs in its interface and functionalities, but they all allow to plan and follow the different projects launched within a company.

• Communication tools such as Slack, Discord for instant chat or Google Meet and Zoom for video conferencing. With the increase in telecommuting, it is much more convenient to stay in touch and communicate through these tools.

• And, of course, tools directly linked to recruitment, such as automated prospecting tools or ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) like our intelligent Marvin Recruiter solution. The ATS enables you to keep up to date with new applications received, their progress and, at a glance, visibility on interview scheduling.

Discover Marvin Recruiterthe intelligent 3-in-1 recruitment software combining an ATS + a CRM + a KPI tool to manage your business and boost the success of your teams of recruiters!

5. Alternate between formal and informal

Alternate formal meetings with informal meetings over lunch or coffee, for example, to discuss different topics more freely. This also helps to strengthen team cohesion and the feeling of belonging to the company.

Once or twice a year, organize more specific events such as seminars and team building activities. Getting away from the daily routine can strengthen bonds, ease conflicts and encourage creativity and innovation.

6. Knowing your employees through behavioral analysis tests

Everyone is different and this is what makes team management so special. That's why recognizing each person's personality, motivations, strengths and weaknesses is essential to getting the most out of each member of your team of recruiters.

Each individual has a specific profile. The talent of a good manager is to understand the profile of each person in order to organize a team.

As a first step, to find out the profile of each of your recruiters, you can organize a session to take a behavioral analysis test. The DISC and 16Personalities tests are well known in the business world.

Once the results are obtained, they allow us to understand how a profile works and to adapt our communication in order to achieve fluid and efficient exchanges.

Did you also know that for 40% of managers, managing tensions within teams is the first source of difficulties, but also the first source of frustration? By taking one of these tests, you will have all the tools you need to react well when a conflict arises and to resolve it.

In conclusion, it can be said that to effectively manage a team of recruiters, it relies mainly on:

• A clear strategy and defined objectives;
• Weekly rituals to communicate, involve each employee and unite around common goals;
• Tools to monitor projects, communicate and facilitate the recruitment process;
• Informal events to get out of the box, strengthen relationships, motivate each other and boost creativity;
• A good knowledge of each employee through behavioral analysis tests in order to optimize and personalize management.

‍