Hiring manager vs. recruiter: the differences and how to talk to each

You're not alone if you've confused hiring managers vs. recruiters. These professionals work together to find qualified candidates and streamline the recruiting process.

Some roles and responsibilities overlap, but hiring managers and recruiters serve distinct purposes in the hiring process. Recruiters find potential candidates while hiring managers help new hires navigate employee onboarding, and they both support the screening and interview process.

If you’re looking for a job, understanding their responsibilities can help you interact successfully with each point of contact and prepare for a successful interview.

Hiring managers vs. recruiters: roles and duties

It takes more than one person to hire a great candidate. The average cost to bring on a new employee is about $4,700, which means employers want to make sure they’re choosing the right person for an open position.

Hiring managers and recruiters work together to make those decisions and build a successful team. Here’s a breakdown of each position’s duties during the hiring process.

What does a recruiter do?

The recruiter sources potential candidates from job boards and LinkedIn, filters through applications and communicates with potential new hires. They’re often your first point of contact with a company during the hiring process.

Recruiters, either as individuals or teams, sometimes work as part of a business's human resources (HR) department. They also go to job fairs, conferences, and networking events to find talented candidates. Some companies also outsource the role to recruitment agencies.

Here’s what recruiters do in their day-to-day:

• Develop a recruitment strategy: Working with hiring managers and sometimes HR departments, recruiters develop a marketing strategy to promote job openings and attract qualified candidates. This process includes reaching out to an existing network to create a list of potential applicants. 

• Post and review job openings: Recruiters work with hiring managers to craft and upload job postings to online job boards and review their performance. 

• Screen applicants: As applications come in, recruiters review resumes and cover letters to choose who to interview.

• Conduct introductory interviews: Once recruiters identify potential talent, they might conduct a phone screen interview to narrow down the number of potential candidates. They’ll ask questions about skills and qualifications and get a feel for the candidate’s career goals and salary range expectations.

  If they don’t conduct a phone interview, they might confirm your information over email or move straight into booking your job interview with the hiring manager. 

• Assist during the onboarding process: Occasionally, recruiters may step in to help hiring managers introduce and onboard successful applicants. They also work to negotiate offers that benefit both candidates and companies. 

What does a hiring manager do?

While recruiters are responsible for recruiting full times, hiring managers vary for different positions across teams. Hiring managers create job descriptions, conduct interviews, and onboard new hires.

Usually, you’ll meet the hiring manager once you proceed to the formal interview stage after the recruitment process. 

A hiring manager is often a team leader or supervisor within the department doing the hiring, meaning hiring is only one part of their job. They have other day-to-day management duties to keep their teams running smoothly. Once you’re on board, the hiring manager will likely be your manager or another senior member of your team.

When it comes to recruitment, hiring managers:

• Identify vacancies: Whether a current employee has moved on or the team is expanding, hiring managers advise management and HR on what roles need creating or filling.

• Create job descriptions: Hiring managers work with recruiters to determine what qualifications are necessary for the role, and they usually write job descriptions for recruiters to post. At the least, they’ll outline the expectations for the position to the recruiter. 

• Review applications: Once recruiters finish pre-screening interviews, hiring managers work with recruiters to evaluate the shortlisted resumes to determine which candidates will move to the next stage.

• Conduct interviews: After recruiters pre-screen applicants, hiring managers conduct thorough interviews, in one-on-one meetings or other types of interviews, to vet applicants and identify the best candidates. 

• Negotiate terms: Once they make final hiring decisions and extend offers, hiring managers may help negotiate any changes to employment contracts.

• Organize onboarding: Once applicants accept offers, hiring managers sometimes organize their start dates, onboarding sessions, and any additional training. Whether this falls to the recruiter, the manager, or HR really depends on the size of the company.

Recruiters vs. hiring managers: how they’re different

The job of a recruiter is to simplify the recruiting process for the hiring manager. Since managers have other duties, they usually can’t conduct the entire process on their own. Recruiters take on some of that responsibility so everyone involved saves time.

Hiring managers give recruiters the job requirements and description to post on job boards. As the applications flow in, the recruiter will identify, pre-screen, and create a shortlist of potential candidates to hand over to the hiring manager.

Usually, the hiring manager then interviews the candidate independently or as part of a collaborative hiring team. The final decision about who to hire rests with them and the rest of the team because they better understand the needs of the department.

When a candidate accepts an offer, the hiring manager might help negotiate terms like start date and salary and organize onboarding, but many of these tasks go to HR or the recruiter (depending on the size of the company).

What is collaborative hiring?

Collaborative hiring started as a talent acquisition trend among small-to-medium businesses and Silicon Valley tech startups. Instead of relying on a single decision-maker to choose the best person to hire, a collaborative hiring team leverages a more diverse team of managers and employees for a more democratic and inclusive process.

During collaborative hiring, employees who don’t usually help with the hiring process but work on the same team get to provide input for the job description and interviews. That way, the hiring manager can hear more opinions about how an applicant will fit into the team and better pinpoint the right person for the job. 

Collaborative hiring has many advantages over the traditional process:

• Reduces bias: Multiple opinions and interview feedback help overcome the potential biases that could influence hiring decisions.

• Increases engagement: By empowering employees of all levels as part of the hiring team, a company demonstrates that it values their opinion, generating worker loyalty.

• Creates better candidate experience: Being introduced to potential teammates as part of the hiring process shows the company values its employees, which is a strong selling point. And a company’s employees are its best salespeople — candidates learn what it’s like to work for the company from people who have experienced it. 

• Decreases the chance of a bad hire: Including multiple perspectives on what makes a candidate successful gives the hiring manager a fuller picture of a potential employee’s suitability, increasing the likelihood of a good fit. 

How to communicate with a recruiter vs. a hiring manager

Whether it’s your initial contact with a recruiter or your final interview with the hiring manager, you need to make a good first impression. Knowing how to communicate with each person can help.

When you’re talking to a recruiter, their goal is to find out whether you fit the role and the company culture. They'll expect you to answer questions like:

• Why are you looking for a new job?
• Why are you interested in this position?
• What about your skillset matches this role’s requirements?
• When are you available to start a new position?
• What are your compensation and benefits expectations? 

These questions help the recruiter assess whether you’re a match for the business and the job. 

With the recruiter, be honest about your expectations and ask hard questions. Tell them what you’re looking for in a new position. You don’t want to waste their time pursuing a job that doesn’t suit your needs or interests. And if this job isn’t for you, impressing the recruiter could mean they keep you in mind when another opportunity comes up.

A hiring manager will then ask more specific questions about the role’s day-to-day and the way you work with a team later. When you’re talking to a hiring manager, your conversation will be a formal job interview. They’re responsible for making the final decision about how to fill the vacancy on their team, so your goal is to sell yourself as the best person for the job.

The hiring manager will ask about your skills, education, and experience. They’ll also offer job-specific questions about your learning process, how you respond to feedback or the steps you take to solve a problem.

One of the best ways to answer these interview questions is with the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result), which helps you tell a more cohesive story about your experience.

And remember, you want to know whether the hiring manager is someone you can work with. You’re interviewing them as much as they’re assessing you. Don’t be afraid to ask a hiring manager questions about company culture, communication styles, and success metrics.

You could even ask what they love about working for the company. It demonstrates interest, and you can use their answers to make an informed decision if you receive a job offer. 

It helps to be prepared

Understanding hiring managers vs. recruiters and the distinctions between them can make your job search smoother and help you communicate with your potential new employer. They’re the driving force behind a successful collaborative hiring team, and they make sure the best and the brightest make it through the process. 

Learn who’s who and what to expect from every point of contact when you’re applying for new positions. Great communication can help you prepare for a good interview and land your dream job.