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

Being a good manager isn't something you can just pick up; it's a skill that's learned and developed. It also requires gaining experience, both in terms of technical expertise and understanding the environment and the different roles you'll be managing. The field of recruitment is no exception.

In day-to-day operations, management translates into constant action to achieve results towards a common goal. But which actions are truly effective?

Are you a manager or director of a recruitment firm? From defining a strategy, to setting up rituals or integrating tools, discover 6 best practices for effectively managing your team of recruiters.

1. Define a strategy

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

This strategy leads to a series of decisions and the implementation of an action plan for the teams. These elements will have a direct impact on how they work, and on a larger scale on the performance and sustainability of the company.

Secondly, to refine your strategy, you can involve your recruitment teams by scheduling quarterly activity reviews and an annual presentation of strategic objectives. Your recruiters have in-depth knowledge of the realities on the ground and the challenges of the recruitment market. They will therefore be able to provide you with valuable feedback to move forward in the right direction.

2. Define clear objectives

Inseparable from the company's strategy and vision, defining objectives for your recruitment team is essential. These objectives can be both individual and collective.

Indeed, defining clear and concrete objectives allows each recruiter to have a medium and long-term vision, to understand where they need to go and how, but also to challenge and motivate themselves.

In the field of recruitment, objectives can be found relating to:

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

3. Have weekly rituals

Establishing weekly rituals (meetings, project updates) is a good practice for effectively managing your team. These shared moments help achieve several objectives:

• Communicating the right information at the right time to enable your recruitment team to understand the context and challenges of the mission;

• Supporting your team, listening to them and reassuring them when necessary;

• To value the actions and skills of each team member;

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

• To unite and create synergy in order to build a cohesive and effective team of recruiters;

• Promote your company and managerial values: trust, respect, communication and kindness to create a positive and pleasant working environment for everyone.

4. Integrate tools into daily routines to track performance

Integrating digital tools into your daily routine is essential for organizing yourself, communicating with your team, centralizing your data, and tracking the progress of your goals.

Thus, we can identify three categories of tools to include on a daily basis to effectively manage your team of recruiters:

• Project management tools such as Notion, ClickUp, or Trello. Each differs in its interface and features, but they all allow you to plan and track the various projects launched within a company.

• Communication tools such as Slack and Discord for instant messaging, or Google Meet and Zoom for video conferencing, make it much easier to stay in touch and communicate with the rise of remote work.

• And of course, there are tools directly related to recruitment, such as automated prospecting tools or Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) like our intelligent solution, Marvin Recruiter. The ATS allows you to stay up-to-date on new applications received, their progress, and to have an instant overview of interview scheduling.

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

5. Alternate between formal and informal settings

Alternate formal meetings with informal chats over lunch or by the coffee machine, for example, to allow for more open discussion on various topics. This also helps strengthen team cohesion and a sense of belonging to the company.

Once or twice a year, organize more specific events such as seminars and team-building activities . Stepping outside the daily routine helps strengthen bonds, ease conflicts, and encourage creativity and innovation.

6. Getting to know your employees through behavioral analysis tests

Everyone is different, and that's what makes team management unique. That's why recognizing each person's personality, motivations, strengths, and weaknesses is essential to getting the best out of every member of your recruitment team.

Each individual has a unique profile. The skill of a good manager lies in understanding each person's profile in order to effectively organize a team.

As a first step, to understand the profile of each of your recruiters, you can organize a behavioral analysis test session. DISC and 16Personalities tests are reliable and recognized in the business world.

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

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

In conclusion, effectively managing a team of recruiters essentially relies on:

• A clear strategy and defined objectives;
• Weekly rituals to communicate, involve each collaborator and unite around common goals;
• Tools to track projects, communicate and facilitate recruitment processes;
• Informal events to break out of the routine, strengthen bonds, motivate each other and boost creativity;
• A thorough understanding of each of his employees through behavioral analysis tests in order to optimize and personalize his management.

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