The Recruiting Project Manager
Many companies outsource parts or sometimes even their entire recruitment process to achieve their hiring goals. As such, it is incredibly important to hire people who are capable of being a proactive liaison between the RPO resources that are available and their clients including recruiting and hiring managers.
This is where the recruiting project manager comes in. Recruiting project managers, sometimes referred to as “RPO leads”, play an essential role in establishing a team of high-performing recruiters who find and recruit the right talent to fill the vacancies of their clients.
Their responsibilities include setting up a team of recruiters that are fit for the project, establishing a team identity, communicating the client’s vision, mission and company culture, motivating the team, and last but not least, keeping the client updated on every step of the recruitment process and progress.
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Essential recruitment project management skills
There is a big overlap between the skills of a project manager and recruiting project manager. Both positions require outstanding communication skills for instance and impeccable leadership skills.
Newly required skills for recruiting project managers include competencies in the following areas.
1. Formulating hiring strategies and hiring goals
RPO Project managers are able to set up a plan with clear KPI’s and a strategy to achieve the desired results. This goes paired with excellent communication skills and frequent updates on the hiring progress. Project managers also anticipate potential obstacles that could jeopardies the hiring target by a plan of action.
2. Managing ongoing hiring requirements and changes in hiring scope
There are scenarios where hiring plans undergo changes due to changes in strategy or when a company decides to open a new business unit that requires new employees. It is therefore essential that project managers are able to adapt to changes in the hiring plan quickly and guide the recruitment team into the right direction.
3. An instinct for Relationship Management
Relationships are the foundation on which any HR department and any RPO project are built. Every recruitment leader, including RPO Manager must have the ability to develop strong relationship with RPO recruiters, HR internal team(s), candidates, and stakeholders etc. They also build trust with hiring managers to give them “peace of mind” that their hiring needs will be taken care of.
4. A Consultative and Supportive Approach
One of the unwritten rules is a consultive role of the RPO Manager. RPO manager become a trusted advisor (to candidates, hiring community, HR, team members) almost constantly bring fresh ideas to the table and take calculated risks during the project duration.
Project managers need to clearly communicate what is needed to achieve the hiring goals. When the goal is to hire 10 new C++ developers for instance, there will need to be someone who can guide and vet them. When there are not enough leadership figures to receive newly recruited talent, it increases the risk of a less effective team and lack of direction.
Are you looking for an experienced recruiting project manager?
In a landscape where companies are facing fierce competition in finding the best talent to support their hiring goals, it is important that you have a project recruitment manager on your side who knows your wishes and company inside-out.
At Tap.Talent we have vast experience in acting as a liaison between the recruitment resources of the company and external resources. Should you have any questions or desires you wish to express, get in touch with us and let’s explore how we can help you with finding the talent you wish to add to your workforce.
