You’re a recruiter, you do this day in, day out. You know what a good candidate experience looks like, you know what needs to happen to catch the best talent, you know what a fair hiring process looks like.

Your hiring manager doesn’t.

Your hiring manager has one hundred other things on their mind; they are trying to deliver on their existing demands, lead their team or department and the hiring process is just another thing on top. But if we communicate well and collaborate, we can not only ensure they have the best opportunity to find the perfect candidate, but we can also uphold a fair hiring process and best represent the organisation.

We all have unconscious biases, and as recruiters we know both the importance of being cognizant and the strategies to mitigate the risk of slipping into them. Not only is it ethically critical, there are also legal implications. Get your hiring manager alongside you in the cockpit, help them recognise their biases and understand the importance of best practice in equitable hiring.

Equitable hiring practice is everyone’s responsibility

Recruiters are trained to spot blind-spots, to reflect on biases and use fair processes. It’s crucial that in the very first meeting with the hiring manager, a conversation is had around fair hiring.

Some hiring managers might have preferences based on previous colleague experience or they might have leads gained through their network. Give them the space to discuss their initial ideas – some of them will be helpful! – and then work with them to gently highlight potentially problematic preconceptions and strategies for broadening the net.

Create the scorecard in collaboration, bringing together their technical expertise and your recruitment best practice. If you and your hiring manager are working from the same criteria you’ll have the best chance to fairly judge a candidate and have constructive conversations around suitability.

The interview is critical. Go through the interview questions with hiring manager before the interview to ensure the questions are appropriate (and legal!). When you’re reviewing candidates together, help the hiring manager focus on the relevant skills, strengths and weaknesses and avoid drifting towards biases.

Get hiring managers engaged with the employer brand

Employer branding is not just for potential talent. The hiring manager doesn’t need to be able to quote the full narrative, but they do need to know and get the primary messaging. It’s a powerful tool to help them and you describe the organisation in a consistent way and connect the dots between the wider company culture, expectations and aspirations, and the job role and team.

As a recruiter, you are also charged with protecting the employer brand, and without an engaged hiring manager there is reputational risk. Slow responses, cancelled or rescheduled interviews, ghosting – a poor candidate experience can cause problems down the line, especially in a tight specialised market where word spreads fast.

Ultimately, it’s in the hiring manager’s best interest to be engaged if they want a high performing team with the best candidate. Fair hiring practices benefit everyone, and without that education from the recruiter and collaboration across the process not only do they risk poor talent outcomes, they also risk unfair processes and reputational damage.