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3 Big Differences and How to Master each Interview
A lot of otherwise smart job candidates fail their interviews for one simple reason: they don’t understand the difference between a recruiter vs a hiring manager.
Even though recruiters and hiring managers work closely together, there are some key differences that are crucial to understand.
According to the latest data, a job opening will attract about 250 applicants on average. Of those 250 applicants, about 6 will get called in for interviews. If you are one of those lucky six applicants, the last thing you’ll want to do is waste the opportunity because you mess up your interview with the recruiter or hiring manager.
Knowing what a recruiter does vs what a hiring manager does, is one of the keys to acing the interview process and getting a job offer.
Recruiter vs Hiring Manager
The difference between a recruiter vs a hiring manager can be boiled down to 2 key responsibilities:
- A recruiter’s main responsibility is to manage the hiring process from beginning to end.
- A hiring manager’s main responsibility is to make the final hiring decision.
These two people work very closely together, but each is in charge of something a bit different:
- Recruiter
- Sources candidates
- Interviews candidates
- Meets with Hiring Manager to discuss candidates
- Schedules interviews with team members
- Hiring Manager
- Interviews candidate
- Approves candidate
- Hires candidate
In the end, the hiring manager has the final say whether you get hired or not.
The recruiter can also eliminate you early on in the process if they spot red flags.
Let’s look at what both a recruiter and hiring manager actually does and how to navigate both of these people during your interviews.
What does a Recruiter do?
A recruiter is a person on the company’s HR team dedicated to talent acquisition (aka helping hire people for the company). The best way to think of a recruiter is like a project manager. They gather the people needed for the project, coordinate timelines, and keep the project on track. The main thing a recruiter does is source candidates for the role and act as the main contact between those candidates and the rest of the hiring team. The most important thing to keep in mind about a recruiter is that they are on your side.
Yes, a recruiter technically works for the company. And yes, they try to screen out bad candidates. But, if you are a good candidate, they are very excited to meet with you.
One of the most common mistakes I see job seekers make is that they’ll come to their interviews with a very combative attitude. In our free interviewing course, we talk extensively about how self-destructive this can be to your interviews.
The first interview of most interview processes is called a “phone screen.” This is meant to be a casual interview with the recruiter to see if you might be a good fit.
That’s why it’s best to approach this interview with enthusiasm and treat the recruiter like a partner.
How to pass the Recruiter interview
Firstly, the recruiter is looking for two things:
- They want to make sure you are who you say you are
- They want to make sure you meet the basic qualifications for the job
Point #2 is where a lot of job seekers get in trouble. A lot of job seekers will try to show their qualifications from a defensive position. They’ll (mistakenly) believe that the recruiter is doubting their qualifications. But this isn’t the case.
Remember, a recruiter doesn’t know too much about your specialty. They are recruiting for multiple roles. So, it’s best to approach the recruiter interview as a friendly conversation where you’re sharing who you are as a person and as a professional. The recruiter interview is also your opportunity to learn as much as you can about the company and the people you’ll be interviewing with.
How to ask for the Hiring Manager’s name
One of the best things you can do during the recruiter interview is to ask for the hiring manager’s name. A simple way to ask for the hiring manager’s name is with a simple question like this: “If I move forward in the process, who else will I be speaking with? Can you tell me a little bit more about what the hiring manager is like for this role?”
The reason you want to get this info is because the hiring manager is the person who has the final say in whether you’ll get hired or not.
What is a Hiring Manager?
The term “hiring manager” can be misleading. A hiring manager is simply the person who is hiring someone for their team. This means that this person could be super experienced in hiring or this could be their first time hiring someone ever. This also means that anyone, from any department, can become a “hiring manager.” For example, a Product Marketer who has been doing a great job in their role could be allowed to form their own team. As soon as they are allowed to hire someone, they become a “hiring manager.”
So, what is a hiring manager and what does a hiring manager do? A hiring manager has two primary responsibilities. First, they are in charge of writing and/or approving the job description. (This is why some job descriptions are great and others are completely unrealistic by the way). And secondly, the big difference between a recruiter vs hiring manager is that they are in charge of making the final hiring decision.
That’s right, the hiring manager has final say in the hiring decision, which is why it’s so important to prepare for…
The Hiring Manager interview
The hiring manager interview is very different from the recruiter interview.
Your main goals for the recruiter interview are to pass the screening questions and gather intel about the company.
The hiring manager interview is different in 3 very significant ways. Your main goals for the hiring manager interview should be to:
1. Make a personal connection
This is an often-overlooked part of the manager interview, but it’s super important. If you get hired, the hiring manager will become your actual manager. That means you’ll be spending a lot of time together. Managers, just like all people, want to work with people who are pleasant to work with. That’s why your #1 priority should be to establish a rapport with the hiring manager. If you’d like some tips on how to build rapport, I recommend reading about the 7 best questions to ask at the end of an interview here.
2. Offer solutions
A hiring manager is looking to hire someone because they have a problem that they can’t solve themselves. One of the most important things that hiring managers look for in an interview is someone who has a solution mindset. This is why it’s vital to not only talk about your skills, but also showcase how you created solutions in past roles. A great way to showcase your solution mindset is by telling interview stories.
3. Describe a project
Your third goal for the hiring manager interview should be to differentiate yourself from other candidates. Remember those 6 candidates that make it to the interview process? Each of them will have similar experience and qualifications to you.
One of the best ways to stand out from the pack is by describing a project you’ve worked on. Unlike your general work experience, the projects you’ve worked on are very likely to be unique compared to other candidates. Remember, the hiring manager interview is very different from the recruiter interview, which is also different from the other interviews you’ll face in the hiring process.
How to find the Hiring Manager
If you’d like to give yourself an extra edge over other candidates, one thing you can do is to find out who the hiring manager is for the role ahead of time.
This is helpful in case you’d like to network into a job or gather some information about the role before apply for it.
One of the easiest ways to find the hiring manager for a role is to look up who posted the job on LinkedIn. One of the reasons I recommend LinkedIn as one of the best job search sites, is because it usually tells you who the job poster is.
If you go to a job opening on LinkedIn, you can see who the hiring manager is in the right column next to the job description like this:
Now, sometimes this will be the hiring manager, sometimes it will be the recruiter, and sometimes it will just be anonymous. If the job poster is the recruiter, you can still reach out to the recruiter on LinkedIn. This is where LinkedIn Premium is very useful for job seekers. That’s because, if you have LinkedIn Premium, it lets you send InMail (LinkedIn emails) to people on LinkedIn.
There are also other benefits of LinkedIn Premium for job seekers, such as:
- Competitive Intelligence
- Job Application Data
- InMail Credits
- LinkedIn Learning
- Profile View Alerts
I recommend reading up on LinkedIn Premium if you haven’t already.
This is also a great way to find out who the hiring manager is for your cover letter. Customizing your cover letter for the hiring manager is a great way to stand out from other job candidates.
Takeaways & Next Steps
As you can see, there are some key differences between a recruiter vs a hiring manager. The main differences to remember are:
- A recruiter is like a project manager. They are on your side. They want to hire you.
- A hiring manager has the final say on whether you get hired. They want to know about your expertise, but they also want to make a personal connection with you.
As you prepare for your interviews, remember that you should approach each of these interviews in a different way. Happy Interviewing!
Bogdan Zlatkov is the Founder of GrowthHackYourCareer.com and has taught thousands of smart job seekers how to optimize their resumes, reach “All-Star” status with their LinkedIn profiles, and how to ace their interviews to land their next job faster. Before starting GHYC, Bogdan was a Content Manager at LinkedIn Learning and the author of, “The Ultimate Guide to Job Hunting,” ranked #1 on Google. To accelerate your next job search, visit GrowthHackYourCareer.com
