For internal talent acquisition teams looking to attract high-quality candidates, forging strong relationships with hiring managers is vital. 

In a fast-paced, ever-evolving industry like Life Sciences, building a collaborative partnership between recruiters and managers can be instrumental in securing an efficient, streamlined hiring process that benefits both candidates and companies. 

Throughout this blog, we’ll explore the significance of strengthening relationships between talent acquisition teams and hiring managers and share our tips on exactly how you can do so. We’ll also delve into the top strategies Life Sciences companies can implement to improve relationships between recruitment and leadership teams. 

So, Why is Forming Strong Connections with Hiring Managers Important? 

With ongoing recruitment challenges like the scarcity of top-tier candidates and above-average turnover levels continuing to impact the Life Sciences industry, the relationship between internal talent acquisition teams and hiring managers is becoming ever more important. 

That’s because without effective communication and collaboration between recruiters and leadership, Life Sciences companies become vulnerable to issues such as lower productivity and a lack of strategic vision. 

But perhaps one of the most damaging implications of poor cooperation between talent acquisition teams and hiring managers is failing to facilitate positive candidate experiences. 

In an environment where the demand for exceptional talent far outpaces the supply, providing pleasant experiences for candidates is a necessity. In fact, research shows that a stand-out candidate experience makes an applicant 38% more likely to accept a job offer from an employer. 

Now, let's take an in-depth look at why strong relationships between hiring managers and talent acquisition teams are crucial:

1.    Alignment of Goals and Objectives

When talent acquisition teams and hiring managers collaborate effectively, they can better align their goals and objectives. This ensures both parties are on the same page when it comes to skills required, desired qualifications, expertise in relevant therapy areas, and the right cultural fit needed for a successful hire. 

By securing goal alignment, Life Sciences companies can foster a more cohesive and innovative work environment that guarantees long-term success with top-tier talent in their ranks.

2.    Streamlined Recruitment Process

A close working relationship between internal talent acquisition teams and hiring managers can result in a streamlined hiring process. 

Through effective communication and collaboration, talent acquisition teams can seek out suitable candidates and hiring managers can provide timely feedback on potential talent, allowing the talent team to act quickly and secure the créme de la créme of Life Sciences expertise.

In the Life Sciences industry specifically, this level of efficiency is particularly advantageous, as a refined hiring process is what gives companies an edge over the competition.

3.    Improved Talent Pipelining

Maintaining a cooperative relationship with hiring managers enables talent acquisition teams to proactively create talent pipelines for future hiring needs. 

This aligned, strategic approach can produce an extensive network of qualified candidates that can be called upon when the recruitment need arises - whether that be permanently or on a contract basis. 

By doing so and aligning the talent teams’ priorities to hiring managers’ workloads, you’ll reduce the time, effort and resources involved in filling crucial roles in the future, positively affecting the business all around. 

4.    Reduced Staff Turnover

When hiring managers and talent acquisition teams closely collaborate with each other, there is a higher likelihood of selecting candidates who not only meet the technical requirements but also fit well within the organization’s culture. This emphasis on cultural fit is instrumental in lowering the rates of turnover due to misalignment between employee expectations and workplace realities.

With the turnover rate in the Life Sciences industry currently standing at 20.6%, far above the overall average of 13%, it is abundantly clear that Life Sciences companies must implement insightful, innovative strategies to overcome the retention crisis. Indeed, improving teamwork between talent teams and hiring managers is one such strategy. 

To learn more about how your organization can retain the best and brightest minds in the industry, head over to 5 Strategies You Can Implement to Retain Exceptional Life Sciences Talent. 

Now We've Covered The Why, How Can Your Talent Team Build Strong Relationships With Hiring Managers?

As we established earlier, organizations with poor relationships between internal talent acquisition teams and senior management carry a range of potentially damaging risks, from misalignment of goals and recruitment ambitions to alienating the most outstanding applicants. By pursuing a more collaborative approach, recruiters and managers can work together to hire suitable candidates, reduce stress and workload, and dramatically boost talent retention rates. 

And don’t just take our word for it! Plenty of research indicates greater levels of collaboration are essential for companies looking to gain a competitive advantage. In fact, Zippia found that companies that promote a culture of teamwork and communication reduce employee turnover rates by up to 50% - a significant percentage that highlights the effectiveness of a collaborative workforce. 

So, if you’re part of an internal talent acquisition team within Life Sciences, you’re probably wondering how your team can improve relations with hiring managers. Well, we’re here to help! 

Here are the three most effective ways you can strengthen your relationship with your management team: 

1.    Become A Resource For Talent Management Expertise

Although the primary function of talent acquisition teams is to oversee the recruitment of high-quality candidates, making meaningful connections with hiring managers typically requires additional effort. Rather than merely focusing on filling open positions, talent teams should aim to become a valuable resource for talent management best practices. 

By doing so, they can establish themselves as trusted advisors for hiring managers seeking Life Sciences recruitment expertise. There are various strategies and practices you can adopt to become an indispensable resource for hiring managers, including: 

• Gain a Deep Understanding of Business Goals

Gaining an in-depth understanding of how the company’s business goals align with recruitment needs is a great starting point for demonstrating expertise to hiring managers. 

To do so, talent teams can regularly host meetings with hiring managers to showcase how their efforts can help the organization fulfil its objectives. 

• Refine Industry Knowledge

Showcasing specialist knowledge of the Life Sciences industry can help establish talent acquisition teams as trusted sources of talent management advice for hiring managers. 

To achieve this, teams can provide hiring managers with reports on the latest industry benchmarks and talent strategies and offer recommendations on how the business can maintain its competitive edge. 

• Offer Training and Development Sessions

Talent acquisition teams can also demonstrate their recruitment knowledge to hiring managers by facilitating training and development sessions. 

These sessions can cover a wide array of subjects geared toward keeping managers informed about the latest trends and developments, including interview techniques, unconscious bias, and scientific concepts. 

•   Develop a Talent Pool Management Plan

Another useful strategy is to involve hiring managers in talent pool management planning. 

These plans should address the status of the current crop of candidates, the critical skills needed for future roles, and talent mapping exercises to ensure a proactive hiring approach. 

By investing time and effort in these areas, talent acquisition teams can position themselves as indispensable partners to hiring managers, fostering collaboration, strengthening their relationships and aligning their priorities.

2.    Engage in Collaborative Recruitment Practices

Collaboration is instrumental in securing an effective, well-functioning team. In fact, according to a study conducted by Stanford University, teams that work well together are 50% more productive. Figures compiled by Zippia also support the notion that higher levels of collaboration correlate with better performance, with professionals who work in collaborative settings claiming to be 50% more effective at completing tasks than those who work independently. 

These statistics only highlight the significance of collaboration in a healthy workplace environment, and from these findings, it would be fair to assume that fragmented teams are less successful. 

To avoid the dangers of a silo mentality, Life Sciences companies should go the extra mile to promote cooperation between talent teams and hiring managers. By fostering stronger bonds between both parties, businesses can expect more efficient hiring processes and, therefore, a greater chance of recruiting top-tier Life Sciences talent. 

Now, this is where the concept of collaborative recruitment comes in. This team-based hiring strategy involves calling in colleagues from multiple departments to play an active role in the hiring process. With individuals from the talent acquisition and management teams working together with other professionals, businesses can reap many rewards, including: 

• Less stress and workload placed on the recruitment team

• A much-improved candidate experience due to more team members meeting the applicants

• Involvement of hiring managers will help to enhance their knowledge of the recruitment process and candidate market

• Reduction in recruitment time as more people are involved in the process

3.    Maintain Effective and Transparent Communication

Another sure-fire method of strengthening relationships between talent acquisition teams and hiring managers is to facilitate transparent communication. 

The importance of effective communication between recruiters and management cannot be understated, particularly given that poor communication between these parties carries various risks, including misalignment in recruitment strategy, a lack of clarity on job roles and responsibilities, and a longer hiring process. 

Ineffective communication between talent acquisition and management teams also impacts candidate experience in several ways, including delayed responses, inconsistent messaging, and a lack of clarity. 

And you can guess what that results in… Research shows that 54% of candidates have abandoned a recruitment process due to subpar communication from the recruiter or hiring manager, indicating that there is a direct link between poor communication and a reduced talent pool. 

Let’s delve into the various ways recruiters and hiring managers can improve communication: 

• Establish Dedicated Communication Channels

Setting up clear communication channels to discuss ongoing and future hiring needs is essential. 

Recruiters and hiring managers should utilize a range of communication channels, such as emails, professional messaging applications, and face-to-face meetings, to ensure a seamless flow of communication. 

• Work Together on Job Specifications

Alignment between talent acquisition and hiring teams on the duties and required skills of roles is crucial. 

By working together to create accurate and eye-catching job descriptions, they can gain a shared understanding of the nature of the positions they’re recruiting for. 

• Share Feedback in a Timely Fashion

Talent acquisition teams should prioritize sharing feedback with hiring managers promptly. 

By letting hiring managers know about each candidate's strengths and weaknesses in a timely manner, they’ll be able to make decisions quicker, thereby speeding up the overall time-to-hire. 

• Constantly Review and Adjust

No business process is fool-proof, and regularly reviewing the effectiveness of communication between recruiters and managers is a great way to identify where adjustments need to be made. 

Debrief sessions should be scheduled on a regular basis, providing talent acquisition teams and hiring managers with a platform to voice their feedback. 

Conclusion

Fostering strong connections between talent acquisition teams and hiring managers is paramount for success in the Life Sciences industry. The alignment of goals, streamlined recruitment processes, improved talent pipelining, and reduced staff turnover are just a few of the many advantages that these collaborative partnerships can provide. 

By investing in these relationships, you can better address current recruitment challenges while laying the foundation for sustained success in attracting, hiring, and retaining exceptional Life Sciences professionals. Companies that choose to embrace these strategies are well-equipped to meet immediate hiring needs while proactively planning for future recruitment strategies. 

Want help in getting you there? Our award-winning team act as an extension of your internal talent acquisition team, providing you with market insights and industry trends while keeping you up-to-date on candidate expectations and competitors’ offerings. We also understand that every business is different, and we work with all kinds of Life Sciences companies, supporting them in reaching their short and long-term goals. To discuss how we can help your business excel, get in touch with us today!