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What to seek for when recruiting managers


Management and leadership are two of the most common words of this century. Most people believe they can be great managers, and that’s okay, because it is good to always aim for better. Not all of them can though, and it is the recruiter’s job to see this when choosing people to run teams, departments, divisions or even the entire company.


What is a good manager like and what makes a good leader then? Here are a few ideas of things you might want to check during the hiring process. First of all, make sure you see the person when you evaluate him/her. This is one of the reasons why we encourage people to use the video interviewing feature we developed here, on 1tedjob. It is extremely important to observe mimicry, gestures, to hear the tone of voice and much more. Then develop questions to assess the following:


  1. Is your manager a good project manager in the first place? If the person in front of you has been a great team player but never really managed a whole project that might be a problem. Project management does not involve just being the best in your team at what the project is about. It takes a person that can understand the product as a whole, it’s purpose, how many people need to work on the project, how much time does it take to finish it, who is best at what and who works best with who and so on. Let’s also not forget he needs financial knowledge as well because he needs to grasp the importance of what he is working on at a bigger level and how it will impact the company.
  2. Can your manager delegate? It is common among managers that got promoted from a lower position or a specialized job to find it hard to delegate. They might get stuck in the idea that they can always do it better and this is why they will either micromanage or refuse to delegate tasks but to try to make the whole project their own.
  3. Does he have critical thinking? While being close to the team is of great importance, being able to evaluate a situation objectively and doing what’s best for everyone is even more. You need a person that does not cease in front of issues and who can keep everyone floating.
  4. Is he inspirational? Yes, your employees need to look up to this person and say “I want to be like him when I grow up”. You need somebody energetic, fun and serious in the same time, a good communicator, a lively character and someone who can motivate a whole army with just one word, even before morning coffee.
  5. Is he competitive and collaborative in the same time? Can your candidate make the difference between those two and understand how they work within the company? A good manager needs to understand that competition is a great tool to keep people active and that it can get you to achieve results faster than other teams and make your company stronger. In the same time he has to be the adhesive that keeps the team together and he must understand that success belongs to the group and not just to him. Also, he must see that the team is not a means of achieving a purpose, but part of his strength inside the company.




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