I’m working on an project where I spend a fair amount of time talking with people who are looking for work. It’s interesting to talk with them because they invariably ask me, “How do I bypass the human resources department in the interview process?”
Ouch! Is this the perception of HR? I flashed back to my days in the corporate world. I thought we did a pretty good job of welcoming candidates and we followed up with every person who applied. Every single one. But then I read articles like “Ten Things Human Resources Won’t Tell You” and realize maybe candidates are right.
Sometimes human resources can be its own worst enemy. HR can be known for creating rules, policies and procedures that only make lives easier for human resources. HR needs to realize that, if it makes a candidate jump through a bunch of unnecessary hoops to get an interview, the candidate will figure out a different way. That way will probably be to bypass human resources.
If managers think human resources is creating a lot of bureaucracy that’s holding up progress in terms of getting people hired, they will gladly take a call directly from a candidate. Managers aren’t interested in all of the paperwork it takes to hire someone. They just want a great employee who will work hard for the company.
Now to stick up for human resources pros (because I am one), there are some parts of the recruiting process that are there for a reason. And it’s important to understand those components and follow the process.
If you want to bypass HR, you run the risk of getting on the bad side of HR before ever getting hired. This is not a good place to be. Ever want to tick off an HR pro – don’t follow one of their policies. It’s a “do not pass GO, do not collect $200” moment.
So while there will always be candidates who challenge the system, the real issue is if you don’t want candidates to bypass HR…don’t give them a reason. Make your recruiting process easy to use.
Image courtesy of Dyrk Wyst
0
Kevin Brozovich - HRM Innovations, LLC says
Sharlyn,
Thanks for a great post. I think another key item is to make certain your managers believe HR contributes to the process. I’ve seen HR departments that do no resume sorting/screening or candidate notifications whatsoever and leave that work entirely up to the manager. What’s that manager’s motivation for asking any candidate to come in through the HR group? If your managers believe you provide value, they’ll direct runaway candidates back to you.
Benjamin McCall says
I run into this same argument. The main issue with this mindset from anyone is that the tend to focus on an area or a position as the main deterrent to them receiving an interview or a job.
If they bypass someone they feel is in their way then many times they find themselves in the same circle. They submit a resume to their contact and it just ends up in the persons hands that they tried to bypass.
I typically try to talk to people and let them know that “HR is not your enemy. We don’t want to be your enemy. If anything we want to increase your chances of getting in. But only if you are the right fit”
Sharlyn Lauby says
@Kevin – Excellent point about getting the management team involved. Thanks for the comment!
@Benjamin – So true. HR is not the enemy…except when they act like the candidate is the enemy. Thanks!
Marisa Keegan says
Sharlyn, I completely agree that sometimes HR gets in its own way. It’s one thing to have policies for fundamental things that matter but when HR gets into the habit of creating policies to make their lives easier without considering the hoops they’re making others jump through it gets out of control. Most of the time, employees/candidates just find ways around the hoops.
When it comes to corporate policies I think fewer is better. I talk about that in my anti-policy blog (http://tinyurl.com/yepoat3)
iris n. says
I have read some articles by “job coaches” that actually tell their clients to talk to individuals who have the power to hire them, such as the managers themselves, instead of going through the complicated HR process.
In my opinion, it seems that managers sometimes are put in a dilemma where they need someone to fill a position quickly, but they are not able to see the “prospective candidates” until HR looks through, approves, assembles, and then finally sends the paperwork to the manager. Thus, this time consuming process is not very efficient for managers who are looking for immediate hire. I have personally been approached by managers, asking whether I wanted to move into a different position, because there was an opening and thus they felt that I would be able to do the job well, or I have even been asked whether I knew any qualified individuals, and if I knew of any, to have those individuals contact the manager directly, afterwhich the manager would tell that individual to complete and send in their application to HR. The manager would then personally contact the HR to ensure that they got the paperwork processed in a speedy manner. I’m sure the manager would have to be on good terms with HR to do this, to prevent any possible HR wrath upon them.
However, it also seems that managers would not approve of individual strangers contacting them directly, because they have enough things to do. Thus, it seems to be a case-by-case basis on the type of organization that you wish to be hired in, and what type of relationship the manager has with the HR. If the relationship is of a mutual and trusting sort, then I believe that bypassing HR may be acceptable on few case-by-case basis.
However, the duty of HR is to screen the applicants and to ensure that the applicants are qualified for the job position. Thus, it will not be wise for mangers to continue to bypass HR too frequently.
Indy says
I hate being the first non-HR person to comment on pieces like this, but here goes:
The biggest problem with HR in most medium to large companies is this: Both managers and candidates feel (and not without a decent amount of evidence by experience) that HR’s screening is just not very good. It’s based on ticking boxes and mechanical reasoning that doesn’t apply very well to humans.
There’s even independent evidence for this. The majority of Fortune 500 posts go to someone doing the same job (or just one rank below) in a different Fortune 500 company. This creates a talent/arms race that is entirely detrimental to said companies, but… it makes HR’s life easier…
Sharlyn Lauby says
@Marisa – Thanks for the comment and sharing the post. I’m a big Fistful of Talent fan.
@Iris – I know, it’s a sticky wicket. As a HR pro, I’ve always found if the recruiting function was working smoothly and efficiently, a lot of challenges can be avoided. And the candidates feel better about the process.
@Indy – No apologies! HR pros need to get direct feedback about how the policies they create impact the organization. Thanks for sharing!
Abelard Lindsey says
The notion of HR being involved in the hiring process is flawed. How can an HR manager who does not have engineering experience themselves decide who is qualified to interview for an engineering position? This is an impossibility. Only an engineer or engineering manager is capable of judging the capabilities of an engineering candidate. Likewise, only a sales manager is capable of judging the quality of a technical sales candidate. It is quite irrational to believe that an HR “specialist” would be more capable of judging the merits of an engineering application, for example, than another engineer or engineering manager.
Also, how can HR decide promotions and compensation. Are these things a function of the value-added an employee contributes to the company? How could an HR person be more capable of measuring this value-added function than any direct manager themselves?
Both of these points illustrate the absurdity of HR managers in making these kinds of decisions.
American business culture is incredibly dysfunctional these days. I believe one factor that has contributed to this dysfunctionality is the rise of the role of “staff” people in corporations. When I first entered the workplace in the late 80’s and early 90’s, all companies I interviewed with and worked for, all control and decision-making was with the “line” people. In an technology manufacturer, the line people are engineering, production, sales and marketing. All senior managers were of these people and all hiring, promotion, and firing decisions were also made by such people. This is proper because these are the people who are the core competency of the company. I believe allowing the staff people to have more influence in the management of a company has contributed to the increasing dysfunctional nature of American business.
Abelard Lindsey says
“However, the duty of HR is to screen the applicants and to ensure that the applicants are qualified for the job position. Thus, it will not be wise for mangers to continue to bypass HR too frequently.”
Again, how is it possible for an HR manager to better determine if a candidate is qualified for, say, a materials engineering or technical sales position than the hiring manager who, presumably, does this work themselves?
Also, why should a hiring manager have to be on “good terms” with an HR manager. The role of HR is to assist hiring managers in finding good employees. That is, HR managers should always be subordinate to hiring managers, not the other way around.
Abelard Lindsey says
The only legitimate function of HR in any organization is benefits administration. This was the only role they served in all of the companies I either worked for or interviewed with in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
Sharlyn Lauby says
That’s a lot to think about. I will say that I believe the role of HR is changing, like many departments given the current economic climate. I’m going to ponder your comments for a future post…stay tuned.
Jason says
Good post! Can line managers bypass the HR department in the interview process? Yes & No. Yes they can, if
1. the department is a dormant personnel department disguised as ‘HR’ comprising of disengaged employees,
2. there is no Recruitment policy & procedure in place clearly identifying the process flow
3. HR rather than becoming a business partner (understanding the business) and working jointly with the line manager perfers to work in silos. This is the reason why managers have lost faith in this dept. No value addition!
And No they will not bypass HR if,
1. the line managers expect the newly hired employee (hired without HR approval) to get paid for the month!
2. a recruitment policy & procedure is in place with zero tolerance for violation of the process flow.
3. they have faith that HR will work together with them in order to find the best talent possible.
There was a comment about HR not knowing engineering/sales and therefore not in a position to interview. Btw HR interviews (usually behavioral in nature) are normally based on assessing the individual’s compentencies for that particular job. Popular adage ‘Hire for attitude and train for skill’. Btw performance appraisals in a majority of the companies are filled by the line manager in close coordination with HR. Today, HR in great companies has reached a stage where it plays a very strategic role in contributing to the bottomline of the business.
Abelard Lindsey says
Btw HR interviews (usually behavioral in nature) are normally based on assessing the individual’s compentencies for that particular job.
But how can someone (HR manager) who has no personal experience in either engineering or sales determine if a candidate for this kind of work is competent or not for the work? Competence in any particular activity is more easily recognized by someone experienced in that particular activity than by someone who is not. This seems common sense to me.
An engineer or engineering manager would be far more capable of recognizing a talented engineer than anyone else. A sales manager can determine if a candidate can sell or not more than someone who has never sold anything in their life.
The claim that a HR specialist is more capable of evaluating an engineering candidate better than an engineering manager strikes me as quite irrational.
kevin says
I’ve gotten three jobs from bypassing HR, just by either knowing the hiring manager or contacting them (as well as doing research on the company as well).
There will always be things that HR won’t admit or just plain deny.
It does frighten me that a lot of HR know a candidates motives and plan of action now.
I will say that bigger companies are tougher to get a hold of hiring managers.
Karen says
I’m rather late to the party but wanted to comment anyway. I am an HR professional who would rather be left out of the recruiting process for the most part. I work in a company where HR is centralized but the employees and branches are spread all over the world. While I can do my research and know what’s legal and what’s not, I am not able to be physically present at any interviews. I’m probably much different than the commenters above, I believe that HR can train managers how to look at resumes strategically, understand what they need to look for besides skill (ie. attitude) but ultimately, I have a very hard time hiring for jobs that I’ve never seen (I am not able to travel to visit these jobs).
HR should be supporting the managers, provide training and assistance, but ultimately the dept manager has to like the hire or the person walking in is doomed to fail.
Greg says
Dear HR Manager,
I am writing to inform you that wherever possible, I will bypass you, and your staff in order to gain the ear of the hiring department’s leadership. I do this as a result of ineffective talent pool management, recruiters who have little to no experience and would not recognize talent if it slapped them in the head. Moreover, as a result of your plain old sense of entitlement on your departments behalf, that you deserve a seat at the table.
Lets talk turkey, before you can fly with eagles, you have to drop the idea that HR knows a whole lot about a wide variety of an organizations various and broad needs with respect to technology, research, medicine, education or what have you. Push yourself away from the kiddies table, and get educated on finance, economics, law (not HR Law) ETHICs – oooh that’s a big one….and any other subjects that really matter in the effectiveness of an organization – then learn to speak the language properly …….
One time I was at a meeting, introducing the concept of a an internal LMS for an organization – prior to the meeting I was asked by an HR leader to sit and look pretty more or less…..despite the fact that I managed the process, built the system, handled the vendor, ran the numbers and knew the IT……”we presented to the IT Director….who got more and more frustrated, disinterested b/c the HR leader couldn’t speak on a level that they needed……I ended up speaking up…..using language they could understand..and made the HR leader look like a small yellow bus candidate……
Recruiting as whole needs talented people who are educated themselves, such that they understand how an engineering degree or some other advanced education can transfer it’s fundamentals into almost any other field. The “perfect candidate” does not exist…and if you find them…you better dig a little deeper….it’s going to cost you if you do not…..about 1.5 times the salary of the person you hired, then fired……..for finding out they lied, they couldn’t do the job, or were otherwise incapable of delivering…..
When HR can demonstrate that they can handle their own corner of the sandbox, then people may start running with the bulls again. Until then, I and indeed many others will seek out those who can identify that our knowledge based and hard won skills and education are the exact kinds of sacrifices an organization needs in order to maintain plausibility and profitability.
Sharlyn Lauby says
@Karen – Thanks for the comment. I agree that years ago it would have been a challenge to be everywhere and participate in interviews. Now with technology like Skype, I believe HR can participate without traveling.
@Greg – All I can say is go for it. And good luck with that. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
db says
“If you want to bypass HR, you run the risk of getting on the bad side of HR before ever getting hired.”
It’s like a giant gorilla is holding a 600 pound mirror in front of you and you can’t even see it.