How would you handle conflicting feedback from hiring managers during candidate evaluation?

1 Clarify Goals

When hiring managers give conflicting feedback, the first step is to clarify the goals and priorities for the position. Engage with the managers to understand the essential skills and attributes they're looking for. Sometimes, discrepancies in feedback stem from a misalignment in understanding the role's requirements. By facilitating a discussion that refocuses on the job's core objectives, you can help align their perspectives and create a clearer benchmark for evaluating candidates.

2 Open Dialogue

It's important to foster an open dialogue where hiring managers can discuss their feedback openly. Encourage them to explain the reasoning behind their assessments. This can reveal the underlying factors influencing their opinions and help identify any biases or misunderstandings. As you mediate this conversation, listen actively and ask probing questions that can lead to a deeper understanding of each manager's viewpoint.

3 Evaluate Evidence

Assessing the evidence is crucial when dealing with conflicting feedback. You should review the candidates' resumes, interview notes, and any other relevant data to compare against the feedback provided. Look for objective criteria that can support or refute the points raised by each hiring manager. This evidence-based approach helps to move the discussion from subjective opinions to factual considerations, making it easier to reach a consensus.

4 Consensus Building

Building consensus among hiring managers is key to resolving conflicting feedback. Once you've clarified goals and evaluated the evidence, guide the managers towards finding common ground. Highlight the areas of agreement and suggest compromises on contentious points. Your role is to help them see beyond individual preferences and focus on the candidate who best meets the agreed-upon criteria for the role.

5 Decision Framework

Implementing a structured decision-making framework can be beneficial when feedback is at odds. This might include a scoring system or a list of weighted criteria that all managers agree to use. Having a clear framework in place ensures that candidate evaluations are consistent and transparent, reducing the impact of conflicting opinions and making it easier to justify the final hiring decision.

6 Follow-Up Actions

After reaching a decision, it's important to take follow-up actions to address any lingering concerns from hiring managers. This could involve providing additional training for the selected candidate in areas where they were perceived as weaker or revisiting the job description to ensure it accurately reflects what's needed in future hires. Taking these steps shows that you value the input of all managers and are committed to continuous improvement in the hiring process.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?