From the Ask Tom Mailbag:

Question:
When you talk about the role of the Manager Once Removed, in the hiring process, am I clear that the MOR conducts all of the candidate screening, initial interviews and then hands over a slate of candidates to the Hiring Manager?

Manager Once Removed (MOR)
——————————————-
Hiring Manager
——————————————-
Open Position

Response:
No. That would be an abdication of one of the primary responsibilities of the MOR to the Hiring Manager. Don’t think of these steps in the hiring process as sterile vacuum compartments to be handed off from the MOR to the Hiring Manager. If the Hiring Manager does a poor job of hiring, I hold the MOR accountable. Once the MOR understands this, real conversations begin.

The conversation starts with the observation (by either the Hiring Manager or the MOR) that we may need to add a team member. This may result from a termination, vacancy or a new position created by work volume or other circumstance. Together, they will hash out whether another person is really needed, whether there is budget and any other details surrounding the decision. They will work together to define the role description, Key Result Areas, critical role requirements and other elements related to team fit and company culture. This is a rich managerial conversation, aligned with the mandate for the Manager Once Removed to bring value to the Hiring Manager’s decision.

With this foundation, they will continue to work together, creating written interview questions and a decision matrix to compare candidates. While the hiring decision rests with the Hiring Manager, I hold the MOR accountable if a poor decision is made.

I know this sounds like work. Well, it is. This is managerial work.