Career Planning What Does a Hiring Manager Do? The Hiring Manager Makes the Final Employment Decisions By Susan M. Heathfield Susan M. Heathfield Susan Heathfield is an HR and management consultant with an MS degree. She has decades of experience writing about human resources. learn about our editorial policies Updated on September 13, 2022 Fact checked by Sarah Fisher Fact checked by Sarah Fisher Sarah Fisher is an associate editor at The Balance with two years of personal finance and business writing experience. She has written about personal finance for SmartAsset, and has held internships at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's office. learn about our editorial policies In This Article View All In This Article How Managers Begin Their Process Tasks Prior to Making a Job Offer Making the Hiring Decision Frequently Asked Questions Photo: Westend61 / Getty Images The hiring manager is typically the manager or supervisor who wants an open position filled. Whatever their daily duties, they are a key member of an employee recruitment team. They are responsible for managing the job and department into which a new employee is integrated. As such, they are responsible for assigning a mentor, the new employee welcome and onboarding, the integration of the employee with the rest of the department's staff, the ongoing overall direction of the new employee's job and objectives, and all other responsibilities that come with a manager's role. Key Takeaways The hiring manager is involved in all stages of the recruitment processThe hiring manager works closely with Human ResourcesThe hiring manager will typically have veto power over any applicant and may make the final decision when hiring How Hiring Managers Begin Their Process Depending on the size of the organization and the number of roles they're hiring for, the hiring manager may participate in every aspect of employee recruitment. They could review incoming resumes and applications and conduct a phone interview to determine whether the applicants are qualified enough to merit the employee time invested in an onsite interview. The hiring manager participates in both the first and second interviews. If the potential employee is at your company location for more than these two meetings, the hiring manager greets the candidate on each visit. The hiring manager also attends any lunch meetings that are an effort to interact with potential job candidates in a more informal, comfortable setting. Participating this fully in the process each time the potential employee interviews helps the manager begin to build a relationship with the candidate. This is the first step in long-term employee retention, which starts before an employee even begins their new job. Note The hiring manager is assisted at each step of the process by the Human Resources staff. They screen the initial applications, give the shortlist to the hiring manager, and assist with the selection of the interview team. Tasks Prior to Making a Job Offer The hiring manager also works with the Human Resources staff to determine the appropriate compensation for the position, normally makes the job offer, and negotiates the details and timeline of the new employee accepting and starting the job. They are also responsible for building and maintaining a relationship with the new employee from the time the employee accepts the organization's job offer until they show up at work to start their new job. As demonstrated, HR is available to assist the manager at each step of the recruiting and hiring process, but the manager is the key person who must own the process. He or she has the most to gain or lose after their department's investment in onboarding, training, relationship-building, and ultimately job success—or failure for the new employee. The hiring manager has a serious responsibility to their organization. 1:58 Watch Now: 8 Hiring Manager Secrets You Should Know Making the Hiring Decision The hiring manager plays a critical role in deciding on whom to hire as a new employee. While the details of this job role may vary from company to company, the hiring manager is always important in the hiring decision. In most organizations, they may not be the only decision-maker, but they do have veto power since the new employee will commonly report to them. Note In the team approach to hiring, the hiring manager sets up a debriefing session to receive feedback from the employees who interviewed the potential employees. Then, a much smaller team of employees that includes the hiring manager and an HR staff member will make the hiring decision. The hiring manager determines the new employee's start date and is responsible for planning the new employee's orientation and onboarding. They also make the final decision about the new employee's mentor and the employee's job description, then sending the new employee a welcome letter and making the new employee announcement. Frequently Asked Questions How Many Interviews Does a Hiring Manager Do? In general, most hiring managers will do one to three interviews per candidate. However, it may take some time after that before they make their final decision. What Do Hiring Managers Ask in an Interview? Hiring managers will often ask the same kinds of questions as recruiters. They may want you to describe your professional and educational background, explain your interest in the position, and what type of work environment you prefer. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Indeed. "What Does a Hiring Manager Do?"