Presenting candidates to leadership

Posting jobs, communicating with candidates, tracking applicants, scheduling interviews and moving candidates through the funnel to hopefully find a hire are among the main tasks of a recruiter. Some organizations’ leadership may not be involved in those steps but would still like to approve the hire before extending an offer.

So how do you present your potential hire and top candidate to those who need the final say?

Prepare to pitch your prospect

It’s important to note there is no right or wrong way to make your case, but you want to be able to justify why this candidate is the right fit not only for this opening but also for your organization’s culture.

When presenting to leadership, be concise and point out the reasons you and your team feel this candidate is best for the job.

Set a time to meet with management - and include all decision makers - so you can present in person and answer any questions they might have or discuss any concerns and long-term plans for the hire.

What to include

Developing a PowerPoint or outline is a good idea so you have something to share with management if they have any questions or need to review details after meeting with you.

An outline could include:

• The opening and job description
• What you are looking for in a candidate to fill the position
• The candidate you hope to hire, their background and some highlights from their CV
• The process and with whom they’ve met from the organization, including those colleagues’ thoughts on the potential hire
• Why you think they are the best fit to fill the opening and a good cultural fit for the organization over other qualified candidates

Going through this process shows you put time and care into finding the right candidate and want to make sure the opening is filled by the right person for the job and organization. Since your leadership team may not be involved in the initial steps of the process, this information will help them approve your presented candidate or candidates.