A surprise transition, a shift in priorities, rapid team growth… We’ve all been on teams where at least one of these things happens, usually at the worst possible time. As recruiters at WorkTogether, we often see teams caught off guard by sudden hiring needs, scrambling to fill gaps while already juggling full workloads. Adding “hiring support” to the mix can feel like an extra burden or push people outside their comfort zones. We get it! But in our experience, the most prepared and efficient organizations don’t treat hiring as an afterthought. Instead, they make it a shared responsibility, encouraging staff to engage in ways that feel natural and affirming to them.
This guide lays out the three most important steps you can take right now to help your team support hiring and build long-term investment in making it an organization-wide priority.
Step 1: Building Investment
Building investment involves two key pieces: communicating about why this matters now and recognizing expertise.
Employee Motivator Messaging:
ETHOS
“I’ve led 12 successful searches for this organization in the past two years, and the most important thing we do in each search is…”
PATHOS
“You are the best person to speak about your experience as an employee and team member, and we want new hires to hear from you.”
LOGOS
“Hiring can be time-consuming, but the ROI is undeniable.”
Step 2: Train
Once you’ve invested your team in hiring as an overall organizational-wide priority, you need to follow up quickly and build employee skills to participate in these processes and represent your organization externally. Remember, skill and will go together for most people so just relying on investment or just skill will not lead to organizational level change.
Key Skill: Understand Our Organizational Vision for Hiring and Candidate Experience
Venue: All staff
What you’re looking or listening for:
• Do we, as an organization, have an articulated and accessible vision for hiring?
• Can each staff member identify and communicate the most important aspects of that vision?
Key Skill: Understand Our Organizational Mission and Vision, Hitting on Key Normed Points
Venue: All staff
What you’re looking or listening for:
• Can each staff member clearly and concisely state our vision, what we do, and how their individual role contributes to that vision?
• Can they do so in a standardized way, ensuring all prioritized talking points are covered?
Key Skill: Understand the Must-Haves and Nice-to-Haves for Each Position
Venue: Hiring Team Meeting (synchronous or asynchronous)
What you’re looking or listening for:
• Can each hiring team member explicitly state the most important skills or experiences for this role, based on the provided materials rather than personal opinion?
Key Skill: Asking Interview Questions
Venue: Hiring Team Meeting (synchronous or asynchronous), 1:1 with Manager or Hiring Manager
What you’re looking or listening for:
• Can each hiring team member easily access interview scripts and candidate materials?
• Does each hiring team member know what they are listening for in each of their assigned questions?
Key Skill: Understanding Your Role: Input or Support?
Venue: Hiring Team Meeting (synchronous or asynchronous), 1:1 with Manager or Hiring Manager
What you’re looking or listening for:
• Does each hiring team member know if they are a decision-maker or not?
• If they are a decision-maker: They are responsible for scoring candidates and identifying strengths and gaps aligned with the role’s must-haves.
• If they are not a decision-maker: Do they understand their purpose in the process? They will not be asked to evaluate, score, or provide feedback on candidates.
Key Skill: Scoring and Evaluation
Venue: Hiring Team Meeting (synchronous or asynchronous), 1:1 with Manager or Hiring Manager, Survey
What you’re looking or listening for:
• Does each hiring team member have both qualitative and quantitative metrics for candidate evaluation, aligned with the specific position and role rubric?
Step 3: Reward and Recognize
Ensuring everyone on the team considers hiring a shared priority means that everyone, at each level, is equally invested and willing to make concessions when time gets tight or prioritization decisions need to be made. We have a few pathways to ameliorate this point of tension:
1. Be as proactive as possible. We are huge advocates for blocking calendars well in advance, as that limits the need to organize calendars. If you need the time? Already protected. If not? The time back is a gift!
Example language for calendar invites: “Thank you for supporting our search process for our next {Role.} Your insight is incredibly valuable, and {hiring manager} is grateful! Please protect this time for {selection step: panel interview, exercise debrief, informal chat}. We will send out further guidance no later than 3 days before.”
2. Take the hit. If someone has a full plate and explicitly tells you- or their manager- that they cannot do this with excellence this week, believe them! Having a clear sense of the trade-off employees are making to join the process is essential. And, if this hiring activity is the priority, work with their manager or the employee directly to choose what can be delayed.
3. Personalize your ask. why are you asking this person specifically, and what do you hope they can bring to the process?
Example: “We’d like you to co-run the final interview because of how closely the Program and Certification teams will work together next year. In this interview, we’d appreciate you sharing 1-2 examples of specific projects you’ve worked on with the former {Role}, including challenges you’ve experienced.”
Final Thoughts
By prioritizing investment, training, and recognition, you’ll build a culture where hiring is truly a shared responsibility leading to stronger, more inclusive teams. It takes a great team to grow a great team.
Ready to take your hiring process to the next level? At WorkTogether, we’re here to help you do this with excellence. Let’s work together to ensure every voice is heard in the hiring process. Reach out to us to get started!
