Manager insists on personally reviewing every job candidate Recruiter finds, lives to regret it: 'I never received pushback again'

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Apr 23, 2024 6:00 PM EDT

When you have someone in your organization, or externally who your organization is paying, specifically to do a task… It makes sense to let them do that task; if you insist on your involvement and time being spent on that same task, all you're doing is double handling and wasting your own time and the organization's money. And, yet, so many managers struggle with this simple concept, refusing to relinquish even the smallest, most important things to those who should be responsible for them, bogging down the entire operation with the bottleneck effect that is created by everything needing to pass across their desk. 

You see this all the time, especially from entry-level managers who proved testament to the "Peter principle" and were never able to rise further through the ranks past their initial management position. Stuck, forever in that level of the organization, they begin clutching tighter at the few straws they have hold of, hoping that holding tighter and tighter may one day see their rise to that promotion that they so crave… 

It also happens with small business owners who have found success that they attribute to their micromanagement, and as their organization grows, they find it impossible to relinquish any of the hold they have until a critical point is reached.

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  • 01
    "You want to review every single candidate? You got it, babe!" 000
    via Magnet.me
  • 02

    "You want to review every single candidate? You got it, babe!"

    This is the BEST time that my warnings went unheeded and made the client regret ever asking. I worked in recruitment for nine years, and a few years back I had a new client (hiring manager) and she didn't like abiding by the rules set up for the recruitment team. For one thing, we review the applicants, interview the best qualified candidates, and then submitted them to the hiring manager for consideration.
    via u/StardustRose_9449
  • 03
    WELL! This hiring manager couldn't understand why we only sent over three candidates in a week (honestly, she's lucky as some positions did not garner that many applicants). I explained that we submit three candidates for every one position available - this ensures that the hiring manager's time was considered
    via u/StardustRose_9449
  • 04
    when scheduling next step interviews. This wasn't just a standard I set, it was approved by her company's TA bosses, and frankly was standard at another place I used to work as well. Hiring Manager: That is absurd! I want to review all of the candidates so I can TELL you whom to prescreen and THEN you schedule their interview with me based on my availability.
    via u/StardustRose_9449
  • 05
    Me: But, ma'am, you have almost one hundred applicants that met your minimum qualifications. I don't think you really want to devote that much time to reviewing all of these resumes, and honestly, some of them were not great. Hiring Manager: Are you not listening? Send them all over to me and I'll take care of it.
    via u/StardustRose_9449
  • 06
    Me:... yes, ma'am. You got it. I'll send those over right away. I wrote an email to the hiring manager immediately after the call, restating the topics discussed by phone and asked, again, if she was certain she wanted all of the candidates sent to her. She confirmed - I complied and forwarded to my boss with an explanation that she will take care of reviewing all applicants and
    via u/StardustRose_9449
  • 07
    my numbers were going to be skewed for the month. I did as requested, selecting nearly one hundred candidates in the system and moved them to Hiring Manager Review. Now, what this did was send individual emails for each candidate as an update to the hiring manager and it would ping her email every three days that they weren't reviewed. :) I smirked, knowing what was about to happen and my rear was going to get chewed out in about a week - but it felt really good because I knew I was right.
    via u/StardustRose_9449
  • 08
    Two days later, my boss calls and says he got an irritating phone call from this Hiring Manager who said she NEVER requested this, to which they responded with the information detailed in my email. She - was - speechless. He let her know that I would go back into the system and back up the candidate process so it would be taken out of her to-do list and I would continue to send over candidates that were the best fit for the role as described in our processes. I never received pushback from that
    via u/StardustRose_9449
  • 09
    booknerd381 - 2 hr. ago I just finished the process of hiring for a new position. There were over 200 candidatea that applied. The recruiter sent me five, three of which were absolutely stunning. I cannot for the life of me thank the recruiter for all the hard work that went in to filtering those resumes down to such a small number of great candidates for me to interview. Vote Reply Share
    via u/StardustRose_9449
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    YubelBestGirl · 2 hr. ago Managers: "Do this thing you told me is a bad idea." Also managers: "Why did you do this thing? I didn't want you to do this!" Vote Reply Share dreaminginteal · 1 hr. ago That's why you get it in writing. Always. Vote Reply Share
    via u/StardustRose_9449
  • 11
    RealUltimatePapo 2 hr. ago "Send the entire ocean to me!" promptly drowns shockedpikachu.jpg Micromanager, meet reality. Enjoy Vote Reply Share • • •
    via u/StardustRose_9449
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    Perfect-Scene9541 2 hr. ago Be careful what you ask for! You may get it! Wonderful compliance & outcome. I can imagine her saying "only a fool ..." Wait, I did say that? I should have been informed of the consequences of my decision. Which of course isn't posit when you're not listening. Vote Reply Share ● ● ●
    via u/StardustRose_9449
  • 13
    • awarepolarbear 1 hr. ago This makes me wonder if she was trying to hire a friend of hers. Vote Reply Share
    via u/StardustRose_9449
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    thetoffees 1 hr. ago People are stupid - especially first level managers. Worked with enough of them. Give'm what they want and reap the whilrwind. Vote Reply Share . . . . ryanlc 13 min. ago As a first level manager, can confirm. Vote Reply Share
    via u/StardustRose_9449
  • 15
    DoppelFrog 33 min. ago I don't understand this attitude; pay for a service. (including pre-screening of candidates) and then refuse to use the service you're paying for. ↑ Vote Reply Share
    via u/StardustRose_9449
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    MotheroftheworldII 1 hr. ago Be careful what you ask for, you just might find yourself snowed under. ↑ Vote Vote Reply Share
    via u/StardustRose_9449
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    musthavesoundeffects 11 min. ago She probably told a friend to apply and wanted to make sure they got advanced. Vote Reply Share
    via u/StardustRose_9449
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    Irondaddy 29 8 min. ago I love when these managers refuse to listen and get exactly what they asked for. Good job getting It thru email ↑ Vote Reply Share
    via u/StardustRose_9449

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