What Happens When Recruiters and Hiring Managers Aren’t Aligned (and How to Fix It)
June 25, 2025
Hiring shouldn’t feel like herding cats. But for a lot of teams, it does.
Recruiters are frustrated, hiring managers are confused, candidates fall through the cracks, and everyone’s pointing fingers instead of filling roles.
If you’re feeling stuck in this cycle, you’re not failing—you’re just misaligned.
In this article, I’m going to walk you through what really happens when recruiters and hiring managers aren’t working in sync, why it causes so many problems, and what you can do to fix it.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Why recruiters and hiring managers often struggle to work together
- Signs your teams may be misaligned
- How misalignment hurts the candidate experience AND costs your business
- How to fix alignment problems and helpful tools to get you started
Why Do Recruiters and Hiring Managers Struggle to Work Together?
It usually comes down to one thing: unclear expectations.
Recruiters are measured by metrics like time-to-fill, candidate pipeline health, and responsiveness. On the other hand, hiring managers are often laser-focused on finding the “perfect fit”—sometimes without clearly defining what that even means.
This leads to tension, because both parties feel like the other isn’t pulling their weight.
5 Signs Your Recruiting and Hiring Teams Are Misaligned
Misalignment isn’t always obvious, especially if you’re still able to fill roles. But here are some warning signs to look out for:
- You’re reopening roles multiple times
- Feedback from hiring managers is delayed or vague
- Job descriptions don’t match what hiring managers ask for
- Candidates ghost after interviews
- There’s finger-pointing about “bad fits”
If you notice one or more of these patterns, it may be time to pause and reassess.
How Misalignment Impacts Candidate Quality and the Hiring Process
When recruiters don’t have clear guidance, they naturally rely on their own assumptions. That means they might push candidates who check all the boxes on a job description (however clear or unclear it may be) but aren’t aligned with the manager’s ‘unwritten expectations.’
This slows everything down. Qualified candidates lose interest while waiting, the team wastes time interviewing people who aren’t right, and managers end up settling just to close the req.
And at the end of the day, that lack of clarity and slowed process can cost a business serious money.
Say your company has a time-to-fill target of 60 days, but misalignment pushes that to 90. That’s 30 extra days where your team is short-staffed and productivity dips—not to mention the additional cost spent on job board postings and other recruitment marketing materials.
Potential Causes of Recruiter-Hiring Manager Misalignment
It usually starts with a weak kickoff.
We’ve found that too many teams skip the intake meeting or treat it as a simple checkbox. Without alignment on things like must-have vs. nice-to-have skills, dealbreakers, interview format, and timeline, everyone operates in a vacuum.
Other common causes are:
- Job descriptions copied from outdated templates
- Lack of shared KPIs or feedback standards
- Inconsistent interview scoring
- Hiring managers who don’t understand the recruiter’s process (and vice versa)
How to Fix Alignment Issues Between Recruiters and Hiring Managers
Start by making intake meetings non-negotiable. A strong intake sets the tone for everything that follows. It should clarify:
- What success looks like in this role
- The must-haves vs. nice-to-haves
- Any known dealbreakers or red flags
- Who’s on the interview panel and what each person is assessing
- How quickly the team needs to move
- What “great” looks like—and what doesn’t
Once aligned, document everything. Don’t rely on memory or verbal notes. Create a shared hiring brief or intake summary that both the recruiter and hiring manager agree to. This keeps expectations consistent across time, team members, and changes in hiring urgency.
Then, don’t disappear.
Stay in Sync with Weekly Check-ins
A short, scheduled weekly touch-base can prevent weeks of wasted effort. Even just 15 minutes will work. Here’s what I recommend covering:
- Who’s in the pipeline and where they stand
- Patterns in candidate feedback (good or bad)
- Adjustments to criteria based on interviews so far
- Any changes to team priorities or timelines
- Sticking points slowing things down (unavailable interviewers, late feedback, etc.)
These check-ins should feel like problem-solving, not reporting. Keep them focused, flexible, and action oriented. It helps if you prep a shared doc or dashboard you both update weekly to save time and avoid confusion.
Take It One Step Further with Built-in Alignment Milestones
For longer searches or strategic roles, it can help to plan alignment milestones along the way.
Some examples might be:
- Week 2 Calibration Review: Are we seeing the right types of candidates? If not, what needs to change?
- Midway Criteria Check: Are we refining or drifting from our original must-haves?
- Interview Consistency Review: Is everyone on the hiring panel aligned on what we’re evaluating, and how?
Recruiting isn’t “set it and forget it.” It’s an iterative process, and staying aligned is an active job. The best hiring teams treat alignment as a shared responsibility—not just something HR owns.
What a Healthy Recruiter-Hiring Manager Relationship Looks Like
It’s built on mutual respect and shared goals. You’ll know things are clicking when:
- Recruiters feel empowered to push back on unrealistic expectations
- Hiring managers trust recruiters to bring quality candidates
- Feedback is timely, actionable, and consistent
- Everyone’s aligned on priorities and timelines
Think of it like a relay race: both runners have to be in sync for the handoff to work.
Tools and Templates to Help Improve Alignment
Here are a few simple tools I’ve seen work well.
Intake Meeting Templates
Purpose: Create clarity before sourcing begins
Best for: Aligning on expectations, dealbreakers, interview plan
Simple option: Google Docs or Notion template with the following sections:
- Role summary
- Key outcomes in the first 6-12 months
- Must-have skills and experiences
- Nice-to-haves
- Dealbreakers
- Interview panel members and focus areas
- Ideal timeline
Tool-based option:
- Ashby or Greenhouse intake modules
- Notion synced with team hiring dashboards
Hiring Briefs
Purpose: Help recruiters pitch the role clearly and consistently
Best for: Keeping messaging aligned across internal and external recruiters
Simple option: A 1-pager Google Doc or Slide with:
- Company overview
- Role mission
- Key value prop for candidates
- Quick-pitch bullets
- Compensation range
Tool-based option:
Feedback Loops
Purpose: Capture hiring manager input quickly and consistently
Best for: Avoiding “black hole” candidate reviews
Simple option:
- Shared Google Form for post-interview feedback
- Slack reminder bot to nudge interviewers
Time to Rethink the Way You Align Around Hiring
Misalignment isn’t just a communication problem. It costs time, talent, and trust. But it’s also fixable with the right systems and expectations in place.
If you’re frustrated with your process and struggling to align, schedule a call with our talent consultants to see how we can help.
