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In the tech industry, it’s often said that people don’t leave companies – they leave managers. But it’s just as true that strong, credible leaders are often one of the key reasons why top specialists choose to join a company in the first place. And yet, the role of IT leaders in the recruitment process, especially at its earliest and most crucial stage: attracting candidates – is surprisingly overlooked. This is particularly ironic given that they are usually the ones who first raise the need for hiring and know best what kind of talent their teams actually need.
Today, the IT job market has shifted. It’s no longer about companies competing for every available candidate; more often, it’s candidates who actively seek jobs and compete for the most attractive offers. Still, even in this new reality, experienced professionals don’t apply blindly. Before sending a CV, they often research a company in depth: Is there room for real growth? Are the leaders credible? Is there a healthy team culture? For many, leaders such as the CTO, Head of Engineering, or VP of Product are the most important reference points when making that decision. When it comes to hiring new talent, it shouldn’t be just HR that carries the responsibility. It’s essential to involve the very people who raised the hiring need in the first place, managers, team leads, department heads, and even team members. These individuals understand their team dynamics intimately and know exactly what competencies and qualities will thrive in the role. Their insight doesn’t just help hire the right people; it also frees up HR to focus on more strategic responsibilities, such as refining processes, implementing better tools, or improving compensation strategies.
As an IT recruitment agency, we’ve seen first-hand how crucial a leader’s involvement is to recruitment success. That’s why every collaboration we begin starts with an in-depth, strategic conversation with the company’s leadership, sometimes involving over 60 detailed questions. This helps us understand not just the structure and business needs, but also the leader’s mindset: their goals, work style, challenges, and how they envision their team. This insight allows us to run recruitment processes that are aligned with their vision and speak directly to the right candidates, especially those who now apply more cautiously and selectively than ever.
In this article, we’ll show why involving IT leaders in the recruitment process (from building personal brand, to communicating values, to the final selection stage) is not just best practice, but a necessity in today’s talent market.
Why Managers Understand Hiring Needs Best
In most organizations, HR teams play a vital role in recruitment, but when it comes to truly understanding the specific needs of a team or department, HR often lacks the detailed insight required. While HR professionals excel in managing the recruitment process, their knowledge of the day-to-day challenges, technical requirements, and team dynamics can sometimes be limited. This is where managers come in as the true experts.
Managers and team leaders are deeply familiar with their teams’ workflows, strengths, and gaps. They understand not only the technical skills required for a role but also the interpersonal qualities that help maintain team cohesion and drive productivity. This detailed understanding allows them to precisely identify candidates who possess both the hard skills to perform the job and the soft skills to integrate seamlessly with the existing team culture. Moreover, managers are aware of the strategic goals and challenges their departments face. Their involvement ensures that hiring decisions are made with these factors in mind, aligning new hires with long-term objectives rather than just short-term vacancies. This alignment is crucial for building teams that are resilient, motivated, and effective in meeting business demands. By involving managers and executives in recruitment, companies benefit from a more targeted and informed hiring process. Candidates selected with managerial input are more likely to succeed and stay longer, which reduces turnover and increases overall team performance. This collaborative approach not only improves the quality of hires but also fosters a stronger sense of ownership and accountability among leadership.
Managers have the best insight into who to hire because they know the team’s real needs, understand the context in which new hires will operate, and can evaluate both technical and cultural fit. Their involvement is essential for making recruitment decisions that truly support organizational success.
The Importance of Collaboration Between IT Leaders and HR in Recruitment
Effective recruitment requires close collaboration between the HR team and IT leaders. It is the leaders who best understand the specifics of their teams and can precisely identify the skills and experience needed for new hires. Involving them at every stage of the process — from defining requirements, through participating in interviews, to assessing cultural fit — significantly increases the chances of finding the right candidate.
Thanks to this cooperation, HR can manage the entire process more efficiently, while leaders gain confidence that the selected candidate truly meets the team’s needs and will work well with other members. Leaders’ involvement in interviews also helps quickly identify potential mismatches, shortening recruitment time and minimizing the risk of costly hiring mistakes. Joint engagement of HR and IT leaders is the key to a transparent, coherent, and effective recruitment process that, on one hand, addresses the team’s needs, and on the other, is well-organized and based on clear communication.
Why Involving IT Leaders Ensures Better Hiring Decisions
Hiring the wrong person can have significant and long-lasting negative consequences for any organization, especially in the IT industry where specialized skills and team dynamics play a crucial role. The cost of a bad hire goes far beyond just the salary. It includes time spent on training someone who might not fit the role, disruption in team cohesion, decreased productivity, and even lower morale across affected teams. This is why it is essential to involve IT leaders, executives, managers, and team leads, right from the very beginning of the recruitment process to ensure that the right hiring decisions are made.
IT leaders have deep insights into the specific requirements of their teams. They understand not only the technical skills needed but also the soft skills and cultural fit that will ensure new hires thrive and contribute positively. Their experience with day-to-day team operations gives them the ability to spot subtle qualities in candidates that might otherwise be overlooked, such as adaptability, problem-solving approaches, or communication styles. By being part of the recruitment process, these leaders help shape job descriptions, define candidate profiles, and actively participate in interviews, which leads to a more accurate assessment of whether a candidate is the right fit.
According to research from Forbes, recruiting the right candidates builds a foundation for improved productivity, increased employee satisfaction, and reduced turnover. Engaged IT leaders who collaborate closely with HR are better positioned to attract and select candidates who not only meet the job criteria but also align with the company’s vision and values. This alignment is crucial for long-term retention and success. Moreover, when IT leaders partner with HR, they help streamline and enhance recruitment systems, making the hiring process more efficient and transparent. HR teams provide the structure and tools, while IT leaders bring their expertise and firsthand knowledge of the team’s needs. This combined effort reduces the risk of costly hiring mistakes and prevents the drain of resources associated with frequent re-hiring and onboarding.
Recruitment in IT: The Role of Leaders in Building Strong Teams
To effectively attract and retain valuable specialists, tech companies must treat recruitment as a shared responsibility. This means involving technical leaders at every stage of the process. CTOs, Heads of Engineering, and VPs of Product are the ones who truly understand what their teams need, which competencies will be essential for upcoming projects, and what type of person will integrate well into the existing organizational culture. In the first part of this blog, we explained that leaders are often one of the main reasons why candidates decide to join a company. They are also the first point of reference when a candidate evaluates whether a workplace offers opportunities for development, genuine support, and a transparent work environment. Their presence and engagement during the initial stage of candidate attraction can determine the success of the entire hiring process.
In the next section, we highlighted that leaders have a unique understanding of their teams’ actual needs. When they take part in defining role requirements and participating in interviews, the recruitment process becomes more efficient and better targeted. Working together with HR also improves the overall flow. The HR team does not waste time on misaligned sourcing or rewriting briefs repeatedly. Instead, they can focus on improving tools, systems, and compensation strategies.
The final part of the blog focused on the cost and impact of hiring the wrong person. Poor hiring decisions come with financial, operational, and emotional consequences. We demonstrated how involving leaders throughout the process—from job description creation to final hiring decisions—minimizes those risks and increases the chances of choosing the right candidate. This approach supports not only better matches but also builds teams that are stable, engaged, and effective. All of this leads to a single conclusion. High-quality IT recruitment is not possible without the active involvement of technical and decision-making leaders. A leader’s participation is not a one-time gesture but a strategic investment in the future of the team and the company. A well-structured recruitment process based on strong collaboration between HR and leadership is now one of the most important competitive advantages in attracting top tech talent.