Recruiters : Are You A Saint Or A Sinner?

As Rec2Rec is a candidate short market, here at Barton Mills we pride ourselves on being ethical recruiters. In an industry that is by no means immune from bad press (I only have to open LinkedIn to see my network discussing this), I think it’s even more important to do the right thing and put ethical recruiting at the top of my to-do list.

 

Temptations might include but are not limited to…

 

• Covering a candidate everywhere – the classic flick ‘n’ stick.

Yes, recruitment is a numbers game. Covering a candidate across every client might get results by sheer force alone… but losing your professionalism is not conducive to building your personal brand in the long term. My goal with clients is to build enough trust for them to know that I am sending them a quality candidate who I truly believe would be a good fit for their business.

Risk: Your candidates and clients lose their trust in you. You lose your credibility.

 

• Sending candidates that you have not met / professionally interviewed to clients.

I believe there are varying degrees of this, from only phone-screening a candidate (eg. when overseas) who gives their permission to being sent out, through to swiping a CV from Seek and sending straight over without ever actually talking to the candidate.

Risk: Your candidates and clients lose their trust in you. You lose your credibility.

 

• Posting fake job ads to increase your candidate talent pool.

From a Rec2Rec perspective there is absolutely no need to do this in the Sydney market. We have an abundance of live jobs and if I ever wanted to post an exciting job ad, all I need to do is pick up the phone, call one of my clients and check on their growth plans.

Risk: A Tier 1 candidate applies to the role and realises that it doesn’t exist. Will they stick around when they realise you set them a honey trap? Your candidates and clients lose their trust in you. You lose your credibility.

 

• Over-selling a job to your candidate.

We all want candidate buy in. You want your candidate to be excited about your live roles so do you embellish?

Risk: Over-selling will only result in frustration, once your candidate is out interviewing. Or even worse, having to manage a candidate who feels they have been mis-sold once they start in . Once the trust in you has gone then your candidates and clients lose their trust in you… and you lose your credibility.

 

• Not giving detailed feedback.

Feedback is a critical part of the process. Candidates deserve to know how they did and we should endeavour to assist them in improving their interview techniques where possible. Clients also want to know how they came across and want an honest outlook on the picture they have painted of their business.

Risk: Your candidates and clients lose their trust in you. You lose your credibility.

 

Where do you sit?

I’m sure recruiters reading this will be able to pin-point where they are on the saint or sinners scale, after all nobody is perfect and mistakes are made along the way. What makes you stand out though is your human factor. Without doubt, all recruiters make mistakes and with ‘time kills all deals’ ringing around our heads all day, perhaps we can be forgiven for moving a little too quickly at times. First and foremost though, I think our integrity needs to shine through.

I truly believe there are some circumstances whereby not strictly following protocol can be the right thing for that moment but keep your candidates and clients in the loop. If you are thinking outside the box then own it.