Ethical recruiting is one of the most important practices in HR management. It gives the candidates security and it provides them with a sense of healthy engagement. When ethical hiring practices are part of the job-seeking process, the candidates are more secure and more open to cooperation. For all these reasons, companies should apply ethical recruitment every time they want to get the trust of the job seekers.
Here, we try to reveal what unethical hiring practices are and how to avoid them in the workplace. You will see how damaging the bad practices could be and why HR departments should avoid non-effective practices during the hiring process. Let’s start with the basics.
What are some ethical issues that can arise in recruiting?
There are many ethical issues that can arise in recruiting and some of them have a very damaging effect on the company. You should avoid the following practices:
Redirection
It occurs when a recruiter takes feedback from a hiring manager and shares the feedback with the candidate. In this case, the candidate can address the worries of the hiring manager and it increases the chances for a candidate to get the job. This practice could be effective, but it is still highly unethical.
Treating the candidates unequally
Discriminating the candidates on the basis of their race, color, age, or origin is a very bad practice. The candidates should be treated equally and they should be able to show their uniqueness in the interview. We are all different, and a hiring manager should have an eye for detail that makes us unique.
Stick to the ethical principles to find the right candidate in the competitive job market.
Not giving enough information
Sometimes, a hiring manager might not give enough information to the candidate about the job description and responsibilities. In this light, the candidate may not be able to understand the role he or she might have in the company. This is unethical and it creates misleading information that can be very frustrating.
Collecting information that is not relevant
For example, collecting information about the city where the candidate was born and using this information as highly relevant could be very unethical. It is only important where the candidate lives at the moment and this should be relevant only if the office is located in a nearby area. Of course, if the job is a remote position, neither of these details is relevant.
Placing misleading job advertisements
This includes sharing misleading information about the working conditions and the current company’s position in the market. It is also unethical if the job description is not true and if the candidates are not able to understand the main description of the job.
Managing the candidate’s details in a bad manner
You should never share or send the candidate’s resume or employment letter to other organizations. The contracts should be confidential and these must include the consent of the candidate.
The Ethics of Recruiting
As you can see, unethical recruitment practices could be very bad for the company’s image in the market. The recruitment agents should never use these practices in the process of recruitment and they should be aware of the consequences of the practices that are bad and damaging.
Unethical hiring practices can also come from the candidates. If a candidate is using misleading information in the resume or the interview, the whole recruiting process is not ethical.
For all these reasons, it is important to stick to ethical principles in the entire process of recruitment. In this manner, we all believe that getting a job is easier when the facts are clear and truthful. This kind of approach creates a better working atmosphere.