Matching skilled candidates with employers is part of the excitement of being a recruiter. Staffing professionals have the power to a make a significant impact on company performance and individual lives just by doing their everyday jobs. However, working as an intermediary between corporations and candidates, recruiters can sometimes encounter ethical "grey areas." To navigate these grey areas, recruiters should establish and abide by a set of principles of right conduct. In this article we flush out the major issues in recruitment ethics and provide guidelines to help facilitate ethical industry practices.

There are many ethical dimensions within the relationships between recruiters, candidates, client companies, and competing firms. Sharing pertinent information, being forthright about promises, maintaining confidences and providing timely feedback are of the utmost importance in maintaining solid business relationships. However, grey areas in recruiting abound. Once a candidate is placed, the business transaction is finished. Recruiters make decisions and may not have to live with the consequences.

Suppose a company is looking for a long-term employee. Placing a candidate who intends to move around may not be fair to your client. This type of overselling occurs frequently within the industry. Stealing talent, misrepresenting credentials, and resume submission without permission are also problem issues.

How can we promote ethical practices within our field and reduce the negative stigma attached to the 'headhunter'? As there is no policing agency that oversees recruiting practices, ethics must be self-enforced. Ethical behavior begins with the definition of roles and responsibilities when interacting with candidates, clients, and other recruiters. One of the ways in which recruiters can foster an ethical relationship from the outstart is by creating a mission statement or ethical code that emphasizes key values and guiding ethical practices. Ensuring that agreements are in writing can resolve complicated issues more quickly, both protecting your interests and allowing you to be upfront in relationships.

Additionally, it is important to examine what is occurring around you. Detecting and effectively handling unethical behavior is central to maintaining upstanding business practices. Although the bulk of this article places ehical responsibility on the recruiter, it is important to remember that commitments are made from all sides when entering into the hiring process. Candidates must also grapple with ethical issues, being honest throughout the process, from interviewing, to selection, to accepting an offer. Misinforming a recruiter to obtain an interview or cinch the job can place recruiters in compromising positions with clients. Both parties have a responsibility to maintain ethical standards.

The benefits of ethical practices during each step of the hiring process are numerous. Recruiters often build their client bases through referrals. Both clients and candidates will refer business to reliable, high-quality recruiters. Upon placement, candidates have no loyalty to recruiters and poor practices may quickly become public knowledge.

As in other industries, we all have a responsibility to uphold the reputation of our profession. Our daily business practices reveal a professional standard against which we all are measured. We should use this daily opportunity to reflect a positive image.