Silicon Valley is on the lookout for talent at the moment. So the US PR man from Lewis, Morgan McLintic, has Googled the phrase "Headhunting Ethics" and come up with nothing. No results for that phrase in Google. He therefore deduces the concept is an oxymoron.
Although I don't agree that if a phrase is not in Google that the concept does not exist, I would probably agree that the issue of ethics in headhunting needs to be addressed online at least. A new blog maybe? :-)
Oh - and speaking of Google, I found to my annoyance that the fancy looking but rubbish new Google Maps website (that the techno journalists on UK Press the other week were saying is going to be 2005's killer app) does not show motorway exits (have a look - no exit numbers)! How rubbish is that when all you need to do is find out which junction to leave the motorway when driving to Birmingham! Rubbish.
In practice, I'm sure there are dos and don'ts in headhunting. My further research has found that conducting background reference checks without the knowledge of the candidate is considered unethical. What surprises me is, given the prevalence of headhunting, and given the range of perhaps dubious practices which could be deployed, that there are no guidelines and little debate in that industry.
For instance, some headhunters will use false names when they approach a candidate. That's probably fairly common. But then to get around reception staff they may claim a call is personal or to be a friend of the candidate, when in fact they are not. Is that ethical? What if you pretend you are from the candidate's bank or another company? Murkier still I feel.
And perhaps agency heads don't know this is going on under their name? Some may feel the ends justify the means, but certainly I think candidates should be able to expect that recruiters aren't calling up prior work colleagues and snooping on them without their agreement. [Lord knows what they'd say in my case...]
Posted by: Morgan McLintic | May 07, 2005 at 07:42 PM
Interesting point, but it kind of gets to the basics of public relations as a principle just at the end there. What prospective client wouldn't ask around about a PR firm and get a feel for reputation before engaging a firm? Would they be daft enough to go on pitch alone or standard references alone? I'm not sure. Nor would a PR firm just take on a client on the basis of its RFP or its previous coverage or their balance sheet. So why, if the communications channels are there, shouldn't they be exploited? If you are prepared to work in PR, surely you need to be aware that your own reputation as a PR professional is always under scrutiny, no matter who you work for or who you talk to. This is the public relations business and who you have working for you matters. You wouldn't hire someone on the strength of their CV and interview alone if you could help it.
Posted by: EG | May 14, 2005 at 05:11 AM
Hi,
Well Headhunting could be phrased as "interest in capable employees of other associations"...n there is nothing unethical about it until you end up breaching the privacy of the spotlighted candidate, researching his background and trying to unofficialy contact him cannot be declared as unethical. Afterall if you are ready to satisfy the person in a better way there is nothing murky if you attract him in any way you could.
Infact in my view every capable institution should mandatorily have a "headhunting cell".
thank you
Posted by: Prince Sabahut Ali | September 07, 2008 at 06:46 AM
Hi,
Well Headhunting could be phrased as "interest in capable employees of other associations"...n there is nothing unethical about it until you end up breaching the privacy of the spotlighted candidate, researching his background and trying to unofficialy contact him cannot be declared as unethical. Afterall if you are ready to satisfy the person in a better way there is nothing murky if you attract him in any way you could.
Infact in my view every capable institution should mandatorily have a "headhunting cell".
thank you
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