Confidentiality

I have been mulling this blog posting for a few weeks, maybe months now, but think it is something worth discussing. What is confidentiality?

In recruitment many of my positions are confidential, for reasons such as my client does not want competitors knowing there is a vacancy, the company is going through a restructuring or a host of other reasons. As a recruiter, it is very important that I honor this confidentiality. The wine industry is pretty small. After only a few calls people start to hear that I'm recruiting on a certain position, and often start guessing who it is. While the guesses are fun to hear, I cannot divulge the name of my client.

As a headhunter, I am also contacting potential candidates confidentially. If in my networking I begin working with someone who is currently employed, the same confidentiality is important to them. If I slip up and the employee's work finds out, it puts the employee in a bad spot now and an even worse one if they don't end up getting the job. Many employers never regain the trust in a person they have found out was considering taking another job.

When recruiting some clients have me sign a confidentiality agreement, barring me from divulging the company unless given prior authorization. On the candidate side, many job seekers are more than willing to sign a nondisclosure agreement so that I can tell them everything. I have always shied away from NDAs. Even if I get a signed form, the only thing I have is a piece of paper to show that the candidated blabbed about the position, violating the NDA. I'd rather give less information and only give up the secret when the client OKs it.

It can be tricky to navigate a confidential search. People get preconceived notions about the client based on who they think I'm recruiting for. Some candidates drop out of the search since they can't do their own investigation of the company. Sometimes people get involved in the search process only to bow out when they find out who the client is.

But these problems are insignificant when my client has trusted me with private information. While I do have to work under some generalities, my candidates tend to understand the sensitive nature of the search and work with me to learn more about the potential opportunity. If you are needing confidentiality, work with your recruiter to outline what needs to be kept quiet, and under what circumstances information can be shared. This will keep the search moving forward without any undo facts being exposed.

Hiring Trend: Currently Employed Candidates

Last week Dana Mattioli of the Wall Street Journal wrote an article entitled Only the Employed Need Apply http://online.wsj.com/article. Ms. Mattioli cites how many employers are only interested in hiring people who are currently working.

This isn't a new idea in recruiting. Many job seekers know the best time to be looking for a job is when you have one. If your company philosophy is to hire currently employed people, there are some factors to consider.

• Be prepared to take your time: If you want only currently employed candidates, you also want employees who will act professional. All professional employees give adequate notice before leaving a job, and will need to do the same before they can take your job. Also you will have to schedule interviews and meetings around their schedule to limit any concerns they have about their current employer finding out.
  
• Things are tough out there: People are seeing that jobs aren't as secure as they once were, and may be hesitant to leave one job for an unknown employer. While an employee may be unhappy at their current job, they know what they need to deal with. At the new place they don't know anything about the politics or policies, making them hesitant to jump ship.
• Money still talks: With people holding on to their jobs, being able to offer attractive salaries and benefits will be important. An underpaid superstar knows their worth, and will be happy to accept a job for someone who pays them that.
• Keep an open mind: There have been significant lay-offs throughout the wine industry. Many times people's positions were made redundant after an acquisition or merger. Often new managers want to work with their own team, and don't even consider the talent that was previously handling the job. There are a lot of great candidates out there who have become unemployed for no cause of their own. Take a look at someone who might be the superstar you want.
• Educate the potential hire: If you have a superstar that is interested in moving further along the interview/hiring process, let them know as much as possible about the position. Give them access to key staff members. Be available for questions that arise during their interview process. Follow up with them to gauge their interest. Explain any changes that have occurred in the past and let them learn all they can about the company. Openness speaks a lot about how a company will handle itself in the future.

Hope this information helps. Good luck with your searches.