Do Headhunters have a Code of Ethics? (Part 1)

Have you been invited for exploratory career discussion by a Headhunter?

Are you a corporate executive of a multinational firm, a listed local conglomerate or a medium-sized enterprise? Have you ever been invited by a headhunter to consider a new and exciting career opportunity?

If you have stood out in the corporate world or if your competence and track record are well known in the industry, chances are that you have been invited by a few search firms or headhunters, as they are popularly known.

If you have the DNA of an achiever but prefer to be an unassuming, low-key executive, whose network of contacts is limited to close friends and relatives only, the assiduous headhunter is bound to know of your existence and you may have already been invited for coffee. You can thank your achievements and reputation for having caught the attention of the headhunter who keeps his ears close to the ground.

Being on the radar screen of search firms or being discovered as a relatively unknown talent is an asset because you have a better chance of being considered for a better opportunity when such an opportunity surfaces.

Do you know that, as an Executive Talent candidate, you have a Bill of Rights?

While it is good to develop contacts with reputable search firms, it is equally valuable to know how to deal with them by knowing your rights as a candidate.

Here are the first 5 provisos of what we shall call as the Candidate’s Bill of Rights:

1. Confidentiality

When you agree to be a candidate, you put yourself at risk with your current employer. For this reason, you are entitled to the highest levels of confidentiality from the search firm and the prospective employer.

To safeguard your confidentiality, you must get the headhunter to:

• Secure your authorization before he presents your name and papers to the client. This is in compliance with the Data Privacy Act

• Agree to contact you directly rather than through your assistant or anyone else in your company

• Refrain from contacting references provided by you without your permission

• Refrain from discussing your candidacy with anyone outside the search firm

• Caution the client to also safeguard your confidentiality

2. Full disclosure

To help you arrive at a sound decision, you have the right to know as much as possible about the search firm you are talking to, the position and the client organization.

Be aware however that during your first conversation, when you are still being evaluated as a potential candidate, the search consultant is under no obligation to divulge confidential information about the position or the client.

Only after you have been identified as a legitimate candidate, or one who will be endorsed as a short-listed candidate, should you expect the consultant to disclose more than the most basic information.

3. Timely Communication

Once you have become a short-listed candidate, the search firm should communicate with you in a timely manner at each and every step of the process. This means proactively updating you on the progress of the search as well as responding in a timely manner to any inquiries initiated by you.

4. Feedback

Based on his understanding of the position and the client’s needs, the search consultant should give you an appraisal of where you seem to fit the opportunity and where you do not seem to fit. If at any point in the process the client decides not to proceed with your candidacy, you have the right to expect from the consultant as complete an explanation of the client’s decision as possible.

5. Professional Treatment

Search consultants are expected to demonstrate a high level of professionalism with each and every candidate. This means that the consultant:

• Has a clear understanding of the position and the client’s expectations

• Conducts an organized and well thought-out interview

• Demonstrates in depth knowledge of the market and the client

• Answers all your questions in an honest and forthright manner

Part 2 of this information drive will feature suggestions on how you can build a win-win relationship with ethical headhunters.