by Stacy Pursell, CPC, CERS
The VET Recruiter®
I hope that I caught your attention with the title of this article. That’s because job candidates ask me different versions of the same question quite often. These versions include:
- “Is this process confidential?”
- “Are you going to make sure that my employer doesn’t find out I’m exploring other opportunities?”
- “Does anyone know that I’m interviewing with this company?”
I have been an Animal Health recruiter and Veterinary recruiter for close to 25 years, and job seekers and candidates are still asking these questions. I’m writing this article because I want to thoroughly answer the questions and address this topic.
But let me cut straight to the bottom line first:
As a professional Animal Health executive recruiter and Veterinary recruiter, it is my hallmark to keep the confidentiality of candidates, job seekers, and professionals.
Animal Health and Veterinary recruiter confidentiality
Confidentiality is extremely important to what I do as a recruiter. Specifically, I practice it with both my clients and with job seekers and candidates. Basically, I view it as part of my job to provide confidentiality for both parties for the duration of the interviewing and hiring process.
That is the default setting for how I operate. Confidentiality comes standard. However, I can understand that you might want more details. With that in mind, allow me to share what I tell my clients when it comes to preserving the confidentiality of a candidate’s job search.
The interview process is a “two-way street.” At the same time that candidates are attempting to prove themselves to you, you should also be attempting to prove your organization to candidates.
This means to treat all candidates involved in the process with the same level of respect that you expect them to treat you with. There are two main things that you should respect in regards to candidates. You should respect their confidentiality and you should respect their time.
Top candidates are likely employed, and as a result, they’re conducting their job search in a confidential fashion. They don’t want their current employer—or anyone else, for that matter—to know that they’re conducting a job search.
Since these candidates are employed, they’re interviewing during the day. This means they have to make arrangements for interviews while still maintaining the confidentiality of their job search. So as an employer, you should avoid inconveniencing them with an interview process that lasts for hours. You also should not keep rescheduling interviews with candidates repeatedly.
If you don’t respect the time and confidentiality of candidates, they will be more likely to drop out of the process and you’ll lose your opportunity to hire them.
Keep in mind what I said about the interview process being a “two-way street.” This includes the issue of confidentiality. If I, as an Animal Health executive recruiter and Veterinary recruiter, am going to keep the confidentiality of a candidate’s job search, then I am going to do the same with the confidentiality of my client’s candidate search. This sometimes becomes a problem when a particular job candidate wants me to disclose the name of the company when I am not at liberty to do so at this stage in the search process.
After all, the organization could be replacing an underperforming employee or in the process of hiring “under the radar.” As a result, some employers will not want the executive recruiter to disclose its identity until a certain point in the hiring process. That point is when the individual has proven to be a valid candidate for the position and is moving forward.
So I don’t withhold the name of the employer in order to keep candidates “in the dark.” Instead, I do so to honor my client’s request for confidentiality until we reach the appropriate stage of the process.
You can see the problem with wanting a recruiter to provide confidentiality when it benefits you and then turning around and asking them NOT to provide it when, incidentally, it just so happens to benefit you again.
Confidentiality = peace of mind
As you can see, confidentiality is the lifeblood of what I do as an Animal Health executive recruiter and Veterinary recruiter. I offer, provide, and practice confidentiality with both candidates and employers throughout the interviewing and hiring process.
To not provide confidentiality to either of these parties would be tantamount to “shooting myself in the foot.” I am certainly not in the habit of doing that. But I understand why job seekers and candidates are apprehensive, especially considering the times in which we live.
However, to me, confidentiality has not become any less important because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Quite the contrary: I believe that it has become even more important, especially for professionals who are exploring the opportunities that exist in the marketplace and are looking to grow their careers. I laud those who are exploring these opportunities and not allowing fear to stop them from moving forward. So I fully understand their need for confidentiality and am 100% capable of providing a level of confidentiality that will bring them peace of mind. (Which, as you will probably agree, is in short supply these days.)
I hope this has answered the question of confidentiality during the interviewing and hiring process, and if you are looking to make a change or explore your employment options, then we want to talk with you.
I encourage you to contact us or you can also create a profile and/or submit your resume for consideration.
We help support careers in one of two ways: 1. By helping Animal Health and Veterinary professionals to find the right opportunity when the time is right, and 2. By helping to recruit top talent for the critical needs of Animal Health and Veterinary organizations. If this is something that you would like to explore further, please send an email to stacy@thevetrecruiter.com.
Copyright © 2020 The VET Recruiter
The VET Recruiter is The Animal Health Executive Search Firm and The Veterinary Recruiting Firm
Stacy Pursell is an Animal Health Executive Recruiter and Veterinary Recruiter and Workplace/Workforce expert for the Animal Health Industry and Veterinary Profession.