Superheroes have been dazzling viewers with their super-human traits or humanly super traits since their creation. The one thing a superhero has that keeps not only himself but his legacy safe is his ability to keep his alter-ego confidential. Imagine if everyone knew Superman was Clark Kent or Batman was Bruce Wayne… I would have to say that most likely wouldn’t go over too well. While I am not suggesting you wear costumes and pretend to be someone else, the one thing superheroes do well is they keep things confidential.
Confidentiality is the top priority in a recruiter’s line of work. Recruiters are often reaching out to candidates that are very happy with their current employers and are not actively looking to make a change. The position you propose to a candidate however may give them that step towards their ultimate career goal, or may be a conversation prompts them towards pursuing another area they had not thought of previously. It’s important throughout the recruitment process to always keep things confidential.
I have been lucky throughout my career to not have information leak through the cracks, but addressing confidentiality with your clients and your candidates upfront is vital to a candidate’s career transition. You may be the shining star on your team… but once something gets through the cracks, or you open up that you are leaving prematurely, the tide can shift promptly. I have heard horror stories of HR departments gossiping about potential candidates pre-hire and vice-versa with candidates prematurely discussing their new possible position with colleagues. Confidentiality should be kept by everyone involved in the search process until all the I’s have been dotted and the t’s have been crossed. It’s not a matter of keeping things hush-hush but a matter of keeping your organization’s reputation intact and, as a candidate, your career from possibly being derailed.
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Daniel Giddings
