Transparency in Recruiting? How Valuable Might it Be?
Let’s Think Transparency
Transparency in recruiting is a word that sometimes gets thrown around. What is Transparency? Dr John Townsend tweeted (@drjohntownsend) an eye catching definition, and let me paste it below:
Transparency is a combination of three aspects: openness, messaging and ownership. When these are in place, health enters the system and good things happen.
Let’s unpack this some.
Openness
Opennness , it is an attitude. Does a company need this? Absolutely. I suppose some dysfunctional bosses do not want open people.
Messaging
Messaging means the act that goes with the altitude of openness. Messaging in this case means no cover ups, no lying, and telling what people should know even if embarrassed. Bad bosses want to cap a lot of information as will make him look bad. That is different. Some matters are private for the business and not public. Telling what should be known is welcome and agreed in healthy companies. It is not common however.
Ownership
Ownership is taking responsibility as if you actually owned something. How would you treat something if it was yours. Further, this is where we take responsibility for everything we do and say. It further covers acts of omission where we have failed to do or say what we should say. In this case, these three are so closely connected that they can be covered by one word. It is needless to say that companies need this. In this frame, ownership is both an attitude and an action.
Transparency in Rercruiting – A Ton of Value
So this gives some clothing to a word that some of us business people like to use. I like transparency because it encompasses something more than asking to people to not lie. Troublesome silence can reign and no one has crossed any lines. Transparency means nothing is hidden or unsaid as it were. Honesty does not cover that aspect well enough.
So, forgive me if I am promoting a word I find quite useful to you my customers. We see you need everything about this word in every hire you make. It is hard to verify all aspects of transparency in a an interview. If someone writes transparency on their resume, does sit mean they well be transparent? We work to get a lot of things that you may or may not have thought about, but you enjoy every day when you have them. Only our rigorous recruiting model can consistently get you such valuable unseen things. More news: Transparency is the New Normal.
Dr Townsend says when we have these things that good things start to happen. Can you imagine why he says this? This is a very valuable word in his world of psychology and business consulting, and very much to us as well. We love to give you these good things that start to appear when transparency matures around you.
Finally, you not only need transparency in new hires. You need it in recruiters who work for you either internally or externally like us. We have to exhibit all the attitudes and behaviors listed above to be the company we promise to be for you, our customer. See also China Recruiting Transparency and the Cost to You.