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 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 attitude of openness. Messaging in this case means no cover ups, no lying, and telling what people should know even if embarrassed. Bad managers often want to hide information as will make them 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.
Ownership
Ownership is taking responsibility as if you actually owned something. How would you treat something if it was yours? Further, ownership is where we take responsibility for everything we do and say. We must take responsibility for both acts of commission and omission. Naturally, companies need this. In this frame, ownership is both an attitude and an action.
Transparency in Recruiting – A Ton of Value
This three part description 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 called it out. Transparency means nothing is hidden or unsaid as it were. Honesty does not cover that aspect well enough.
Therefore, I am glad to promote 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 an interview. If someone writes transparency on their resume, does it mean they will 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.
Why does transparency matter so much in recruitment? Because it lays the foundation for trust and performance.
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 that we promise to be for you, our customer.
