Kevin Wheeler from Global Learning Resources, Inc.has a post over at ERE.net calling for a candidate Bill of Rights to be developed.  Two money quotes from the article:

So much of the technology that aids recruiters has actually increased candidate frustration and disenchantment with the corporate recruiting process. Mistreated, ignored, and often frustrated candidates are not likely to say good things about us or our organizations. They may be easy to hire, but they will be hard to retain.

Candidates are not asking for a lot — just basic guidelines and an understanding of how we make interview and hiring decisions. They are seeking some understanding of what the process and timelines are for a position and how your organization goes about its hiring.

This topic hits close to home for me. One of the reasons I am developing my new company is a strong belief that there is a better way to do recruitment. The current recruitment processes have a tendency to treat people (both candidates and hiring managers) as less than human. A Bill of Rights would go a long way towards putting a framework around the issue and I will work with my clients to incorporate Kevin’s concept into their employment branding efforts.What else can be done to help everyone involved in this ultimately human endeavor retain human-ness and respect? First off, I think many companies will need to become more aware that employment branding pays off as proclaimed here, here, and here.  Generational experts say here, here, and here report that the up and coming employee cohorts will demand to be wooed. Ignoring this trend will become increasingly detrimental to hiring and retaining the right people. The old way of thinking posits that these demands from the Gen Y employees as self centered and demanding but the reality is if an employer continues to ignore the trend, they will lose the talent they need to go forward.

I am solidly in the Gen X cohort. We started in the workforce at the time when our parent’s employers called the shots and you sat down, shut up, and did your job for 30 years and then took your gold watch to Florida and played golf. That changed in the 80’s recession. My dad was downsized as an Engineer when I graduated from High School and remained unemployed for a long time. Like most Gen Xers, I took on the mantle of slacker and nonconformist loyal only to my personal interests as reaction to what I saw happen to my parents. I saw what company loyalty got you – bupkis (I only include that link for the divine phrase “shivering shit balls”). This self-centeredness trend started the drive for companies to cater more to employees and that trend is growing with the following generations entering the workforce. The better companies understand this new dynamic, the better everyone in the recruitment process will be treated and the more effective the system will work.