Transparency in a recruitment process

In my past 20 years as maritime industry headhunter I have made several times the experience that candidates are  using a hidden agenda.

I usually discuss and clarify relocation issues at the very begin but it still happens that in the last moment the ability to move is used as a reason to withdraw. Families and partners of the candidates shall be involved at the very beginn and before serious negotiations start in order save everybody's time

One of the worst habits is the acceptance of a counter offer from the current employer after a verbal or even written new agreement. I warn candidates but also employer to do this for a variety of reasons. And I have seen many cases where the candidate and the old employer separated soon after that. In small niche industries this might even spread around quickly and damages a reputation for long.

I do not mean that candidates must report about private issues in detail but the negotiating parties should be informed about eventually upcoming obstacles.

Often these things happen due to lack of experience. The group mostly showing these behaviours are male mid 20ies to mid 30ies

and usually from commercial or financial roles. It happens very rare with engineers and almost never with mature experienced manager and experts.

In the very beginn of a hiring process I try to explain in an entertaining way some basic do's and dont’s  in recruitment which does not always prevent from these things.

From the recruiting side (employer / headhunter) the same transparency is required.  For various reasons it is not always possible to put all informations on the table. But the candidate should be kept in the picture about possible factors that could reject him.

Usually these thing are not complicated. Most of it is common sense and brought to us in very early kindergarten years.