Congratulations on finding a Candidates Matter candidate
Congratulations, you have a candidate who is showing commitment to ethical behaviour in how they seek new roles.
Read below what this means for them and for you as a recruiting organisation.
Candidates Matter
Who are we?
Candidates Matter is a new concept in the recruitment process. Our goal is to bring back a more human approach to finding candidates for your roles and to bring truly ethical behaviours back into the recruitment process.
We are not a recruitment company. We simply provide the framework within which organisations (recruiting new resources) and candidates can clearly show a commitment to change the way in which both sides of the coin behave. The candidate you have in front of you (probably their CV at this stage) is committed to ethical behaviours throughout the process of seeking a new role. It is easy to simply say 'I am ethical' but Candidates Matter enables the candidate to show a real commitment to ethical behaviours.
The candidate has committed to the following behaviours as part of their membership:
1 / Only apply for roles you where meet the criteria
If you do not meet the criteria, do not apply. If you are applying to a Candidates Matter employer or recruiter, they have committed to only asking for what they really need. If you don't meet it, don't apply. However, some Candidates Matter employers and recruiters will have an option to apply if you 'nearly meet' the criteria via a separate process. You commit not to game or abuse this system. This allows you to express an interest in a role that you don't quite meet (for example, you have 5 years experience when 10 is asked for). But if you have no experience in data architecture, don't apply if the role is for a data architect for example.
4 / No fishing trips
If you apply for a role, it is because you are serious about taking it and that means serious about leaving your current employer. This is important. You commit to not using recruitment processes as evidence for salary increases at your current role. This is a surprisingly common position where a candidate is chosen for a new role only to turn it down because they have accepted the negotiated pay increase to stay put. Do not use Candidates Matter employers or recruiters for 'market testing'.
2 / Realistic salary expectations
If a Candidates Matter employer or recruiter puts up a salary range which is below what you are looking for, do not apply unless the advert expresses that the upper limits may be negotiable for the right candidate. But be realistic. If the salary range is £40k to £50K then don't apply if you are expecting £90K.
5 / Notice periods
Commit to being realistic about notice periods. If you have a 3 month notice period, say so. Do not pretend to have shorter notice periods than you have. If you have genuine evidence that your notice period can be shortened (you have discussed already with your current employer) then it is reasonable to say so (but do not guarantee it as it is out of your control).
3 / Honesty
Be honest. Honest on your CV, honest in interview, honest about your salary expectations, honest about any accessibility needs, honest about any personal circumstances that may impact the employment. Commit to being upfront and honest.
What next?
As a recruiting organisation with a Candidates Matter candidate you can do a number of things.
1) You can verify that the candidate is in fact a member and has genuinely signed up to the commitments. This is useful as if a candidate has acted unethically (pretending to be a member when they are not), this will tell you a lot about the candidate you have in front of you. Likewise, if they are a member, you can be certain that the candidate takes ethical behaviour very seriously. To verify, use the form below.
2) You can explore becoming a Candidates Matter member as a recruiting organisation to demonstrate that you too are bound by ethical behaviours when it comes to recruiting new roles. This can provide clear differentiation between you and your competition when it comes to attracting the right resources.
Click here to find out more if you are an employer.
Click here to find out more if you are a recruitment company