Last night there was a really interesting debate regarding this subject- some friends of mine and I were discussing the benefits of hiring individuals who share common activities, and are very similar background..

How easy it is to feel comfortable with people who are more “like us” – to gravitate to these individuals subconsciously.

Even if we were to do online searches, looking at a picture on the internet, reading blog profiles, or even in the qualifying process of interviewing.

The discussion turned to systemic discrimination – if companies were to continue hiring people who were “more like us” that shared common hobbies and traits where would that leave so many employees? Say for example an individual who came from different countries, cultures, backgrounds? An individual who may have just migrated from say Laos who is qualified, but doesn’t have that same common bond.

Sometimes our clients may make requests of us regarding requirements of candidates based upon a feeling of perception – in our searches perception also takes over as well..

--- May I share a story that was once told to me when I first started recruiting regarding the danger of perception – There was a recruiting company in the East Coast – they were interviewing 2 candidates for a professional VP assistant, both had similar resumes – The White candidate came to the interview on time, dressed professionally. The Black Candidate came late, straight from the Tennis courts and wearing tennis attire. The White candidate was sent to interview with the client, the black female was not. The reasoning behind this when asked by the courts was that they felt that the candidate had not presented a professional demeanor. The candidate came late, dressed unprofessionally and the position was one that demanded professionalism.

The courts unfortunately did not buy that as a subjective or objective reason for not submitting the candidate. The courts decided that the Candidate had proven via her experience that she had the ability to be professional (she had worked as an Assistant to a VP in her previous job) – her experience was very similar to that of the White female who had been submitted, and that the recruiter’s responsibility was to inform the candidate of the Dress Code, advise her to be professional, show up on time.. etc, etc, etc. It was the duty the court said for the Recruiter to submit the BEST qualified candidate in regards to the Minimum Objective Qualifications, and it was up to the Client to decide if the candidate was/is the best fit for the job.

The Judge ruled in favor for the candidate in the tune of 1 million – This was granted due to the Candidates Proven experience and ability, not based upon her lack of professionalism – since we are not the employer of record or the hiring manager - then it is understandable that we obviously do not have the authority to make the decisions of who is being hired, thus Recruiters are obligated to make job referrals
in a nondiscriminatory manner.

All qualified candidates must/should be submitted, in spite of our personal preferences (which includes personal judgment and impressions)

We must remember as Recruiters that -----

“The anti-discrimination statutes not only prohibit an employer from discriminating against its own employees, but also prohibit an employer from interfering with an individual's employment opportunities with another employer” quoted from the EEOC.

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ABOUT KAREN MATTONEN, CAC, CSP

Karen is an experienced, successful recruiter who operates her own business and is actively involved in many industry organizations and activities. Her recruiting career began with Snelling Corporation. In 1998, after a successful tenure as a recruiter with Snelling, Karen struck out on her own, founding Advanced Career Solutions (ACS). ACS focuses on recruiting for the HVAC Industry. Karen has achieved accreditation as a California Accredited Consultant (CAC) through California Staffing Professionals. She has also gained her Certified Staffing Professional Certificate (CSP) through American Staffing Professionals. (http://www.americanstaffing.net/)

She has a new and future-oriented vision of what recruiting can and should become: a profession we can be proud of for its ethical standing, professional conduct and ability to build great organizations. Her doing-well-by-doing-right philosophy is shaking up the status quo in an industry that needs to be shaken. She does this with conviction, leadership, and a distinctive voice that cries out for change.

Karen was a co-creator of the landmark webinar event – "EEOC Discrimination Debate." This event featured senior members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and staffing industry experts discussing and debating difficult issues about discrimination in today’s workplace environment. Company executives, hiring managers, recruiters, and human resource professionals from across the United States were invited to participate in the free Webinar and live panel discussion. Karen also served as one of the panelists on the discussion team in the March, 2006 event.

As co-host of the popular podcast "The Recruiters Lounge ,"Karen discusses her frank opinions on the recruitment industry with her co-host, Jim Stroud.