The February 2nd issue of The Wall Street Journal features an article entitled How a Black Mark Can Derail a Job Search. Columnist Joann Lublin reveals an increasingly common practice of corporate recruiters blacklisting candidates for seemingly innocent gaffs during an interview, on a resume, or in off-hand comments.
While the examples in this column portray those in higher level or specialized positions, I have to wonder what message this sends to those who are just now joining the workforce. Job search is tough enough, without adding another layer of paranoia to the equation.
Under the guise of protecting the company from liability, these HR “professionals” are setting a interesting standard in ethical behavior. Are there clueless job searchers? Lots of them, and I can understand the impatience that some recruiter feels when an applicant shows up obviously unprepared. But to blacklist a candidate because of hearsay, as is illustrated in this article, is nothing more than gossip.
We all make mental notes about people, both positive and negative. But I’d like to think that people in such a position of trust will be more circumspect about their judgments. After all, the person who flubs an answer in the pressure-filled atmosphere of a telephone interview, may also be the best match for the job.
Yes, there are too many applicants in the market right now and that makes it easy to be this capricious. When the economy recovers, this sort of behavior will go away out of necessity. But maintaining a formal list or worse, passing the names on that list to others, is inappropriate.
Are many people doing this? I don’t know. But it only takes a few bad apples these days to ruin the reputation of many other hardworking professionals who keep an open mind and are forgiving of the minor mistakes we all make from time to time.
Imagine being in the shoes of the new college graduate who has entered the workforce during a significant economic downturn. What impression does this practice leave? There’s no sign on the recruiter’s door that says, “One slip and you’re toast.”
I’d like to think that some time in the near future, all the black-listers will have a first-hand opportunity to see how it feels to be on the other side of the job search process.