By Nichola Daly, Director, Daly Recruitment: The importance of being respectful within the employment market.
Working in recruitment, you are privy to many situations that face the industry from both an employer and employees’ perspective. We have, of course, all heard stories of poor recruitment strategies and behaviours of employers. However a major talking point within the industry of late (which has truly horrified me) has been the lack of respect and professionalism shown to employers, and potential employers during and upon conclusion of the recruitment process.
We are all fully aware of the current shortage of people in the industry, and for some inexplicable reason, this seems to have led to a worrying trend in behaviour of candidates, where-by a distinct lack of professionalism is creeping in. Perhaps the thought process is that there is an abundance of positions available, so it doesn’t matter. However, our industry is a small one, we all have our own personal brand, and it will be long remembered that being late; no showing for an interview; behaving inappropriately; inability to take direction or listen to feedback; or challenging and belittling current processes or tasks can all have negative impact on relationships and further development with potential and indeed current employers.
Appallingly, I’ve heard of incidents recently where a candidate (not mine) began swearing at a potential employer because they rang to advise they didn’t get the job. Taking the use of profanity aside, two further points:
1. The prospective employer demonstrated great integrity by calling to, rather than sending a cold email, or worse, simply ghosting.
2. There is no positive outcome to this for the candidate. I would love to understand what that they thought they might achieve by that. They could have been 2nd on the list, placed on a talent bank, sought for another position in the company.
One thing that is certain here is that the employer has had their decision reconfirmed as the correct one and frankly has “dodged a bullet”.
I would not put pen to paper if I thought his was a one off, however as mentioned before, I have had multiple reports of varying unprofessional behaviours demonstrated by candidates, hence my fear that a trend of entitlement is unfolding.
From a candidate’s perspective, it’s important to remember this skills shortage won’t always be the case. Don’t be short sighted and ignore the bigger picture, as trust me, you will meet people many times over in our walk of life. Make sure they remember you for the right reasons!
All candidates represented by Daly Recruitment (Hospitality / Tourism Management / Executive level) are professionals and part of our service to our candidates is preparation, behaviours, and professionalism; for our clients, they are confident the candidate will be right for their business, both professionally and personally. My brand is about industry professionals seeking to grow, develop whilst respecting industry colleagues, and friends.
If you are treating a potential employer or recruiter badly on the introduction stages, how would you ever expect them to hire or represent you? This is a huge red flag and damages your own personal brand no matter how good your CV might read.
Post-pandemic times has brought us to a new era of correctly assessing our own value, the importance of work life balance and our future paths. As the industry works hard to adapt to these changes (and we have seen some great examples of this), it is a massive shift that will take time to be fully achieved. That does not however mean it presents an opportunity to lose the basics of professionalism or respect. It will aways be an integral requirement of our industry and relationship building is crucial as we work together throughout this. I always remind my candidates, irrelevant of the situation, not to burn bridges. More so now when we are all feeling the pressure of today’s ever-changing environment.
As a huge advocate for our industry, which I am so passionate about, it saddens me to say if, industry peers and colleagues can’t show each other respect, then we have a much bigger problem than a skills shortage.
Our individual professionalism and reputation are vital – take time and consider the lasting consequences of your actions and words. Always show respect, even at times you may not think it’s required. Where you encounter a challenge, overcome it constructively. Don’t lose your integrity, much less your dignity. Hospitality may be a huge sector; however, it is actually a very small world. You will meet people many times over so make sure you don’t miss a great opportunity based on your past actions.
Respect naturally works both ways: When employees know they are respected, they can freely do their jobs without the worry of being ridiculed or criticized or overwork themselves simply to prove their worth. Potential candidates who are treated with respect throughout the application process can relax and be themselves in interviews demonstrating full capabilities and the many reasons why they are the right person. If you didn’t get the job you wanted, respect the decision, take the feedback, understand it, and work on it – that opportunity may come up again, or perhaps a different one may be just around the corner.
I shall leave you with this thought:
John Cogely: “Tolerance implies a respect for another person, not because he is wrong or even because he is right, but because he is human.”
Nichola Daly, Director, Daly RecruitmentDaly Recruitment specialise in luxury hospitality / executive level recruitment across hospitality & tourism