Ethical Hiring: Putting the Human Back in Recruitment

In all my previous jobs, including my current role as head of an HR marketing firm, I've hired dozens of people from higher education, high-tech, the HR market, marketing, and PR. I've worked as a recruiter, hiring manager, and HR leader, though with the exception of sourcer, I've never officially held any of those titles. When I entered the HR market over a decade ago, I started as a sourcing account manager for a company called Tapestry.net before taking over the management of marketing communications and the internal sales team.

Let's take a trip down memory lane with the internet time machine, shall we?

Our pitch went something like this:

Tapestry.net connects interested, qualified candidates with opportunities for software developers, IT professionals, and bilingual employees with Asian language skills. You only pay for candidates who meet your requirements and are ready for an interview. You're in control.

A sophisticated artificial intelligence quickly determines the likelihood of a match between interested applicants and a specific job opening.

It was cool. It was ahead of its time. And it became the dot-com crash before the end of 2001.

We repeatedly pushed the boundaries of our proprietary AI-powered matching system. I've worked with hundreds of HR vendors, many of whom claim their technology helps companies quickly and effectively find and select the right candidates for the right jobs. And that's true: there are many high-quality products and services that accelerate the search, recruitment, and hiring process.

To a certain extent. It's virtually impossible to completely eliminate human subjectivity in hiring. No wonder some of our clients repeatedly questioned the validity of our results.

In a recent article on matching technology in HRExaminer, John Sumser writes:

Many predictions for the future of recruitment and human resources focus on phenomenal breakthroughs in technology's ability to personalize and match environments. That's unlikely to actually happen anytime soon. The three disciplines of sourcing, recruitment, and selection will continue to require human intervention at the decision-making point.

This applies to businesses of all sizes: The final decision rests with a person.

The good news, according to the latest Intuit Small Business Employment Index, is that employment has increased since mid-2009, with nearly 150,000 new jobs created in companies with fewer than 20 employees, representing 87 percent of all private employers in the U.S.

And what helps in making the right final decision?

Cross-functional cultural interviews. It's crucial that other employees within the company, regardless of their position, can meet and interview candidates in a relaxed, informal setting, perhaps even off-site. Cultural fit is critical in small businesses.

Scenario-based testing. If you're hiring an internet researcher, have them conduct some internet research. If you're hiring a developer, have them take a coding test. If you're hiring a marketing professional, have them create a brief plan that would generate more publicity, traffic, and leads.

Go beyond the usual reference check. Ask for five or more references, not just the standard two. Make sure these include previous employers, colleagues, and suppliers with whom the applicant has worked. Don't just ask these people for their names, positions, and salaries.

Social Media Participation. I'm a strong advocate for transparency and personal accountability. While no one should be forced to participate in social media, you can still follow up if candidates are already doing so. Which services do they use, and how effective and appropriate are their communication skills on social media? If you restrict participation within your company, you lose a competitive advantage and qualified candidates.

Google. Yes, you heard right. See above. However, be careful and don't base your final hiring decision solely on your online research, with one exception. See below.

Background Checks. Workplace violence and fraud are always a concern, and regular background checks of all applicants can help ensure a safe and legitimate environment. While this requires using an external service provider, you can't rely on your gut feeling in such cases.

Offer flexible working hours. The way we work is constantly changing, and our private and professional lives are closely intertwined. Be open to teleworking, flexible and irregular working hours, adjusting workloads to the needs of the company/employees, time off for volunteer work, charitable and social causes, etc.

While technology, such as the AI-powered matching systems of the past, can significantly accelerate candidate sourcing and screening, this article confirms that human intervention at the decision-making point is indispensable—especially for assessing cultural fit and soft skills. To ensure the final decision is the correct one, companies must move beyond simple resumes and incorporate rigorous, human-centered techniques like scenario-based testing and cross-functional interviewing. For organizations utilizing a comprehensive HR platform like IceHrm, this process becomes more manageable. IceHrm's Recruitment module can streamline the initial phases, but the final, critical steps (like recording detailed interview feedback and conducting thorough reference checks) must be executed with diligence and judgment. By combining effective technology with these human-centric selection techniques, organizations can ensure they recruit not just qualified candidates, but the right cultural additions who will drive long-term success.