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RECRUITMENT BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES

These Guidelines are intended to promote good recruitment practice and to ensure that recruitment consultancies and SSL Consulting Pvt Ltd conduct their business ethically.

Definitions: -
For the purpose of these best practice guidelines, the following definitions are employed:

‘Consultancy’
An individual or company operating as a broker; acting on behalf of organizations seeking employees; representing individuals seeking employment.

‘Candidate’
An individual seeking employment, having sought or accepted representation with the consultancy to that end.

‘Client’
An organization seeking employees, fulfilling one of the following criteria: (1) operating within a preferred supplier agreement with the consultancy, or (2) having hired employees via a deal brokered by the consultancy within the previous 12 months. (In the case of executive search companies a separate and specific contractual agreement should be reached with each individual client.)

Under the best practice guidelines, recruitment consultancies agree: -

1. Not to submit any candidate for a position without having previously conducted an in-depth face-to-face interview. Where in exceptional circumstances the candidate has not been interviewed, the client should be informed.

2. To reach a clear understanding with the candidate on the procedure for submission of their CV, and to obtain the candidate’s agreement as to which companies their CV should be sent before forwarding their CV to those companies.

3. To ensure at all times strict confidentiality of all information provided by the client or candidate unless written permission has been granted.

4. Never to take up formal or informal references for the candidate until they have given their permission and referees have been agreed.

5. To provide the candidate with full and relevant information regarding job requirements and client company information prior to any interview with that client.

6. To maintain communication with all clients and candidates and in particular to notify a candidate when they are no longer under consideration for a vacancy with a specific client.

7. Only to advertise a genuine vacancy that they have been asked to fill.

8. Only to undertake assignments where the client’s requirements are genuine and clearly understood.

9. Prior to accepting an assignment, to provide each client with a full, written explanation of the relevant consultancy services provided, together with costs, including expenses, where applicable and terms of business. These terms must include details on compensation for clients if the occasion arises that a candidate decides to leave their post after a short period of time (length of period to be agreed on an individual basis by client and recruitment consultancy).

10. To ensure each client and candidate knows which individual within the consultancy is their main contact and to notify them of any changes thus maintaining continuity and standards of service.

11. Never to approach any employee of an existing client – unless previously agreed with that client – for the purpose of securing that employee as a candidate to fulfill another client brief.

12. To restrict any executive searches undertaken to senior level positions where it is the preferred route of the client, and to adopt professional methodology, free from high-pressure tactics aimed at unsettling otherwise settled people.

13. To ensure that agreed contacts and client channels are always used and that the relevant individuals handling recruitment within the client’s organization are not by-passed, unless instigated by the client.

14. Not to send a CV to clients without the candidate’s agreement.

15. With advertised assignments, to clearly indicate the requirements of the job and provide prompt acknowledgement of every candidate application. A candidate who has responded to a client-paid advertisement will not be put forward to other clients until their application has been rejected by the retained client.

16. To follow up placements with a courtesy call to both the candidate and client within the first month of employment.

Under the best practice guidelines, SSL Consulting Pvt Ltd agree as clients: -

1. To provide company information, e.g. company brochures and/or credentials to the consultancy.

2. To provide written job descriptions and where possible a candidate profile.

3. To respect a candidate’s confidentiality by:

a) Not leaving copies of CV’s lying around offices.

b) Not taking official or unofficial references without the candidate’s permission, until an offer of employment has been made and accepted.

4. To provide the consultancy with standardized feedback on:

a) CVs that are sent to clients within 72 hours.

b) Interviews that have taken place within 48 hours.

5. To provide a senior person or a confidential administrator to co-ordinate recruitment, and to log in CVs sent.

6. To notify the consultancy immediately if any CV submitted is already known to them through another recruitment consultancy. If a candidate’s details are forwarded by more than one consultancy then, in the majority of cases, the first contact will be deemed relevant. However, in any dispute, the candidate will be asked to provide details of which consultancy he/she considered to be acting on their behalf.

7. To keep the consultancy informed of any offers made and start dates agreed.

8. To abide by the recruitment consultancy’s terms & conditions of business, agreed prior to interviewing the candidate.

9. To only brief the consultancy where there is a serious intention to recruit for that position within 3 months. To update the consultancy on changes in vacancies, informing them immediately the position is filled.

10. To treat candidates professionally and with respect at all times. Their time spent interviewing and showing an interest in the company should be valued.

It should be noted that recruitment consultancies that enter SSL Consulting Pvt Ltd should abide by the Recruitment Best Practice Guidelines. Reports of consultancies failing to adhere to these guidelines will be sent to the SSL Consulting Pvt Ltd.

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