Critical Reflection

Unethical Recruitment Practices

Lara Masri Chouman -202370262

February 20th,2023

MRHM304- Business Ethics and Inclusive HRM Systems

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For many years, recruitment has been a difficult task to achieve. From compagnies setting
unrealistic requirements to recruiters preferring their circle rather than focusing who can be
beneficial to the company. I have worked in the HR department for many years, sometimes I was
responsible for the recruitment and sometimes just gathering CVs. I realized who recruitment
became a difficult task to accomplish especially with the loss of talent we are facing in Lebanon.

Interviews are a popular method for learning about people's experiences, as well as their inner
attitudes, perceptions, and their job fit. Interviews may be categorized into one of two types
depending on how structured they are: unstructured and structured interviews. An interview that
is structured has a series of predetermined questions that are asked to all respondents in the same
sequence. The goal of this standardization is to reduce the impact of the tool and the interviewer
on the findings of the job fit of the applicant. On the other hand, unstructured interviews are
more randomly asked questions to the applicants. (Wildermuth)

For everyone on the recruiting team to know what to look for in a prospect, the greatest
recruitment procedures start with an awareness of the ideal applicant profile. The next step is to
carefully design a systematic interview process that will assess candidates in relation to the
necessary and desirable criteria. Recruiters can be confident you're not skipping any crucial
phases in your evaluation process when each candidate goes through the identical procedure.
Businesses may suffer as a result of recruiting poorly, adopting unethical hiring procedures, and
giving candidates an unpleasant interviewing experience. Yet, a little forward planning may go a
long way in the interviewing process. You may find better, more varied applicants who are more
likely to accept your offer when you properly design a systematic interview process and provide
each applicant the same experience.

When recruiters conduct unstructured interviews, they are most likely going to make a bad hire
decision. In fact, in the absence of a structure matrix, the interviewers are not assessing the exact
competencies in question to check if the applicant will fit in or not (Dewar, 2023). I believe
conducting unstructured interviews is the first mistake the HR department does to hire the right
candidate. In fact, this type of interviews can also result in hire the wrong person, and eventually
the candidate will be looking for another job after a short period of being employed, wasting cost
and time to the company.

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I oversaw conducting interviews and finishing the hiring process during my first HR job. I have
developed a recruiting matrix to follow for each post after doing extensive research on the
subject, to make a fair judgment and ensure that all interviewers are asked the same questions
and evaluated equally. I was taken aback when the hiring manager in my most recent work as a
recruiter didn't use a matrix and just asked applicants random questions.

Some recruiters prefer to hire their relatives and friends rather than conducting a proper
interview process to assess the qualifications of the applicants. It ends up hiring unqualified
people that will eventually leave the job as well.

Interviews are not used for hiring purposes only, in many other cases like promotions and job
mobilization, the HR department has to conduct interviews to see the employees earned abilities
and what they are capable of doing if they earned this promotion. To see if someone fits in the
new level, a job analysis should be done as well as a structured interview so that the managers
and the HR responsible can fairly and truly assess the employee profile.

The absence of this type of interviews leads to unethical hiring. Not all suspicious hiring
procedures constitute discrimination. Many are merely unfair, giving subtly preferential
treatment to candidate groups, which results in hiring practices that are inadvertently
homogeneous. Interviews that are not organized encourage the use of implicit bias. Many hiring
managers turn to impromptu methods and gut instinct when faced with the absence of established
criteria for screening and assessing candidates. Owing to the nature of people, this makes it more
probable that new employees will share the recruiting manager's history and experiences.
Although it may appear desirable on the surface, employing only candidates who "click" with
hiring managers or other members of your team will lead to less diversity and more conformity
in the workplace. Lack of organized evaluation procedures can also result in a choice being taken
based on information that is ultimately useless or unimportant.

It may be alluring to add a new team member based on a reliable referral, but organizations
should consider again before beginning the onboarding process because doing so may reduce the
diversity of the candidate pool. The candidates that are being passed by on also probably have an
altogether separate network that is yet untapped and could be used to improve their job and raise
their worth to the company.

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Unethical hiring practices may take many different forms and can be detrimental to both the
hiring company and the job candidates. Unethical practices can be translated through
discrimination .It is unethical for a recruiter or employer to treat job applicants unfairly based on
their age, gender, ethnicity, religion, or any other protected trait. In addition, publishing incorrect
job descriptions to attract applicants is unethical since it offers a false image of the position and
may encourage people to apply who are not a good match for it. Also, nepotism is an unethical
hiring practice. It is immoral to favor friends, family members, or acquaintances over candidates
who are more qualified since it unjustly advantages those who have a personal connection to the
recruiter or hiring manager. In addition, it is unethical to make candidates feel as though they
have accepted a job offer under false pretenses by making promises about income rises or job
stability that cannot be kept. (Morris, 2021)

Some other recruiting practices may not only be unethical but also illegal. Discrimination against
applicants is always prohibited during the recruiting process, including during recruitment. If the
organization targets races, ethnicities, age groups, or other protected categories in its recruitment
efforts, they may be held legally liable.

The most important and popular unethical recruitment practice is when recruiters are bias. When
job candidates are evaluated throughout the recruiting process based on personal beliefs,
preconceptions, or prejudices rather than their abilities, credentials, and experience, this is
referred to as biased recruitment. The candidate's gender, race, age, ethnicity, country, or
socioeconomic standing can all be bases for bias, which can be either conscious or unconscious.
Biased hiring may have negative impacts on both businesses and applicants, such as lowering
workplace diversity, eroding employee engagement and morale, and raising the danger of legal
challenges and reputational harm. As a result, it's critical for recruiters to be conscious of their
prejudices, set fair and impartial assessment standards, and work toward achieving diversity and
inclusion in the recruiting process.

I remember when I was a recruiter, I was responsible for filtering and screening resumes. My
manager, who was responsible for choosing who will make the cut for the first interview used to
focus on very minor details. For example, once she refused to meet an applicant because the
picture on her resume shows that her eyebrows are not trustworthy. This caused a major conflict
between my manager and I. I always create a standard checklist for each open position and filter

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the resume that meets most of the requirements. On the contrary, she focused on other details.
Another recent example of a stereotype-based recruitment practice is when my manager used to
refuse giving an applicant the chance to be interviewed because of their background. I find this is
a major unethical problem, I refused to be part of such department and decided to quit and be
part of a reputable and respectful company. In my current job, I am not responsible for the
recruitment, but I hear a lot of our recruitment process as I went trough it as well. In fact, the
partners don’t focus on any criteria that does not affect the job description. They hired me
knowing I was pregnant and expecting soon, my place of residence is a bit far from the office
and my background is completely different that the majority of the employees. However, not a
single time I felt disrespected.

When companies express unethical recruitment, they are not just being unfair to the applicants
but to themselves as well. In fact, word of mouth speaks a lot.

Unethical hiring practices may harm a business in several ways, including less diversity, lowered
employee morale, negative legal repercussions, and a tarnished brand. To minimize these
unfavorable effects, it is imperative that businesses promote ethical hiring procedures.

A company's reputation may be harmed by unethical hiring procedures, especially in the eyes of
prospective clients, consumers, and investors. Bad word-of-mouth has a way of getting around,
and prospective employees can decide to work for a rival company instead. It can decrease
employee’s morale. When current workers learn of unethical hiring practices, it may affect their
happiness with their jobs and their sense of morale. In the end, this may result in lower
production and higher turnover rates. In addition, immoral hiring practices may also result in
legal repercussions, such as discrimination lawsuits, which may be expensive in terms of time,
money, and damages. Hiring applicants that are neither competent or a good match for the firm
may result when recruiters emphasize unethical techniques like faking applications or references.
This may lead to lower productivity and higher turnover rates. In addition, unethical hiring
procedures can result in a lack of diversity at work, which can be bad for the business's
reputation and hurt its ability to innovate and be creative. The financial results of the business
may be impacted by this. (King, 2017)

Bias in hiring and unethical hiring practices are closely connected and can have the same
detrimental effects on a firm.

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Inappropriate interview questions, misrepresenting information on resumes or references, or
hiring individuals based on partiality or nepotism are all examples of unethical recruiting
practices. These actions may result in a lack of openness and justice in the hiring process, which
might be detrimental to the company's reputation. On the other side, bias in hiring can relate to
preferences that hiring managers or recruiters may have for candidates based on variables like
race, gender, age, or physical appearance. This could lead to unequal recruiting procedures and a
lack of diversity at work.

Both unethical hiring procedures and hiring prejudice may hurt a business by lowering the
quality of the applicant pool, resulting in inadequate hiring choices, and harming the company's
brand. Moreover, it may lead to diminished output, worse staff morale, and negative legal
repercussions like discrimination lawsuits. Companies should put an emphasis on fair and ethical
hiring processes to prevent these repercussions. This may entail employing impartial recruiting
criteria, avoiding biased wording in job ads, and giving recruiters and hiring managers diversity
and bias training. Companies may create a more inclusive and productive workforce by
emphasizing justice and diversity in the hiring process.

In conclusion, unethical hiring practices can have serious repercussions for a business. These
actions may consist of bias, information fabrication, favoritism, and other unethical conduct.
Such actions can harm the company's brand, lower employee morale, and result in negative legal
repercussions, subpar hiring, and a loss in workplace diversity. Unethical hiring practices can
have an influence on society in addition to just the firm. Discrimination and socioeconomic
inequality may persist because of unethical hiring practices. Thus, it is crucial for businesses to
promote ethical hiring standards, such as impartial screening procedures, openness, and diversity
programs. Companies who do this may have a solid staff and a favorable reputation, both of
which will help them achieve their objectives. Also, everyone participating in the employment
process, including recruiters and hiring managers, should be conscious of their prejudices and
take steps to combat them. Increased fairness and objectivity in the recruiting process might
result from awareness of biases and the impacts of unethical recruitment tactics. Ultimately, a
company's prosperity, the welfare of its employees, and the advancement of society depend on
ethical hiring procedures and a dedication to diversity and inclusion

References
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Dewar, J. (2023, February 17). The Ugly Truth of Unstructured Interviews. Retrieved from Lever:
[Link]

King, M. (2017, July 25). Unethical private recruiters are hurting employer brands. Retrieved
from Smart Company:
[Link]
unethical-private-recruiters-hurting-employer-brands/

Morris, B. (2021, October 15). Eight Unfair and Discriminatory Hiring Practices That Go
Unnoticed. Retrieved from Perception PRedict:
[Link]

Wildermuth, Y. Z. (n.d.). Unstrucred Interviews. Retrieved from ischool: