Last issue, we reported on the REC’s new Marketing, Media and Communications (MMC) Sector Group. It recently achieved one of its main aims – to establish a recruitment Code of Conduct – which is good news for the industry as a whole. Emma Brierly, Xchangeteam CE and Chair of the MMC Group explains what it all means:

For a long time myself and other like-minded professionals have been battling to set up an official recruitment code of practice for our sector that can be used to kick the cowboys out of the industry and generally stamp out any dodgy behaviour.

We have all become dismayed over recent years by the fact that a few recruitment agencies have chosen to adopt “unethical” practices - whether that involves sending out CVs without discussing the opportunity with candidates beforehand in a bid to get the CV to the client first, or headhunting candidates from their clients - these cynical ways of working have been leading to confusion, lengthening the recruitment process and damaging the good name of the recruitment industry as a whole.

This has been compounded by the lack of knowledge among candidates and clients alike about what constitutes good recruitment practice.

There are three parts to the Code: one part is designed as a Code of Practice for recruitment companies, one is a Guidance for Clients and one will serve as a Guidance for Candidates working in the sector. It will be policed by the MMC Sector Group and the REC's Professional Standards team.

With a Code in place, it will now be much easier for recruitment agencies, candidates and clients to build a relationship with confidence in the knowledge that everyone will offer a certain standard of conduct and behaviour.

At the end of the day, the question of ethics is everyone’s problem and bad practice should never be ignored or encouraged. For this reason, I am pleased to see the initiative going ahead and sincerely hope that many recruitment agencies, clients and candidates will sign up to it.

For further information visit the MMC’s pages on the REC’s website - www.rec.uk.com.