What is confidentiality? A dictionary definition will tell you that it is the state of being “confidential”, that is, “secret or private”. But secrecy and privacy aren’t the same thing.
Privacy and secrecy both involve boundaries and the denial of access to others; however, they differ in the moral content of the behaviour which is concealed. Privacy is consensual where secrecy is not; that is, there is a “right to privacy” but no equivalent “right to secrecy.”
Warren & Laslett, Privacy and Secrecy: A Conceptual Comparison
Privacy is consensual. At Hirehoot we’re about mutual consent. It is integral to the way we’ve embedded confidentiality in hiring or applying for a role through Hirehoot. Beyond the how, there are also many reasons why confidentiality matters. These reasons are why we’ve made confidentiality — privacy — so core to the Hirehoot experience, and why we believe it should be the standard.
For candidates
Whether you’re currently employed or not, whether you’re seeking a new role or just “window shopping”, confidential hiring by definition protects your privacy. What’s more it can protect your reputation and career. Here’s how:
Fairer, and freer job searching
When confidentiality is the standard, other people — friends, family, your current colleagues and employer — don’t know you’re looking. Plus, your potential future employers don’t know who you are, instead they have to focus on what you can do. Reducing bias in the hiring process means you’re more likely to be evaluated fairly on the basis of your skills and experience, rather than your identity. This in turn provides the opportunity to explore opportunities that align with your desires and aspirations, with fewer external pressures.
A less stressful approach to finding a job
Confidentiality makes navigating the job market more discreet. If you’re making the move to a leadership role, or evaluating making the leap to a competitor it gives you the time and space to make a more considered decision. When you get the post, you can also plan a more graceful transition from your old employer to your new one. The reverse is also true: with a confidential process it is much easier to change your mind! If you get all the way through a process and then decide it isn’t for you, your current role remains entirely unaffected.
Lower risk and higher job security
It sounds like a horror story, but if people find out you’re looking for a new job, they don’t always react the way you would expect.
In some cases, family pressures can be extreme, or in the case of promotion, competition with current colleagues can be uncomfortable. And sometimes, if your current employer finds out you’re thinking of leaving, they can make your life difficult. This might be by passing you over for promotion, or treating you differently because they see you as less committed. If this is a risk, especially if you’re keeping your options open, rather than actively looking to move, confidential hiring keeps you safe.
For employers
Confidential hiring helps your employer brand, and your business efficiency, but maximising fairness and minimising disruption.
A more ethical approach to hiring
With confidentiality as standard, you’re reducing bias in a way that supports your DEI initiatives. It can also mitigate other unconscious biases, like the type of departments or organisations you expect to hire from. It can even make it easier to consider candidates from your own organisation looking for a lateral move!
Respecting candidate privacy makes it easier for key talent to broaden their horizons and consider applying, and also sends a very positive message about the sort of safe space you create with a candidate-first approach to hiring.
More efficient hiring
Here’s where some practicalities come to the fore!
In a confidential process, you’re more likely to be able to secure the top talent you’re seeking. That’s because they are less likely to receive counter offers from their current employer until it is too late (that is, the point when the candidate has your offer in hand and has already handed in their notice).
You can also run smoother processes by using confidentiality from the get-go. Especially for startups or close-knit business critical teams, it can be disruptive to bring in a new leader, or create a lot of noise around potential promotions before you’re ready.
Lower risk recruitment and growth
If you’re pivoting the business, reorging, or changing senior leadership, confidentiality is crucial.
Internally, confidentiality mitigates the risk from uncertainty by reducing team disruption. Externally it can protect your proprietary company information, whether that’s technical context needed to adequately assess talent for key roles which your competitors would love to get their hands on, or strategic context that could reveal your business priorities and affect your share price.
So, you can see, whether you’re a candidate or a company looking to hire, there are lots of reasons why a confidentiality first approach can make hiring more ethical, more efficient and more secure.
If you’re interested in privately exploring your next opportunity (especially if you’re in data, AI or a related field) join Hirehoot today to get started, and if you’d like to find out more about how confidential hiring can help your business, get in touch!
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