ETIQUETTE
AND ETHICS IN YOUR JOB SEARCH
WHAT ARE THEY AND WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?
Your
job search involves other people. Just as you have legitimate personal feelings
and pragmatic interests so do the people on the hiring side of the process.
Etiquette
is a generally accepted mode of conduct. For example, dining etiquette
facilitates people eating in a group without giving offence to one another.
(You wouldn’t eat with your elbows on the table or talk with your mouth full of
food). Job search etiquette enables people who are essentially strangers to
explore the possibility of entering into a mutually beneficial business
relationship. (After all, that’s what an employer-employee relationship should
be). A violation of etiquette could strain feelings and raise questions about
behaviour that interfere with examining the overall fit between the job
applicant and the job.
Ethics
is a search for the good or right way to do things. Ethics teach that some
values may transcend your personal best interests. Because of ethics, you may
need to sacrifice some benefit simply because the legitimate interests of
another party need to be taken into account. For example, accepting a job offer
as a safety valve while continuing to pursue other employment options might be in
your personal interest. However, doing so would be a violation of ethics
because that practice causes harm to others.
Following
professional etiquette tends to support our practical self interest because it
removes possible causes of adverse reactions from those who may be able to
influence our professional future. Adherence to professional ethics, on the
other hand, may involve some pragmatic loss to ourselves. There may be some
benefit through a good reputation, but that is not a certainty. Perhaps this
explains why the questions most people ask about etiquette involve
understanding what to do, while questions about ethics are often designed to
escape their constraints.
Let’s
go through the job search process together, examining what proper etiquette and
ethics guide us to do.
RESUME
Ethics
Absolute honesty on
your resume is an ethical imperative. There are two aspects to this.
Don’t
overstate:
·
GPA.
Your GPA
should be stated as it is when constructing your resume. A 2.99 could be
rounded to 3.0, especially since your last semester’s grades may be a factor if
you have not yet graduated. A 2.77, on the other hand, cannot be rounded to
3.0. A GPA accompanied by an honest explanation is ethically acceptable. For
example:
GPA 3.0 (except for catastrophic freshman year)
or
GPA
2.95 (will be 3.0 or better by graduation)
·
Titles.
Job titles should be clear and uninflated whether of
jobs you have held or of positions in student organizations. If you were
pumping gas, don’t write “petroleum supply consultant.” If you were the “president” of a club with
two members that never met, it doesn’t deserve a mention.
Don’t
understate, either
Don’t mislead the
employer by understating your
accomplishments. An ethical presentation is one that alerts an employer to your
critical skills and characteristics. Your chances of getting an interview could
be in jeopardy if your resume is overlooked because you understated you
qualifications.
For example, your GPA
might be understated unless it is accompanied by an explanation:
GPA 2.9 (3.3 after leaving engineering major)
or
GPA
2.86 (worked 30 hours a week each semester
while
carrying a full course load)
Similarly, not having
an august title doesn’t mean you lack
organizational or leadership skills. Let the employer know that you “led a class research team” or “organized a charity benefit” or “volunteered 10 hours a week.” Don’t downplay your skills because you
haven’t been featured in MacLean’s.
REFERENCES
Etiquette
At some point in the
interview process, you may be asked to provide a prospective employer with a
list of several references. These are people who know you from an employment or
other non-family context and who will speak well of you.
References
are generally not contacted unless the company is preparing to extend a job
offer. At that point, it is cost effective to check your references for two
reasons: (1) to uncover reasons why the offer should be withheld, and (2) to
fulfill “due diligence” requirements. However, you may need to list some
references when you apply for a job. Therefore it makes good sense to contact
each prospective reference early in the process. Request permission to use
a person as a reference. Be prepared to explain what your job search plans
are. Also, provide the potential reference with examples of qualities you
possess and ask the reference if she would like a copy of your resume for her
convenience.
On your list of
references, include the person’s name, title, professional affiliation, and
telephone number. It makes most sense to submit your reference list only under
two circumstances: (1) the prospective employer explicitly requests it, and (2)
the references would clearly help you advance your job candidacy. Let’s look at
some job search situations and see whether submitting references is called for:
·
Job application: If the form asks, you should provide the references.
·
Resume:
Generally you have better things to do with your resume space. However,
if you are looking for a job in TV news broadcasting and Lloyd Robertson will
be a reference, state that fact. It is a good selling point to use references
in high places or with very high and positive visibility.
·
Initial Interview: Even though it is unlikely it will be requested, bring a list of
references to the interview. It is better to have it and not need it than to
need it and not have it.
If the interviewer
tells you that he loved his last job at Certainco and John Jones of Certainco
is one of your references, mention that fact. “That’s interesting. Did you know
John Jones? He happens to be one of my references.”
·
On site interview: Submit your reference list if requested. Also, contact your
references to let them know that you have reached this stage.
As
you consider leaving your university career for a professional career, speaking
with practitioners in fields of interest to you makes a good deal of sense.
Practitioners can provide insights about work life and needed skills that are
difficult to access in any other way.
Both
etiquette and ethics have a role to play.
·
Professional demeanour: If you are visiting a person’s place of
work, make sure that your appearance, including mode of dress, is appropriate
for that environment. You are not a student going to class. Consider yourself a
professional trying to make a positive impression.
·
Time and timeliness: Be a bit early for your appointment. Also, be mindful of the
other person’s time. In addition to helping you, she has a job to do. Coming in
with some prepared questions and knowledge of her business will help you use,
rather than abuse, her time.
·
Thank you: It is
appropriate to send a thank you letter after your meeting. So is keeping the
person you met with informed about your job search if he has expressed an
interest in it.
·
Representing others: If you have arranged the meeting with the help of friends,
relatives, or your university, how well you present yourself is a partial
reflection on them. Your conduct should not make them look like poor judges of character.
·
Misrepresenting yourself: You requested the meeting to
request information. Do not ask the
other person for a job unless that would be clearly acceptable to the other
person’s agenda.
Etiquette
Compose all
correspondence in a professional manner. Your cover letter should be personally
addressed. Your resume should be professional in appearance and informative in
content. Unless you have an existing relationship with the addressee, use “Ms.”
or “Mr.” rather than “Carol” or “Charles.”
Ethics
Apply for a job only
if you have some realistic level of interest. You would be wasting a company’s
time if you apply for a job in a province where you would not live. Electronic
recruiting through the Internet has made this an especially serious problem. It
is now possible to go “click crazy” and apply for a multitude of jobs with
little expenditure of thought, time, or effort. Spurious job applications clog
a company’s candidate search system and result in a significant loss of time.
·
Arrive early: Plan to arrive 10-15 minutes early. Lateness says that your time
is more important than the other person’s. Arrival at an interview in the nick
of time doesn’t show time management skills. Rather, it demonstrates a certain
recklessness in important situations.
·
Forms of address: It may be unclear how to address your interviewer. If a
representative of a company with an informal culture invites you to call her by
first name, it’s fine to do so. Also, interviews at an E-business almost always
fall into the first name category. However when in doubt:
·
Ask: “How would you like to be addressed?” is a perfectly reasonable
question.
·
Be on the safe side: Few people
are offended by the title, “Mr.” or “Ms.”
·
Follow
your culture: Some
people have been raised to address anyone who is older by “Mr.” or “Ms.” There
is no need to make yourself uncomfortable by violating that norm. On the other
hand, if the interviewer says, “Just call me Chuck,” it is best to accede to
that request.
·
Courtesy: Be
courteous to everyone you meet,
including secretaries and other individuals interviewing for a job.
·
Thank you: A
brief thank you note to your interviewer(s) is a professional courtesy.
·
Initiating a discussion on compensation: It is poor form to initiate questions about
compensation at an initial interview. However, it is appropriate to respond if
the interviewer raises the subject. In most cases, the response should be
nondescript. Indicate an interest in the job and a sense that the interviewing
company is probably competitive with the market. In the case of an E-business,
your initial interview day may also be the day of decision on whether to extend
an offer or not. In that case, be prepared for a more substantive discussion of
compensation if the subject is raised by your interviewer(s).
·
Being there: Once you have arranged an interview time, it is your ethical
obligation to be there, prepared, and on time. The main reason is that the
number of interview slots allocated for a specific university recruiting day or
a specific job is limited. An unused interview time costs someone else a chance
at that job. There are two other reasons. The interviewer’s time is one of his
most important resources. Wasting that time is like burning someone else’s
money. Further, if the interview was scheduled on campus, your university’s
reputation will suffer as a result of no-shows.
Cancelling an
interview at the last minute is little different than not showing up at all. If
you come down with an illness that prohibits you from keeping the appointment
or a family emergency calls you away, missing your interview is not unethical.
However, to lessen the disruption to the interviewer’s day, let him know you
are unable to make the interview as soon as you can.
Think about the following scenario: Steve wakes up one morning with a headache. It is raining outside and
Steve has an exam that evening. Steve is scheduled for an interview with
Certainco at 10:00 a.m. A bit conflicted, Steve looks in the mirror and engages
his conscience in dialogue.
Assuming that you have the role of Steve’s ethical
conscience, how would you respond to Steve’s arguments for blowing off the
interview, as given below:
1. I don’t really want the job anyway, so I would be wasting the interviewer’s
time if I showed up.
2. The economy is booming, jobs are chasing people. If someone really wants
to interview with Certainco, I’m sure they can get an interview.
3. My first priority is to be a student and I need the time to study for my
exam.
4. The university is more concerned with its reputation than with good old
Steve. Besides, I have been paying the placement office salaries with my
tuition for four years, so what is their complaint?
5. People miss appointments all the time. It’s no big deal.
·
Everything you say must be true.
Every answer should be straightforward and thoroughly honest. Do not shade the
truth, let alone lie. Anticipate that any statement you make about your past
performance will be probed by follow up questions to ascertain details. If you
can’t back it up, don’t say it.
·
But you don’t need to say everything: There is no ethical requirement to volunteer information that may be
destructive to your chances of being offered the job. Ethics is not self
abnegation.
·
Your questions: In most interviews, you will be invited to ask questions of the
interviewer. Let’s say your interview is with Ozonebust and your research
reveals that the company has been accused of violating federal environmental
protection standards. Putting courtesy and pragmatics aside, would it be ethical to ask a question like this?:
“Ozonebust has been named as a major polluter, threatening the health of
millions of people, including my as-yet-unborn children. Aren’t you guys
ashamed of yourselves?”
Phrased this way, the
question is probably unethical and certainly bad etiquette for the following
reasons:
·
You were invited to ask a question and you
vented your hostility instead. That is an abuse of the situation. It’s as if
the interviewer asked you, “Aren’t you ashamed that you wasted so much time
drinking beer instead of studying?”
·
You are putting the interviewer in the position
of dealing with your anger instead of your concerns.
·
You have introduced a note of hostility when
you had an option to ask your question in an appropriate way, like “As you
know, there has been considerable adverse publicity about Ozonebust in regard
to pollution. Like many people, I am concerned about this. Can you tell me what
the company’s perspective is on this?”
Sometimes
there is a benefit to ethical interviewing as the following story illustrates:
Bill came to see me
before one of his interviews. He was concerned. At a previous interview, Bill’s
answers about his work experience seemed to fall flat. “Maybe I could stretch a
few points a little,” Bill suggested. “Who would get hurt? Besides, everybody
fibs a little, don’t they?”
I
could understand Bill’s concern, but couldn’t agree with his solution. Getting
a job is tough, but that makes honesty even more important. I wanted Bill to
find his own answer by thinking about some questions.
“Bill,”
I asked him, “why do you think your responses fell flat?” Bill told me his work experience was thin.
“My experience isn’t what they’re looking for. I need to dummy things up a
little.”
“Bill,
I think you have it backward,” I responded. “The problem is that you weren’t honest enough at your interview.
Remember that the employer is looking for a match between the requirements of
the job and what you have to offer. The honest approach is to use your work
experience, whatever it is, to demonstrate some of your positive
characteristics that the employer needs.
You are the subject of the
question. Your work experience provides examples and historical context for
your attributes.”
Bill
thought for a moment and then reasoned, “So, if I stretched the truth about my
jobs, I would be moving away from the point of the question, which is what
skills and attributes so I have that would help me do the job well. Fibbing
demonstrates a characteristic that is unattractive to employers. By focusing my
energy on identifying what I achieved or learned on those jobs, I would be
honest and also more successful.”
“Exactly,”
I said. “Altering the facts lets you escape from truly examining what is
important about them. The consequence of telling the truth is that you will
actually identify more of the skills you have that the employer needs. But remember this, Bill: although ethical behaviour could be a
benefit in this case, ethics should be followed even when there is no benefit
at all.”
·
Other students: What if the interviewer initiates topics that are ethically
questionable. You may be asked to say something about another student or
another applicant. While you have every right to build yourself up you have no right
to undermine someone else.
For example, a
candidate may be asked, “Peter, tell me why I should hire you and not the other students I am interviewing
today.” Peter should respond by
telling why he should be hired. “I know that you are interviewing some wonderful
people today. The reason you should hire me is …” “Gail, you and Jolene were both Art History majors. What can you
tell me about Jolene?” Gail should
say, “I know a lot of really nice people from Art History, but I am not
comfortable discussing anyone but myself.”
·
Other job search activities: It is not unethical for an employer to ask
you about other interviews, job offers, and salary offers you have had. Their
purpose may be to see if you are seriously interested in the position they are
seeking to fill. However, you are under
no ethical obligation to give a direct answer. All you need to say is,
“Yes, I am pursuing a number of job opportunities [add ‘in this field’ if
appropriate] but I prefer to limit my comments to my interest in your company.”
Remember, if they discover that other employers are interested in hiring you,
it can work to your advantage.
FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEWS
If
your initial interview went well from the company’s perspective, you will be
invited to a follow-up or second-round interview. Typically, these interviews
are held on site at the employer’s
place of business and may be referred to by that name.
·
Confirm your interview arrangements: Two or three days prior to your on-site
interview, call the person who invited you. Confirm the details of your visit,
including date, location, time, and any transportation or lodging arrangements
made by the company. It is a good idea to ask about the day’s schedule,
including how long you will be expected to stay and the number of people with
whom you will interview.
·
Meals: In
many cases you will be invited to a meal, perhaps lunch, as a guest of the
company. If dining in a restaurant, avoid ordering foods that are messy or
difficult to eat (e.g., spaghetti or lobster) and keep the cost of your order
within a moderate price range. Engage in table conversation, remembering that
the meal is part of a professional interview process and not a chance to blow
off steam or pig out.
·
Thank you: At
the least, a thank you note to the person who arranged your on-site interview
is in order. A note to each person who interviewed you is also recommended.
·
Deciding whether to accept: On-site interviews are very costly to
companies in terms of staff time and financial costs, such as travel. Only a
limited number of people can be interviewed. If Jones accepts the interview,
Smith may not be invited. Therefore, do not accept an on-site invitation unless
you have some degree of interest in the job. Accepting the interview just for
practice, the plane trip, or a stay in an elegant hotel asks the company to
incur an unnecessary expense. In addition, a frivolous acceptance may come at
the expense of another person who is actually interested in the job but didn’t
quite meet the cut for on-site interviews.
On the other hand,
protecting your legitimate interests is also an ethical concern. Don’t reject
an on-site invitation simply because you are not sure that you want the job.
The following story illustrates these issues.
David
had mixed emotions when he came to see me. He had done everything we had
recommended in the Job Search Club and had succeeded in being invited to three
on-site visits. He was happy about two of them, but concerned about the third.
“Schlockco just isn’t for me,” he
said. “The more I think about it, neither the firm nor the industry is for me.
But I convinced them at the on-campus interview that I really want the job, so
I don’t want to feel like a liar now. And I’d love to visit Vancouver. What
should I do?”
I
told David that he had raised an important issue and that students struggle
with the same question every year. Only he could decide whether to go, but I
gave him guidelines for deciding whether to decline an on-site interview
invitation.
·
“No
Way?” “Really?” If you
are 100 percent sure, positively and absolutely, that there is no way you would
accept a job from that firm if offered, then don’t go. If there is even some
possibility that you might want the job, then go to the on-site interview.
·
Remove
needless concerns. David, for example, had
told the firm at his initial interview that he wanted the job. In the context
of that interview, David was telling the truth. Now he has a different
perspective. At this stage of the process, it is not unethical to change your
mind and tell the company that you no longer wish to pursue this opportunity.
·
Don’t
count birds in the bushes. I told David not to turn
down the visit to Schlockco on the assumption that one of the other firms he
had interviewed with would make him an offer. There is no job offer until the
firm has explicitly made it to you. Praise for your character, capabilities,
and potential with the firm is not a substitute for a firm offer.
·
The
interviewer is not the firm. Don’t reject an on-site
interview because you didn’t like your initial interviewer. A half-hour
experience with a single individual is no basis for closing out a potential
career opportunity.
·
It
would be fun, good interview practice, etc. Accepting
an on-site interview simply for fun or practice is unethical because it is an
abuse of the employer.
Probably the most sensitive issue in the
entire job search process is the ethics involved in handling job offers. At
this point, both the prospective employer and prospective employee have
something at stake.
Here are some basic
guidelines:
·
It is
ethical to receive more than one job offer.
·
It is ethical to negotiate in good faith for
better terms.
·
It is not ethical to accept a job offer
while continuing your search for another job or waiting for another company to
offer you a better position.
Let’s examine excuses students (and others)
sometimes offer in defence of their unethical behaviour in this regard:
·
Not enough time to decide: Unfortunately, it
is true that some companies do press students for an immediate response to a
job offer. That is poor business judgement on the company’s part, but it does
not excuse poor ethics on yours. You have three choices:
1. You could say “yes” and mean it.
2. You could say, “I simply can’t respond in the time frame you have given
me.”
3. You could try to juggle decision dates.
·
It won’t matter to the company: This is the “no harm-no foul” theory.
However, the company does suffer harm. Thinking that a position is now filled,
the company’s search to find a candidate for the position ends and other
candidates will receive a polite letter letting them know they are no longer in
the running. The reputation of your university may also suffer.
·
It’s really best for the company: Some people rationalize this way: “I wouldn’t be happy with the job, so it’s
really in the best interest of the company for me to withdraw my acceptance.
They will have an “unhappy camper” and lose their training investment for me
sooner or later anyhow.” The issue is that when you accept a job offer, you
must mean it. Consider your happiness with the job before, not after you accept it.
·
I need to protect myself: The feeling is understandable. However, no
one has the right to maximize his or her own self interest while disregarding
the rights of others.
·
People do it all the time: Some people do, but ethics is not a pursuit
of the lowest possible standard of behaviour.
·
Employed at will: The company may have stated in its offer letter that your
employment is “at will” and that the offer does not constitute an employment
contract. You could be fired for any reason or no reason at all. You may think
that employment “at will” allows quitting even before you start, but it
doesn’t. Ethically speaking, accepting a job offer means accepting it under the
terms offered.
What
about major, unforeseeable events that occur after you accept a job offer.
Examples might be dramatically adverse news about the company, discovering
previously hidden facts about the job, or a dramatic change in your personal
status.
The
ethical issue in such circumstances is one of “good faith,” namely that you
made your decision with full intent to carry it out. Let’s say that you read in
the press that DoneDeal, Inc. shocked the business world by announcing that it
is in serious financial trouble and anticipates layoffs. That news seems to
undermine an implied aspect of your agreement to work for Done Deal – namely
that you would have a future there. Presumably, DoneDeal, Inc. told you nothing
about their financial problems during the recruiting process. Under such
circumstances, you should seek iron-clad assurances that your job will not be
eliminated or adversely affected in content. Absent that assurance, in writing,
you have the ethical right to protect yourself against this major change in the
company’s situation.
Major,
unforeseen changes in your personal life may also be an ethically valid
consideration. If your fiancé is unexpectedly transferred a thousand miles
away, you may need to withdraw your acceptance to preserve your upcoming
marriage. On a sadder note, a serious illness or death in your family may
require that you not relocate as previously planned. Critical changes in family
circumstances can reasonably reverse a previously made decision.
What
if you receive a better job offer from Betterco after accepting a job with
DoneDeal? This is not an example of a major, unforeseeable event. The ethics of
acceptance in good faith precludes even considering the Betterco offer.
You
may receive one or more job offers that you decide to reject (Wouldn’t it be
nice to be in that position?).
Etiquette
You should convey your decision to reject a job offer orally and in
writing. The considerations here are speed and certainty of delivery.
·
Call the person who signed your offer letter.
Explain that it was a difficult decision, but you have decided not to accept
his company’s offer. You may wish to contact other people in the company who
interviewed you as well. Leave a brief message on voice mail if necessary.
·
Write a brief letter. Thank the person for the offer
and politely decline it. Send a hard copy through regular mail. Send the same
text by e-mail if you didn’t speak with a person when you made your phone call.
·
Timely Notification: Once you have made your
decision, you are ethically bound to notify the rejected company promptly.
The company needs to move forward with its staffing plans and the next
candidate in line may be looking forward to receiving the offer.
Don’t forget the
other birds in the forest just because your own nest is well feathered.
CLOSING THE LOOPS
Many
people have helped you with your job search. It is good etiquette to contact
each of them. Express (again) your thanks for their interest and let them know
how happy you are to have accepted a new job.
Mr. Richard I. Fein
Director of Career Management
Isenberg School of Management
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Revised and Edited for Canada by
Laura Addicott
Manager, Student Employment Centre
Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia