REC Examines E-Recruitment - 05/2000

Following a roundtable involving key industry players including Tempz.com and Stepstone, the REC (Recruitment and Employers Confederation) has developed a policy on e-recruitment. Tim Nicholson, Chief Executive of the REC said : I see the role of the REC as being a guardian of professional standards in e-cruitment. One of the challenges facing this industry in the embryonic stages of e-cruitment comes in developing a comprehensive, yet
flexible, code of practice for recruitment consultancies.

There is a plethora of new Internet recruiters and it is currently difficult - from both a client and candidate perspective - to gauge their level of professionalism. We are
working with industry stakeholders to develop a set of standards, which give clients and candidates access to a recognisable sign that their recruitment consultancy adheres to the
best possible business practice.

Nicholson believes that the UK industry should join with the US market The development of standards for e-cruiters is not limited by national borders. We will strive to work with overseas bodies such as the US Agencies Association and CIETT to harmonise codes of conduct and regulations. Our ultimate goal is to create a set of standards which is relevant, practical - and above all flexible enough to respond to new and innovative developments in this high-paced industry sector.