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Recruitment Process? - You Have to Pay Me for It!

Urszula Czekirda 20.01.2023

Recently, the internet has been abuzz! There were whispers about how people in the IT industry are losing time on multi-stage recruitment processes, with tasks and conversations eating up hours. Apparently, there were even cases where participants in the recruitment process received actual money!

So, what's the truth? Should the time spent on the recruitment process be financially compensated? And if so, (watch out! I'm stirring the pot) which side should pay whom?

Observing the recruitment industry from the inside, it's not uncommon to encounter job offers where the recruiting company, at some stage of the process, offers to reimburse travel expenses, or in the marketing industry - pays for a project that will be evaluated and may (knowingly or not) inspire the creation of the actual project within the company's structures. However, in the IT industry, this is still a rare topic. Why?

One side (the Candidates' side) has many arguments to suggest that it wouldn't be a bad solution, as they devote their precious time to the first conversation, to doing a task, often to a second meeting, and then a third, and another one squeezed in at the end - maybe with HR, or even with the CEO, or "with our X, who generally has nothing to do with this role, but it would be good for you to meet". Let's face it, money is a certain motivator for at least efficient operation or respect for someone's time, but it seems that this only works when it goes in one direction!

The internet recently heated up! This was due to the Koszalin Philharmonic, which charges a refundable deposit of 150 PLN from people who want to participate in auditions for the role of a violinist.

Fot. https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-sykut

Funny, isn't it? To pay for someone to recruit us and give feedback, saying thank you, pfft! But to pay for our time because we had to come to the office or do a task and then didn't accept the offer, that's okay? So, how is it really? After all, the recruitment process should, by definition, be of value and potential profit for both sides: I - the Candidate, spend my time but can gain a job I care about (in an ideal world, we don't apply where we know from the start we don't want to work); I - the Recruiter, spend my time but can gain an employee who will bring value to the team. Therefore, wouldn't it be more sensible to approach the subject from the position of synergistic elements, necessary for a win-win? Is even the process in which the candidate ultimately does not accept the offer, or on the other hand, it is not presented to them, not valuable for both sides? Shouldn't we treat gathering experiences, drawing conclusions, establishing human relations (whether those after which we no longer want to meet someone on a business and non-professional level, or those for which we will look forward to a call in the future about the desire to return to discussions about cooperation) as "compensation"? So... to pay, or not to pay? If we are to pay, who should pay whom? If we are to pay, with what? I invite you to discuss.