How to never be in Justice Dyson Heydon’s position

Whether you believe Justice Dyson Heydon’s position has been compromised as impartial or not, when you are responsible for running recruitment and selection activities you never want to be put in a similar position.

The issue around Justice Dyson Heydon’s is not one of competence or impartiality, it’s one of a perceived conflict of interest. Too often when we are faced with running a recruitment process we may end up having to assess a candidate who you know, have worked with or have had some form of informal dealing with at some point. On the surface this may appear innocent and would never impact your eventual decision making process. However, when you are talking about people lives, the line between a perceived conflict of interest and a real one becomes blurred. The moment your integrity is questioned, a spotlight focussed on your every action or inaction.

What can muddy the waters more is the role your subconscious may have on the process.

Harvard University has been conducting research into the role memories that are not accessible can have on influencing individual attitudes and behaviour since 1998 (see Project Implicit) . This form of social psychology is commonly referred to as Implicit Association. This is a type of unconscious bias towards a particular memory hidden within your brains hard drive. In essence you may inadvertently and unconsciously making a decision based on personal bias.

So how do you position yourself as credible and reputable when involved in the recruitment and selection of new employees?  There are three sure-fire ways to do this.

1. Include at least one if not two independent panel members in the process – Whilst this may not remove all criticism, it puts you in a better position than you would have been if it was only you running the show.
2. Remove yourself from the recruitment and selection activities when there may be a perceived conflict of interest – This is a simple and one of the best ways to maintain credibility and impartiality.  If any doubt, get out.
3. Engage an external recruitment company for total impartiality – If there is any chance there may be a conflict of interest, you have internal staff applying for the position or if you risk having your credibility and impartiality challenged, then engage the services of a recruitment organisation. This will remove any doubt and ensure that there is no recourse on your status.

When the dust clears, there is a good chance that the reputation of Justice Dyson Heydon’s may have been damaged as a result of a perceived conflict of interest. Don’t put yourself in a position where your credibility can be challenged. Without credibility your personal brand will be tarnished and no amount of polishing will restore your credibility to the shine it once had.

Want to know more? – Contact Scott today