The Job Application Integrity Project is a free public-service initiative working to improve transparency, accountability and trust in the online employment marketplace.
After 35 years in recruiting, the problem became impossible to ignore.
I have worked in recruiting for more than 35 years and have interviewed thousands of job seekers. Over that time, I have learned that looking for a job is rarely just a business transaction. It can be emotional, stressful and financially difficult.
In recent years, I have watched the online job marketplace become increasingly difficult for both job seekers and employers to navigate. Job seekers may move through search engines, job boards, aggregators, recruiting platforms, career sites and applicant tracking systems without knowing who actually posted a job, who is authorized to represent the employer, where the Apply button will take them, or who ultimately receives their information.
At the same time, more employers are dealing with scammers and unauthorized third parties using their names, brands, employees and job postings. My own company and a number of the employers we work with have experienced the consequences of unauthorized third-party job boards, recruiters and other intermediaries inserting themselves into the hiring process.
I also believe strongly that reputable third parties are an important part of a healthy employment marketplace. Authorized recruiters, job boards, recruitment advertising partners, search engines, aggregators, staffing firms and recruiting technology providers can help employers reach more people and help job seekers discover legitimate opportunities.
The problem is not job distribution. The problem is what happens when authorization, transparency, accountability and verifiable application delivery disappear from the process.
That is why I started the Job Application Integrity Project.
If a person believes they are applying for a job with a particular employer, they should be able to understand who is behind the opportunity, where their information is going, and whether their application reaches the employer or authorized recruiting representative they intended to reach.
Paul Cornell
Founder, Job Application Integrity Project
Our position
JAIP supports responsible job distribution and the important role played by authorized, reputable employers, recruiters, job boards, advertising partners, search engines, aggregators and recruiting technology providers.
Our concern is unauthorized, misleading, opaque or unaccountable activity that can confuse job seekers, damage employer brands, intercept applications or obscure where applicant information actually goes.
Open distribution. Clear identity. Transparent application paths. Verifiable delivery.
Building JAIP with multiple perspectives
No single recruiter, employer, job board or technology company should define an integrity standard for the entire employment marketplace. JAIP is forming a Founding Advisory Council to bring together experienced people from different parts of the system.
The Council's role is not to simply agree with JAIP. It is to challenge assumptions, identify unintended consequences, strengthen methodology and help ensure that JAIP develops standards that are credible, balanced, practical and useful.
Leadership & Advisory Council Governance & Independence Media & Press