Preamble

In order to foster the highest level of professional competence and business practices in the personnel consulting profession, the members of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Personnel Consultants believe that:

• Responsibility to all the interests we serve can best be met by endorsing and subscribing to a common set of standards to guide our business practices.
  
  
• Awareness of these standards by all those within our profession as well as the general public will greatly enhance the quality and status of our services.
  
  
• Encouragement of competent and ethical competition subscribing to these standards will further promote the growth and welfare of our profession.

Therefore, the members of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Personnel Consultants endorse and subscribe to the following Code of Ethics and Standards of Business Practices as a condition of membership.

Member-Candidate Relationship

1. A member firm will provide, in confidence, the best possible placement assistance to each and every qualified candidate regardless of race, creed, color, age, sex, national origin or disability.
   
   
2. Information pertaining to a candidate will be used only for the purpose of securing employment for that candidate. Confidentiality shall be maintained at all times.
   
   
3. Candidates shall be referred to employer/clients only on positions for which at least verbal employer/client authority has been given.
   
   
4. Candidates shall receive all available and pertinent information about the potential employer and the position opening to which the candidate is being referred. Confidential information provided by the employer/client as an aid to the effective handling of the job requirements shall be treated accordingly.
   
   
5. Firms who charge candidates a fee for their services shall make the candidates fully aware of any and all charges prior to referral. All monetary obligations shall be fully disclosed in a written agreement, a copy of which shall be provided to the candidates prior to referral.
   
   
6. Positions listed in newspapers or other media shall be factual and refer to current bonafide openings. A member firm shall always fully identify itself in advertising.

Member-Employer/Client Relationship

1. A candidate's employment background, qualifications, and salary requirements shall be stated to the employer/client as accurately and fully as possible.
   
   
2. Confidential information provided by the employer/client will be protected at all times.
   
   
3. A member firm will not solicit a candidate they placed with an employer/client while still in the same employ unless the candidate voluntarily initiates/reactivates his or her candidacy. Candidates shall be encouraged to discuss any problems or differences with their immediate supervisor prior to reactivating their candidacy.
   
   
4. A member firm will make all reasonable efforts to determine that employer/clients with whom they work are bonafide employers who do not misrepresent terms or conditions of employment to candidates.
   
   
5. Direct mail, bulletins, and resumes presented to employer/clients shall represent bonafide available candidates.
   
   
6. All contractual service charge terms shall be fully discussed, with a copy submitted in writing to the employer/client. Verbal agreements may be accepted to facilitate the placement procedure, but must be followed with a written copy as soon as possible.
   
   
7. Recruiting shall be done in a professional, forthright manner. A member shall not conceal its identity or use misrepresentations for the purpose of obtaining information about a company's workforce.

Member-Employee Relationship

1. Members shall provide counselors (placement personnel) with a written compensation agreement which includes compensation, if any, following termination. This agreement shall be provided at the time of initial employment.

Note: These Standards of Business Practices do not supersede or replace state or federal laws.