CODE OF ETHICS

STANDARDS OF ETHICAL PRACTICES

and Membership Rules

Members of The US-Recruiters Network (USRN)  are committed to providing high-quality and ethical search, employment, and temporary services to the clients and candidates they represent. The groups Ethics Committee maintains Grievance and Arbitration procedures. To obtain a list (hard copy) of member firms, or to inquire about these procedures, contact the Managing Director.

COMPANIES

• Candidate employment records, qualifications, and salary requirements shall be stated to the client as accurately and fully as possibly, or requested.
• Candidate shall be referred to clients for interview only with prior authorization of the client, which may be given verbally.
• Confidential information relating to the client's business, which is imparted as an aid to the effective handling of job requirements, shall be treated accordingly.
• Candidates placed by a member firm shall not be solicited for any other positions while still in the employ of clients with whom they have been placed.
• Member firms shall not knowingly solicit as candidates any employees of the member's client firms.
• Direct mail, bulletin, and resumes of candidates that are presented to clients shall represent bona-fide candidates.

RELATIONS WITH CANDIDATES

• Candidates shall be referred to clients for interviews only on job openings for which at least verbal authority has been given by client.
• Representations made to candidates about the duties; probable length of employment, hours, and salary of perspective positions shall be in conformance with the best knowledge of the consultant.
• Precautions shall be taken against referring any candidate to employers who are known to engage in illegal, immoral, or any questionable business practices.
• Information about a candidate will be used only for the purpose of securing employment for that candidate and/or screening for client's position. Confidential information shall be treated accordingly.
• Members whose primary business is "Permanent Placement" must be either registered or licensed by the state they reside in as employer fee paid agencies. Fees are privileged information between the USRN member and their client. No member shall discuss fees, accept fees from candidates or try to collect fees from a candidate. Fees are privileged information between the member and their client.
• Members whose primary business is "Contract/Temporary" placement shall not discuss the "bill rate" and or the "pay rate" with the candidate. The financial arrangements made between the member firm and the client should always be considered privileged information
• No candidate shall be referred to any employer where a strike or lockout exists or is impending (according to the best knowledge of the consultant) without being notified of such condition.
• No candidate shall be referred to potential employers without the candidate's prior knowledge and approval.

PRACTICES

• A member shall not participate in ruse calls, whether to an employer or another recruitment firm.
• A member firm shall not misrepresent their client relationships to candidates (i.e., claim exclusive or retained agreements where none exists, etc.)
• When fee disputes or other conflicts arise, member firms will accurately and fully explain to clients, and candidates, to the best of their knowledge, the rules and regulations governing the recruitment industry.

RELATIONS BETWEEN MEMBER FIRMS

• The primary directive governing relations between members is essentially a version of the "Golden rule."
• When doing candidate and client splits splits Members must agree to abide our Rules of Engagement.
• Members shall respond to voice mail, fax, and or email communications from members within a reasonable time frame - (48 hours or less). Members who don't demonstrate a sense of respect for one another will be dropped from the membership roles.
• Members shall not discuss, bad mouth or render disparagingly remarks about a member to clients, candidates and or fellow members; especially to recruiters outside of our group. If there is a problem, discretion in mandatory and the complaint should be brought and or discussed only with the Managing Director.
• Members shall not, in the course of advertising, public relations efforts, of any other activity, permit the berating or criticizing in any manner whatsoever of any other personnel-consulting firm.
• Members will abide by the IOR rules as outlined in our member IOR form. Members who don't abide by the rules will be dropped from the association.
• When member firms conduct splits, the placing firm will remit payment to the referring firm within 30 days or less of receiving payment from the client.
• If a member issued another member a legitimate invoice for services rendered and the receiving member does not remit or refuses to remit payment, that member's membership would be terminated.
• If a member has a monetary issue with another member and the reimbursement check bounces and or if an electronic payment is nullified, that member will be terminated.
• Membership dues in USRN are billed annually in January and due by the 10th of January. Failing to remit payment by the 10th could be the cause of termination.

RELATIONS BETWEEN MEMBER FIRMS and PREFERRED VENDORS

• Members who disclose the contents of our Strategic Business Partner programs to other networks or non-members of USRN will automatically be terminated from USRN.
• Members who enter into a payment schedule with one of our Preferred Vendors and breaks that commit will be suspended until the dispute is resolved.

ADVERTISING

• Positions listed in newspapers, job boards or other media shall be factual and refer to bona fide openings available at the time that copy is given to these publications.

SERVICE CHARGES

• No client/candidate shall be obligated for a contingency service charge until after and acceptance has been made between the client and the candidate.
• In the instance of company-paid fees, no candidate shall be obligated for contingency fee charges.
• Retained search agreements will be given to clients prior to the initiation of the search.
• Adjustments and refunds of service charges that are mutually agreed upon shall be made promptly.

GENERAL

• Members shall cooperate with and permit at any time a complete and thorough investigation of any alleged violation of ethics and standards that tends to reflect on the business practices of the individual service by the USRN Regional Directors and the member shall abide by decisions of that body
• The complaint can be generated by the managing Director of The US Recruiting Network and or by a member of USRN.
• The Person or Firm who is lodging the complaint must file said complaint in writing with supporting documentation and/or witness statements within thirty days of incident.
• The Recruiting Firm or Recruiter that is in question shall have the right to defend the accusations with a written statement to the Regional Directors within ten days of said complaint. Supporting documentation may also be sent to the Directors.
• The committee will utilize our Code of Ethics, our Rules of Engagement and will combine these tools with their experience as Recruiters in making their decision. The decision of the Directors shall be final.
• In the event the Regional Directors find sufficient evidence to take action they will have two avenues of action to pursue. First, they can suspend the member's membership privileges for 30 days or until such time that the member can resolve the issue(s) to the satisfaction of the Regional Directors. And or, the Regional Directors can terminate the member's membership at any time deemed necessary if the vote to do so is unanimous.
• In the event that the member is terminated the membership will be notified through appropriate channels of the member's termination. Member termination must be a majority vote by the Regional Advisors..