Fairness and Rightness in Recruitment Practices

Recruitment practices have not attracted much attention so far in the economic and sociological literature, although the choices made at recruitment have considerable effects on unemployment. The present interdisciplinary study focuses on the assessment and selection processes involved in recruitment, which are analysed at various levels: at the cognitive level (the data have to be properly measured), at the social level (how competence is viewed depends on the specific social context), and at the ethical level (competence assessments must comply with the principles of fairness). The concept of competence conventions involves all these aspects of the assessment process. The author also refers to some recent empirical studies relating to this question.