I came to the conclusion the other day that our society is forgetting the golden rule in business. Treating others how we would like to be treated isn’t just another saying. I believe in it and others should too. When hiring someone, or even working for a company, treating others how you want to be treated not only practices kindness, it employs great business ethics.

I have some other golden rules, too. For instance, don’t leave people hanging after a job interview. If you have ten candidates on the table, call the nine people who didn’t get the job once you make a selection. It is common courtesy. You should let me people know when you make a selection so they can discount the position as a possible lead and continue on with their job search. The same goes for potential employees. Don’t leave companies hanging. If you find a job while you are being considered by another company- call that company’s HR department and let them know to shred your resume.

I often find that people don’t make these calls because they don’t want to be rude. Really, when you consider business protocol, not making these calls is, indeed, rude! Here are some examples of quick, polite and to the point ways to make the calls;

1. ‘Hello, Cathy. This is Luke calling from Building Team Solutions. I want to thank you for coming in for an interview. Unfortunately, you haven’t been selected for the position. Good luck with your job search.’

2. ‘Hello, Luke. This is Cathy. I interviewed the other day for the Administrative Assistant position. I know you said you had more interviews this week. I wanted to let you know I accepted a job offer with another company. However, I appreciated your time. Best of luck with your candidate search.’

So, next time you are not sure if you should or shouldn’t call an employee or employer with an update about your job search status, consider how you would want to be treated and what the actual business protocol is.

Britanie