Before They're Hired, They're Still Someone's Son or Daughter

Last week, we reflected on the humanity job seekers deserve. This week, I want us to sit with one standard that can change the way we see every candidate: Before they are hired, they are still someone’s precious son or daughter. And they may be waiting for your company to decide whether they are worthy of a conversation.

A resume is never the whole person. Hiring teams may see a résumé, an application, a score, or a collection of keywords. But a family sees a person. Someone sees the child who worked hard through school. Someone remembers the young adult who kept going after disappointment. Someone knows how much courage it took for that candidate to apply again after being rejected, ignored, or laid off.

Does every application deserve an interview? No. Does every candidate deserve honesty, clarity, and basic respect? Yes. That distinction matters. Human dignity does not require us to hire everyone. It requires us to remember that every person entering our process matters, even when the answer is no.

Imagine that the person applying for your open role is someone you love deeply. Would you want them to spend hours completing an application, recording a one-way video, or preparing for an interview that never receives a response? Would you want them to be judged by a system that did not understand their experience? Would you want them to receive a generic rejection that offered no clarity and no indication that a human being had considered their effort?

These questions are not meant to shame hiring professionals. We know recruiters and managers are often working under pressure. But pressure does not erase responsibility.

The message behind my book, They’re Worth It! What It Means to Put Employees First is that people are more than metrics, headcount, or productivity numbers. That belief should begin before the first day of work.

If you lead, recruit, or influence hiring decisions, pause before your next application review and ask: If this candidate were someone’s child, would I be proud of how we treated them?

If you don't like the answer - change it!

Coach Ha-Keem