Interviewing on Behalf of an Employer
Launch library · evergreen read
An interviewer conducting a conversation on behalf of an organisation, rather than as an independent party, carries a particular obligation to be transparent about that role, since a subject may reasonably answer differently depending on who ultimately receives and uses the material gathered. A subject unaware of this role may share more freely than they otherwise would have chosen to.
This does not make the conversation illegitimate, but it does change what genuine consent looks like: a subject deserves to know clearly whose interests the interviewer is ultimately serving before they decide how much to share in response to any given question. That clarity should be offered plainly, not left for the subject to work out on their own.
Maintaining honesty about this role throughout the conversation, rather than presenting oneself as more neutral than the underlying arrangement actually is, protects the basic trust the exchange depends on for its material to be genuinely useful. Presenting oneself as more neutral than the arrangement allows quietly undermines that basic trust.